650p confluence countries english english%2Cspeaking%2Ccountries english-speaking englishspeakers englishspeaking esl global_english_speakers google_search i18n languages population statistics statisticsofenglishspeakers
List of countries by English-speaking population
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This is a list of countries of the world sorted by the total English-speaking population in that country. This includes both native speakers and second language speakers of English. Statistics on second language speakers are usually imprecise, in part because there is no widely agreed definition of second language speakers, and some numbers have been calculated by Wikipedia editors from data in other sources, so these figures should be treated with caution.
Contents |
[edit] List in order of total speakers
| Rank | Country | % English Speakers | Total Population | Total English Speakers | As First Language | As an Additional Language | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 95.81% | 262,375,152 | 251,388,301 | 215,423,557 | 35,964,744 | Figures are from the year 2000 U.S. census. English speaker figures are for persons age 5 and older. Total population age 5 and older was 262,375,152 of which 251,388,301 stated that they spoke English "very well" or "well". Second language speakers are respondents age 5 and older who reported they do not speak English at home but know it "very well" or "well". [1] | |
| 2 | India | 10.66% | 843,900,000 | 90,000,000 | 226,449 | 65,000,000 second language speakers. 25,000,000 third language speakers |
Figures include both those who speak English as a second language and those who speak it as a third language. 1991 figures for second, third. 2001 figures for mother tongue.[2][3][4] The figures include English speakers, but not English users.[5] | |
| 3 | Nigeria | 53.34% | 148,093,000 | 79,000,000 | 4,000,000 | >75,000,000 | Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based pidgin or creole. Ihemere gives a range of roughly 3 to 5 million native speakers; the midpoint of the range is used in the table. Ihemere, Kelechukwu Uchechukwu. 2006. "A Basic Description and Analytic Treatment of Noun Clauses in Nigerian Pidgin." Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 296–313. | |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 97.74% | 60,975,000 | 59,600,000 | 58,100,000 | 1,500,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 5 | Germany | 56% | 82,191,000 | 46,000,000 | 272,504 | 46,000,000 | Native speakers: Statistisches Bundesamt (cited here). Non-native speakers: 2006 Eurobarometer survey. Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany. |
|
| 6 | Philippines | 46.98% | 90,457,200 | 42,500,000 | 27,000 | 42,500,000 | Total speakers: Census 2000, text above Figure 7. 63.71% of the 66.7 million people aged 5 years or more could speak English. Native speakers: Census 1995, as quoted by Andrew Gonzalez in The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5&6), 487-525. (1998) | |
| 7 | Canada | 85.18% | 33,355,400 | 25,246,220 | 17,694,830 | 7,551,390 | Source: 2001 Census - Knowledge of Official Languages and Mother Tongue. The 2001 count noted that of 29,639,030 speakers, 20,014,645 spoke English only, and 5,231,575 spoke English and French, while 3,946,525 spoke French only and 446,920 who were classified as speaking "neither English nor French". No data was listed for persons who spoke English and a language other than French. The native speakers figure comprises 122,660 people with both French and English as a mother tongue, plus 17,572,170 people with English and not French as a mother tongue. | |
| 8 | France | 36% | 64,473,140 | 23,000,000 | 23,000,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 9 | Australia | 97.03% | 21,394,309 | 17,357,833 | 15,013,965 | 2,343,868 | Source: 2001 Census. [1] The 2001 census data is subject to multiple intepretations. The data noted that 18,972,350 persons out of 21,394,309 total were speakers of a language, and excluded young children. However, more than a million of those 18,972,350 persons provided no information; 879,778 did not give information on proficiency, and 203,101 were "overseas visitors" who were not asked. Of the 17,889,671 persons for whom an inquiry was made 17,357,833 spoke English only, or "well" or "very well" as a second language; while 531,838 spoke "not well" or "not at all". | |
| 10= | Pakistan | 10.36% | 164,157,000 | 17,000,000 | 17,000,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 10= | Italy | 29% | 59,619,290 | 17,000,000 | 17,000,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 12 | Japan | 11.75% | 127,690,000 | 15,000,000[citation needed] | >93,500[6] | Native speaker figure is the number of foreign residents from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as of 2003.[6] | ||
| 13 | Netherlands | 87% | 16,445,000 | 14,000,000 | 14,000,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 14 | South Africa | 28.63% | 47,850,700 | 13,700,000 | 3,673,203 | 10,000,000 | Native speakers: 2001 Census: Census in Brief, page 15 (Table 2.5)
