It is believed that there are around 230 million
The United States and India have the most total English speakers, with 306 million and 265 million, respectively. These are followed by Pakistan (104 million), the United Kingdom (68 million), and Nigeria (60 million). As of 2022, there were about 373 million native speakers of English.
These include China, The Gambia, Malawi, Colombia, Swaziland, Brazil, Russia, Argentina, Algeria, Uganda, Yemen, Chile and Tanzania.
English, as our national language, connects us together and is an important unifying element of Australian society. English language proficiency is a key contributor to better educational and employment outcomes and social participation levels.
But did you know that English is the official language of 67 countries and 27 non-sovereign entities? In fact, around 400 million people speak English as a native language. That makes English the third most spoken language in the world (by native speakers), after Mandarin and Spanish.
The first and most important reason for the spread of English is the British Empire. Before nearly a quarter of the world was colonized by the British Empire, English was spoken only by the British. But when they started to trade, colonize with places like Asia and Africa, they naturally started the spread of English.
Some people believe that RP (Received Pronunciation) is the most standard or general accent in British English. Many EFL (English as a Foreign Language) schools teach it because it is supposed to be the most “polished” pronunciation. It is typically referred to as “Queen's English” or “BBC English”.
Fastest talker
Steve Woodmore could rapidly articulate at a rate of 637 words per minute, four times faster than the average human. Woodmore first realised his skills at rapid speech when he was seven years old.
French. One of the most widely spoken European languages in the British Royal Family is French. Queen Elizabeth II was close to fluent and, in her role as a diplomat, she delivered speeches and addresses in the language throughout her 70-year reign.
But where will you really struggle? China, for one. Around 10 million people - in a total population of 1.3 billion - speak English. That's fewer than one in 100.
A 2017 article from The Telegraph also suggests that less than 1 percent of people in China (some 10 million) speak English conversationally. According to a report on China Daily, many students start learning English in kindergarten before they start school.
Mandarin (1,118 million speakers)
However, it's the most spoken language in the world if you count only first-language (native) speakers due to China's significant population. Mandarin is not actually a language, but a set of dialects of the Chinese language.
The country with the most languages is Bolivia, which has 37 official languages, as verified on 9 June 2022.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Australian English is a regional dialect of the English language. Within the Australian English dialect, there are three major subgroups: Standard Australian English.
English is the main language spoken in Australia, but it isn't the only language spoken in this immense country.
Montenegro is popularly known as one of the cheapest place to live in Europe that speak English and has a higher percentage of English-speaking population. If you are someone, who is not interested in learning a new language to move to a new EU country, Montenegro is for you.
What percentage of the world speaks English? Roughly 13% of the world speaks the English language. While less than 5% speaks English natively, the number of people who speak English as a second language make it one of the most widely spoken people in the world.