Percentage of English-based fluent
According to 2022, English is the most spoken language in the world. Over a million and a half people in the world speak English, even before Chinese ones are seen on this indicator. The number is really impressive, and here are some of the reasons why it is:- English is an official language in 75 countries around the world. In percentage, this means that for 39% of all countries of the globe English is an official language or one of the official languages;
- In 138 countries, English is part of the compulsory curriculum and only 40 countries, it is among the subjects that students can choose as an additional one;
- English is the most studied language of non-exporters in the world. As its popularity continues to grow, some experts predict that the language will be spoken from 2 billion people by 2050!
Searching for English on a global scale
One reason why language is so popular is that it makes it infinitely easier for people of different nationalities to communicate. What are the reasons precisely why English is to acquire an informal status in common language of the world is a topic for another analysis. Here we rely only on the facts, and they are at this moment:- English is the language of business and communication worldwide. About 1.5 billion people speak English as a second language, and another 360 million use it as a native language.
- According to statistics, English is the most sought-after language for learning in the world. Over 1 billion people are actively learning English at the moment.
- In recent years, English-speaking people have continued to grow in the world. Currently, about 20% of the world's population speaks English.
- In the Internet, English remains the most widely used language. More than 50% of the web pages are in English and more than 55% of the web content is published in English.
- The popularity of English in schools and universities continues to grow. English is the most commonly studied language in the world, with over 1 million students studying it as a second language only in China.
- According to research, English speakers have a better chance of success in their business and careers. Employers prefer employees who speak English and are willing to pay more for these skills.
Other foreign languages in online space
Yet, as we said above, English, although popular, is not officially recognised as a single world language. Languages such as Spanish, French, German and Russian still hold strong positions not only in Europe but also globally. And speaking of statistics, here are a few facts:- Spanish is the second most common language in the world after Chinese. They talk like that when they're born. around 470 million people. But the total number of those who own it is over 540 million. The secret of its popularity lies back in the time when Spanish colonists carry it around the world from a regional European language. Today it is one of the main languages throughout South America, in a significant part of North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
- As strange as it may seem at first glance, the United States is among countries where the growth of Spanish speakers grows at a rapid pace. For almost a quarter of the population there, he is maternal. And given the immigrants from Mexico, experts predict that figures will continue to increase in the future.
- This is the fifth most common language in the world and the first among Slavic languages. It is Official in several countries and regions . . . . . Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia. Huge Russian speaking communities are also present in many European countries, in North America and Israel.
- French - the sixth most common in the world. It's 220 million people talking. But he has every chance to get up even further in the rankings. The main reason for this is that, like Spanish French is not only European language. Europe itself is official in several countries - France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. But actually its distribution also affects several continents. It is also official in Canada and in the former French colonies in Africa - Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. For an official language for teaching at school, French have also chosen several other African countries -- such as Mali, Guinea, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is no secret that although poor, they are of high birth rate. This is precisely why some experts believe it is quite possible in 2050 that he will take the title of the most popular language in the world.
- According to statistics, Germans speak about 98 million, it does not minimize its significance. It is the most widespread mother tongue in Europe. He is an official in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein. But in German it is also in many areas of Europe and the world. However, its importance is determined not so much by its spread but by the current political and economic situation in the world and especially by the fact that it is a language of one of the strongest economies worldwide.