Non-native speakers: Crystal (2005), p. 109. |
|
| 15 | Spain | 27% | 46,063,000 | 12,500,000 | 12,500,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 16 | Turkey | 17% | 70,586,256 | 12,000,000 | 12,000,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 17 | Poland | 29% | 38,115,967 | 11,000,000 | 11,000,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 18 | China | 0.77% | 1,300,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 0 | 10,000,000 | Figures are for English users in mainland China only (i.e. excluding Hong Kong where English is an official language and Macau). The oft-cited figure of 300 million is for "learners."[7] | |
| 19 | Sweden | 89% | 9,215,021 | 8,200,000 | 8,200,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 20 | Cameroon | 41.51% | 18,549,000 | 7,700,000 | 7,700,000 | Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 21 | Malaysia | 27.24% | 27,170,000 | 7,400,000 | 380,000 | 7,000,000 | Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 22 | Russia | 4.9% | 141,888,900 | 6,955,315 | 1,804 | 6,953,511 | Source: Basic Results, Tables 4.4 and 4.1, Russian Census (2002). The "total" figure is the number of residents who reported English as one of the language they knew. The "first language" figure is the number of residents who reported "American" or "English" as their nationality. The "additional languages" figure is the difference. | |
| 23 | Thailand | 10% | 63,038,247 | 6,549,329 | 6,549,329 | Secondary language of the elite[8][9] | ||
| 24 | Belgium | 59% | 10,584,534 | 6,250,000 | 6,250,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 25 | Romania | 29% | 21,438,000 | 6,200,000 | 6,200,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 41.58% | 13,349,000 | 5,550,000 | 250,000 | 5,300,000 | Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 27 | Greece | 48% | 11,147,000 | 5,350,000 | 5,350,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 28 | Sierra Leone | 83.53% | 5,866,000 | 4,900,000 | 500,000 | 4,400,000 | Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 29 | Mexico | 4.55% | 106,682,500 | 4,855,000 | 4,855,000 | Consulta Mitovsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, April 2007 [2]; and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) [3]. | ||
| 30 | Austria | 58% | 8,340,924 | 4,800,000 | 4,800,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 31 | Denmark | 86% | 5,489,022 | 4,720,000 | 4,720,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 32 | Switzerland | 61.28% | 7,637,300 | 4,680,000 | 73,400 | Figure for speakers of English as "main language", according to Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel 2008[10] Source for number of non-native English speakers is 1999 publication by Prof. François Grin cited here: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/countries/uk/language.html | ||
| 33 | Ireland | 98.37% | 4,422,100 | 4,350,000 | 4,122,100 | 300,000 | Source: European Union Directorate General for Education and Culture[4] Central Statistics Office[5] Travbla[6] | |
| 34 | Tanzania | 9.89% | 40,454,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 35 | New Zealand | 97.82% | 4,275,100 | 3,673,623 | 3,700,000 | There were 4,027,947 responses to 2006 Census: Language spoken. 3,673,679 gave English as a response, 81,936 had no English but another language. The balance of 272,382 were; no language (too young) 75,195, no response 196,221, response unidentifiable 588, response outside scope 378. Hence it is most meaningful to express the English speaking per cent without including the figures for these 272,382. This gives 97.8% English-speaking, 2.2% non-English-speaking (3,673,679 and 81,936 divided by 3,755,565) Crystal (2005), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers. |
||
| 36 | Bangladesh | 2.21% | 158,665,000 | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 37= | Finland | 63% | 5,331,483 | 3,400,000 | 3,400,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 38= | Portugal | 32% | 10,623,000 | 3,400,000 | 3,400,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 39 | Singapore | 71% | 4,588,600 | 3,257,906 | 665,087 | 1,128,158 | Source: 2000 Census. Second language speaker figure only includes those literate in English aged 15 or more and does not include third language proficiency. Native speakers aged 5 or more, literate population, aged 15 or more, and percentage of literate population literate in English. | |
| 40 | Papua New Guinea | 49.76% | 6,331,000 | 3,150,000 | 150,000 | 3,000,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 41 | Liberia | 82.67% | 3,750,000 | 3,100,000 | 600,000 | 2,500,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 42 | Kenya | 7.19% | 37,538,000 | 2,700,000 | 2,700,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 43 | Jamaica | 97.64% | 2,714,000 | 2,650,000 | 2,600,000 | 50,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 44= | Uganda | 8.09% | 30,884,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 44= | Hong Kong | 35.9% | 6,963,100 | 2,500,000 | 200,000 | 2,300,000 | According to 1996 by-census, Hong Kong has approximately 2.5 million speakers, of whom 200,000 regard English as their "usual" language [11]. | |
