Top 40 Most Spoken Languages in the World 2023

The world in which we live is diverse. There are various kinds of people living all around the planet. They speak different languages, eat different foods, and live different lifestyles. Do you know there are more than 7000 different languages spoken around the globe? Out of these 7000 languages, only 23 languages cover more than half the world’s population. English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi are some of the most spoken languages in the world.

At the same time, you should note that there are a few endangered languages as well. 40% of languages in the world are in danger of getting extinct with less than 1000 speakers. In today’s post, we will discuss the list of most spoken languages in the world 2023.

Top 40 Most Spoken Languages in the world 2023

Please note that the list we are going to provide is based on the total number of total speakers. It is not on the basis of total number of native speakers. Let’s not waste further time and get started with our list of the most spoken languages in the world.

also Check: Most Effective methods for learning a new language

Details of Top 10 most spoken languages in the world

Let’s go through some interesting facts about the top 10 languages in the world in 2023.

1. English – English is the most spoken language in the world in 2023. It is a global language that is used by default for international business, technology, tourism, etc. As per a report published by Internet World Stats 2019, a bilingual person who knows English and Spanish can understand 1 out of 3 people in the world.
2. Mandarin Chinese – Mandarin Chinese is the second most popular language in the world. Apart from mainland China, you can find Mandarin Chinese speakers in several other countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, etc. It is one of the two languages that have more than a billion speakers.
3. Hindi – Hindi is the most popular language in North India. It is one of the two official languages of the Government of India, along with the English language. In India, Hindi is an official language in 9 States and 3 Union Territories. Apart from this, Hindi is also spoken in countries like Fiji, Nepal, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
4. Spanish – In terms of native speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. In addition to this, Spanish is also the third most used language on the internet. In addition to spain, Spanish is widely spoken in countries like colombia, Argentina, Mexico, etc.
5. Arabic – The next language on our list is Arabic. It is the liturgical language of Islam. It is the most popular language in Middle East. Currently, Arabic is an official language in 26 countries. This language is often associated with the Arabic culture. Arabic is most spoken in the following countries – Libya, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, etc.
6. Bengali – Bengali is spoken most in southeast Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language in Bangladesh. At the same time, it is the second most widely spoken language in India. 98% of Bangladeshis have Bengali as their first language. Plus, it is the official language of the states of West Bengal, Tripura and the Barak Valley region of the state of Assam.
7. French – French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents. The language spreads around the world during the colonial era. It is estimated that this language has  76 million native speakers; about 235 million daily and fluent speakers. In addition to France, you will find a large number of French speakers in the following countries – Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, USA, etc.
8. Russian – Russian is a language that is native to Russia. It is an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and is used widely as a lingua franca throughout Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and to some extent in the Baltic countries. There are more than 258 million Russian speakers around the world.
9. Portuguese – With more than 257 million total speakers, Portuguese is amongst the top 10 languages in the world in terms of the number of speakers. It is also the third most spoken European language in 2023 (on the basis of native speakers) after English and Spanish. It is the sole official language of the following countries – Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Brazil
10. Urdu – Urdu is a language that is mostly spoken in India and Pakistan. It is the national language of Pakistan. Apart from this, it is one of the official languages in the several Indian States. In Nepal, Urdu is registered as a regional dialect.

The popularity of a language depends upon various factors such as the number of native speakers, utility, geographical location, etc. What is your native language? Do let us know in the comment section. You can also share your feedback and suggestions in the comment box.