Are there more second language English speakers than native English speakers?
There are 378 million native speakers (those who speak English as their first language) and 743 million non-native speakers (those who speak English as their second language) in the world.
Does English have more speakers than Chinese?
More people are estimated to speak Chinese than Spanish, English and Arabic combined. It’s probably no surprise that Chinese tops the ranking. Nearly 1.3 billion people speak a variation of Chinese as their first language.
What percent of the world speaks English as a first or second language?
His numbers are surprising, compared with the ones featured in the CIA’s Factbook. According to the CIA, Spanish is spoken by 4.85 percent of the world’s population and its use is even more widespread than English, which is spoken by 4.83 percent. However, the CIA numbers include only first native languages.
Is English more likely to be a second or first language to its total speaker population?
Ethnologue (2021, 24th edition)
| Rank | Language | Second language (L2) speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 978.2 million |
| 2 | Mandarin Chinese (incl. Standard Chinese, but excl. other varieties) | 198.7 million |
| 3 | Hindi (excl. Urdu) | 258.3 million |
| 4 | Spanish | 71.5 million |
Who speaks the best English?
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has emerged as the nation with the highest English language proficiency, according to the EF English Proficiency Index, with a score of 72. It is ahead of five other northern European nations at the top of the chart.
Which country speaks the most correct English?
Top 10 Countries that Speak English the Best!
- Singapore.
- Norway.
- Denmark.
- South Africa.
- Luxemburg.
- Finland.
- Slovenia.
- Germany.
Why English become a global language?
The renowned linguist, David Crystal, suggests that “a language becomes a global language because of the power of the people who speak it.” The ‘power’ of English was initially based on political and military factors, most notably the expansion of the British Empire.
How many native English speakers are there in the world?
1.2 Number of native and non-native English speakers There are 378 million native speakers (those who speak English as their first language) and 743 million non-native speakers (those who speak English as their second language) in the world. Source: Ethnologue, 21 st edition 1.3 What \% of English conversations involve only native speakers?
Which countries speak English as a second language?
In Norway they truly see English as a second language, so the country is far from a surprise entry in at number four. The Norse languages also have had a huge influence on the English language after the occupation of the Vikings over a thousand years ago.
Which countries have more English speakers than the UK?
Even Nigeria may have more English speakers than Britain according to some estimates. English is the native mother-tongue of only Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a handful of Caribbean countries.
How many people in the United States do not speak English?
Just to add to the confusion, there are at least 40 million people in the nominally English-speaking United States who do NOT speak English. In addition, the figures, of necessity, combine statistics from different sources, different dates, etc.