| 44= | Czech Republic | 24% | 10,403,136 | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 47 | Hungary | 23% | 10,043,000 | 2,300,000 | 2,300,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 48 | Croatia | 49% | 4,555,000 | 2,200,000 | 2,200,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 49 | Puerto Rico | 48.61% | 3,991,000 | 1,940,000 | 100,000 | 1,840,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 50= | Sri Lanka | 9.9% | 19,299,000 | 1,910,000 | 10,000 | 1,900,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 50= | Zambia | 16.02% | 11,922,000 | 1,910,000 | 110,000 | 1,800,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 52 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 45% | 4,000,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | not verified. | ||
| 53 | Bulgaria | 23% | 7,640,238 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 54= | Slovakia | 32% | 5,402,273 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | not verified. | ||
| 54= | Ghana | 5.96% | 23,478,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 56 | Slovenia | 57% | 2,023,358 | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 57 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,305,000 | 1,145,000 | 1,145,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 58 | Lithuania | 32% | 3,369,600 | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 59 | Latvia | 39% | 2,270,700 | 900,000 | 900,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 60 | Guyana | 751,000 | 680,000 | 650,000 | 30,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 61 | Botswana | 1,639,833 | 630,000 | 630,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 62 | Estonia | 46% | 1,340,602 | 620,000 | 620,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 63 | Cyprus | 76% | 794,600 | 600,000 | 600,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 64 | Malawi | 3.88% | 13,931,831 | 540,000 | 209[12] | 540,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 65 | Lesotho | 27.86% | 1,795,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 66 | Suriname | 470,784 | 410,000 | 260,000 | 150,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 67 | Malta | 88% | 419,285 | 370,000 | 370,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 68 | Namibia | 17.24% | 1,820,916 | 314,000 | 14,000 | 300,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 69 | Luxembourg | 60% | 480,222 | 290,000 | 290,000 | Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf | ||
| 70 | Bahamas | 87.13% | 330,549 | 288,000 | 260,000 | 28,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 69 | Barbados | 98.57% | 279,000 | 275,000 | 262,000 | 13,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 70 | Belize | 81.65% | 301,270 | 246,000 | 190,000 | 56,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 71 | Mauritius | 15.97% | 1,264,866 | 202,000 | 2,000 | 200,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 72 | Vanuatu | 83.55% | 215,446 | 180,000 | 60,000 | 120,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 73 | Fiji | 20.62% | 853,445 | 176,000 | 6,000 | 170,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 74 | Solomon Islands | 31.68% | 552,438 | 175,000 | 10,000 | 165,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 75 | Ethiopia | 0.22% | 78,254,090 | 171,712 | 1,986 | 169,726 | ||
| 76 | Guam | 91.09% | 173,456 | 158,000 | 58,000 | 100,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 77 | Brunei | 37.76% | 381,371 | 144,000 | 10,000 | 134,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 78 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 95% | 120,000 | 114,000 | 114,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 79 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 95.97% | 108,448 | 113,000 | 98,000 | 15,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |
| 80= | Grenada | 90.91% | 110,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 80= | Israel | 1.37% | 7,303,000 | 100,000 | Source: Ethnologue (2005)[13] The 100,000 figure may be low considering that English is de facto the second language of speakers of both Hebrew and Arabic. It is the main language for external commerce and tourism, and a required language for all Jewish and Arab schools, and for the universities (which teach in Hebrew).[14][15] |
|||
| 82 | Samoa | 188,540 | 94,000 | 1,000 | 93,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 83 | Isle of Man | 80,058 | 80,000 | 80,000 | ||||
| 84 | Bhutan | 11.4% | 658,000 | 75,000 | 75,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 85 | Saint Lucia | 165,000 | 71,000 | 31,000 | 40,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 86 | Northern Mariana Islands | 84,000 | 70,000 | 5,000 | 65,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 87 | Antigua and Barbuda | 85,000 | 68,000 | 66,000 | 2,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 88 | American Samoa | 67,000 | 67,000 | 2,000 | 65,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 89 | Micronesia | 111,000 | 64,000 | 4,000 | 60,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 90= | Bermuda | 65,000 | 63,000 | 63,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 90= | Dominica | 67,000 | 63,000 | 3,000 | 60,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
| 92 | Marshall Islands | 59,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 93 | Swaziland | 1,141,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 94 | Aruba | 104,000 | 44,000 | 9,000 | 35,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 95 | Gambia | 1,709,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 96 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 50,000 | 39,000 | 39,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 97 | Cayman Islands | 47,000 | 36,000 | 36,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 98 | Seychelles | 37.93% | 87,000 | 33,000 | 3,000 | 30,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |
| 99 | Honduras | 7,106,000 | 31,500 | 31,500 | ||||
| 100= | Gibraltar | 28,875 | 30,000 | 28,000 | 2,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 100= | Tonga | 100,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 102 | Kiribati | 95,000 | 23,000 | 23,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 103= | Rwanda | 0.21% | 9,725,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 103= | British Virgin Islands | 23,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 105 | Palau | 20,000 | 18,500 | 500 | 18,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 106 | Anguilla | 13,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | |||
| 107 | Nauru | 10,000 | 10,300 | 800 | 9,500 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 108 | Dominican Republic | 9,760,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | ||||
| 109 | Saint Helena | 6,600 | 5,400 | 5,400 | ||||
| 110= | Cook Islands | 20,200 | 4,000 | 1,000 | 3,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. | ||
| 110= | Montserrat | 5,900 | 4,000 | 4,000 | Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole. | |||
| 112 | British Indian Ocean Territory | 3,500 | 3,500 | 3,500 | ||||
| 113 | Lebanon | 0.08% | 4,099,000 | 3,300 | 3,300 | |||
| 114 | Niue | 1,600 | 2,160 | 78 | 2,082 | |||
| 115 | Falkland Islands | 3,000 | 1,991 | 1,991 | ||||
| 116 | Netherlands Antilles | 192,000 | 1,800 | 1,800 | ||||
| 117 | Norfolk Island | 2114 | 1,678 | 1,678 | ||||
| 118 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 26,000 | 920 | 920 | ||||
| 119 | Guadeloupe | 0.05% | 408,000 | 200 | 200 | |||
| 120 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 3.07% | 6,125 | 188 | 188 | |||
| 121 | Pitcairn | 50 | 46 | 46 | ||||
| 122 | Tokelau | 1,400 | 40 | 40 | ||||
| Cambodia | 14,444,000 | Replacing French as second language, especially in Phnom Penh. Also used for mobile phone texting | ||||||
| Christmas Island | 1,493 | |||||||
| Eritrea | 4,851,000 | |||||||
| Guernsey | 65,726 | |||||||
| Indonesia | 231,627,000 | |||||||
| Jersey | 89,300 | |||||||
| South Korea | 48,224,000 | |||||||
| Somalia | 8,699,000 | |||||||
| Taiwan | 23,000,000 | |||||||
| Bahrain | 760,168 | |||||||
| World | 17.65% | 6,718,045,021 | 1,186 million | 331,000,000 | 812 million | Estimate by Wikipedia contributors. |
The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The combined total English speaking population is 229,850,000 including 61,850,000 native speakers and 168,000,000 non-native speakers,[16] and would be ranked 2nd if it were included.
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] List in order of native speakers
| Rank | Country | First language |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 215,423,557 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 58,100,000 |
| 3 | Canada | 17,694,830 |
| 4 | Australia | 15,013,965 |
| 5 | Ireland | 3,750,000 |
| 6 | South Africa | 3,673,203 |
| 7 | New Zealand | ≥ 3,008,058 |
| 8 | Jamaica | 2,600,000 |
| 9 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,145,000 |
| 10 | Singapore | 665,087 |
| 11 | Guyana | 650,000 |
| 12 | Liberia | 600,000 |
| 13 | Sierra Leone | 500,000 |
| 14 | Malaysia | 380,000 |
| 15 | Germany | 272,504 |
| 16 | Barbados | 262,000 |
| 17- | Bahamas | 260,000 |
| 19 | Zimbabwe | 250,000 |
| 20 | India | 226,000 |
| Hong Kong if ranked separately | 200,000 | |
| 21 | Belize | 190,000 |
| 22 | Papua New Guinea | 150,000 |
| 23 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 114,000 |
| 24 | Zambia | 110,000 |
| 25= | Grenada | 100,000 |
| 25= | Israel | 100,000[13] |
| 25= | Puerto Rico | 100,000 |
| 28 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 98,000 |
| 29 | Japan | >93,500[6] |
| 30 | Switzerland | 73,000 |
| 31 | Antigua and Barbuda | 66,000 |
| 32 | Bermuda | 63,000 |
| 33 | Vanuatu | 60,000 |
| 34 | Guam | 58,000 |
| 35 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 39,000 |
| 36 | Cayman Islands | 36,000 |
| 37 | Honduras | 31,500 |
| 38 | Saint Lucia | 31,000 |
| 39 | Gibraltar | 28,000 |
| 40 | Philippines | 27,000 |
| 41 | British Virgin Islands | 20,000 |
| 42 | Namibia | 14,000 |
| 43 | Anguilla | 12,000 |
| 44= | Solomon Islands | 10,000 |
| 44= | Sri Lanka | 10,000 |
| 44= | Brunei | 10,000 |
| 47 | Aruba | 9,000 |
| 48 | Dominican Republic | 8,000 |
| 49 | Fiji | 6,000 |
| 50 | Saint Helena | 5,400 |
| 51 | Northern Mariana Islands | 5,000 |
| 52 | Micronesia | 4,000 |
| 53 | Montserrat | 4,000 |
| 54 | British Indian Ocean Territory | 3,500 |
| 55= | Dominica | 3,000 |
| 55= | Seychelles | 3,000 |
| 57= | American Samoa | 2,000 |
| 57= | Mauritius | 2,000 |
| 58 | Falkland Islands | 1,991 |
| 59 | Russia | 1,804 |
| 60 | Ethiopia | 1,986 |
| 61 | Norfolk Island | 1,678 |
| 62= | Cook Islands | 1,000 |
| 62= | Samoa | 1,000 |
| 64 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 920 |
| 65 | Nauru | 800 |
| 66 | Palau | 500 |
| 67 | Guadeloupe | 200 |
| 68 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 188 |
| 69 | Niue | 78 |
| 70 | Pitcairn | 46 |
| 71 | Tokelau | 40 |
| 72 | East Timor | 30 |
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Profiles of General Demographic Characteristics,, U.S. Census Bureau, p. 1, http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/dp1/2khus.pdf
^ "Table 1. Twenty Languages Most Frequently Spoken at Home by English Ability for the Population 5 Years and Over: 1990 and 2000", Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf (see Table 1 for Speakers figures and Table 2 for Population 5 years and over figures). - ^ Census of India's Indian Census, Issue 10, 2003, pp 8-10, (Feature: Languages of West Bengal in Census and Surveys, Bilingualism and Trilingualism).
- ^ FAMILY-WISE GROUPING OF THE 122 SCHEDULED AND NON-SCHEDULED LANGUAGES – 2001
- ^ Tropf, Herbert S. 2004. India and its Languages. Siemens AG, Munich
- ^ For the distinction between "English Speakers," and "English Users," please see: TESOL-India (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)], India: World's Second Largest English-Speaking Country. Their article explains the difference between the 350 million number mentioned in a previous version of this Wikipedia article and a more plausible 90 million number:
“ "Wikipedia's India estimate of 350 million includes two categories - "English Speakers" and "English Users". The distinction between the Speakers and Users is that Users only know how to read English words while Speakers know how to read English, understand spoken English as well as form their own sentences to converse in English. The distinction becomes clear when you consider the China numbers. China has over 200~350 million users that can read English words but, as anyone can see on the streets of China, only handful of million who are English speakers." ” - ^ a b c Maciamo (31 July 2005), Foreigners in Japan, jref.com, http://www.jref.com/society/foreigners_in_japan.shtml, retrieved on 2008-09-21 (figures are for 2003)
- ^ Jian Yang (April 2006). "Learners and users of English in China". English Today 22 (2): 3–10. doi:.. Quote: "What this suggests, it seems, is that Yan’s (2004) ten million may after all be a more informed estimate of the actual regular users of English in China." (page 9)"
- ^ CIA - The world factbook: Thailand
- ^ Refugees get crash course in U.S. culture
- ^ Resident population according to main language, Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel 2008
- ^ 1996 by-census LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
- ^ Edrinnie Kayambizinthu (1998). "The Language Planning Situation in Malawi". Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 19 (5&6): 369. doi:. http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jmmd/019/0369/jmmd0190369.pdf.
- ^ a b Languages of Israel, Ethnologue.com
- ^ Multilingualism in Israel, Bar-Ilan University - Faculty of Humanities : Language Policy Research Center.
- ^ http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED136607&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED136607 English Language Teaching Profile: Israel], Education Resources Information Center.
- ^ Crystal (2005), p. 109, UK and Ireland total. Non-native speakers: 2006 Eurobarometer survey. Covered EU citizens aged 15 years or more.
[edit] References
- Raymond G. Gordon, Jr. (ed.), ed (2005). "English". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Fifteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. ISBN 1-55671-159-X. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng. Retrieved on 2006-03-17.
- Europeans and their languages - Eurobarometer report, February 2006 (pdf). Only includes EU citizens aged 15 or more.
- Crystal, David (2003-08-03) [1995]. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-521-53033-4. http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521530334. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
[edit] See also
- List of countries where English is an official language
- Anglosphere
- Anglophone
- Hispanosphere
- Sinosphere
- Indosphere
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