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List of countries of the world by English-speaking population Print E-mail
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Created: Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Updated: Tuesday, 25 March 2008

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, so these figures should be treated with caution.

List in order of total speakers 

Rank Country Total First language As an additional language
1 United States 251,388,301 215,423,557 35,964,744
2 India 90,000,000 178,598 65,000,000 second language speakers.
25,000,000 third language speakers
3 Nigeria 79,000,000 4,000,000 >75,000,000
4 United Kingdom 59,600,000 58,100,000 1,500,000
5 Philippines 45,900,000 27,000 42,500,000
6 Germany 36,000,000 272,504 36,000,000
7 Canada 25,246,220 17,694,830 7,551,390
8 Australia 17,357,833 15,013,965 2,343,868
9 Pakistan 17,000,000   17,000,000
10 France 16,000,000   16,000,000
11 Italy 14,000,000   14,000,000
12 South Africa 13,700,000 3,673,203 10,000,000
13 Netherlands 12,000,000   12,000,000
14 Spain 10,000,000   10,000,000
15 Poland 9,200,000   9,200,000
16 Turkey 8,100,000   8,100,000
17 Cameroon 7,700,000   7,700,000
18 Malaysia 7,400,000 380,000 7,000,000
19 China     200,000 (Hong Kong only)
20 Russia 6,955,315 1,804 6,953,511
21 Sweden 6,600,000   6,600,000
22 Zimbabwe 5,550,000 250,000 5,300,000
23 Romania 5,300,000   5,300,000
24 Belgium 5,100,000   5,100,000
25 Sierra Leone 4,900,000 500,000 4,400,000
26 Mexico 4,855,000   4,855,000
27 Greece 4,200,000   4,200,000
28 Tanzania 4,000,000   4,000,000
29 Austria 3,900,000   3,900,000
30 Ireland 3,850,000 3,750,000 100,000
31 Denmark 3,800,000   3,800,000
32 New Zealand 3,673,623 = 3,008,058
33 Bangladesh 3,500,000   3,500,000
34 Papua New Guinea 3,150,000 150,000 3,000,000
35 Liberia 3,100,000 600,000 2,500,000
36= Finland 2,700,000   2,700,000
37= Kenya 2,700,000   2,700,000
38 Jamaica 2,650,000 2,600,000 50,000
39 Portugal 2,600,000   2,600,000
40 Uganda 2,500,000   2,500,000
41 Czech Republic 2,100,000   2,100,000
42 Hungary 2,000,000   2,000,000
43 Puerto Rico 1,940,000 100,000 1,840,000
44= Sri Lanka 1,910,000 10,000 1,900,000
45= Zambia 1,910,000 110,000 1,800,000
46 Croatia 1,800,000   1,800,000
47 Singapore 1,793,245 665,087 1,128,158
48 Bulgaria 1,500,000   1,500,000
49= Slovakia 1,400,000   1,400,000
50= Ghana 1,400,000   1,400,000
51 Trinidad and Tobago 1,145,000 1,145,000
52 Slovenia 950,000   950,000
53 Lithuania 900,000   900,000
54 Guyana 680,000 650,000 30,000
55 Botswana 630,000   630,000
56 Estonia 590,000   590,000
57= Latvia 540,000   540,000
58= Malawi 540,000   540,000
59 Lesotho 500,000   500,000
60 Cyprus 420,000   420,000
61 Suriname 410,000 260,000 150,000
62 Namibia 314,000 14,000 300,000
63 Bahamas 288,000 260,000 28,000
64 Malta 280,000   280,000
65 Barbados 275,000 262,000 13,000
66 Belize 246,000 190,000 56,000
67 Luxembourg 220,000   220,000
68 Mauritius 202,000 2,000 200,000
69 Vanuatu 180,000 60,000 120,000
70 Fiji 176,000 6,000 170,000
71 Solomon Islands 175,000 10,000 165,000
72 Ethiopia 171,712 1,986 169,726
73 Guam 158,000 58,000 100,000
74 Brunei 144,000 10,000 134,000
75 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 114,000 114,000
76 U.S. Virgin Islands 113,000 98,000 15,000
77= Grenada 100,000 100,000
78= Israel 100,000 100,000
79 Samoa 94,000 1,000 93,000
80 Japan >93,500 >93,500
81 Isle of Man 80,000 80,000
82 Bhutan 75,000   75,000
83 Saint Lucia 71,000 31,000 40,000
84 Northern Mariana Islands 70,000 5,000 65,000
85 Antigua and Barbuda 68,000 66,000 2,000
86 American Samoa 67,000 2,000 65,000
87 Micronesia 64,000 4,000 60,000
88= Bermuda 63,000 63,000  
89= Dominica 63,000 3,000 60,000
90 Marshall Islands 60,000   60,000
91 Swaziland 50,000   50,000
92 Aruba 44,000 9,000 35,000
93 Gambia 40,000   40,000
94 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,000 39,000  
95 Cayman Islands 36,000 36,000  
96 Seychelles 33,000 3,000 30,000
97 Honduras 31,500 31,500  
98= Gibraltar 30,000 28,000 2,000
99= Tonga 30,000   30,000
100 Kiribati 23,000   23,000
101= Rwanda 20,000   20,000
102= British Virgin Islands 20,000 20,000  
103 Palau 18,500 500 18,000
104 Anguilla 12,000 12,000  
105 Nauru 10,300 800 9,500
106 Dominican Republic 8,000 8,000  
107 Saint Helena 5,400 5,400  
108= Cook Islands 4,000 1,000 3,000
109= Montserrat 4,000 4,000  
110 British Indian Ocean Territory 3,500 3,500  
111 Lebanon 3,300   3,300
112 Niue 2,160 78 2,082
113 Falkland Islands 1,991 1,991  
114 Netherlands Antilles 1,800   1,800
115 Norfolk Island 1,678 1,678  
116 Turks and Caicos Islands 920 920  
117 Guadeloupe 200 200  
118 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 188 188  
119 Pitcairn 46 46  
120 Tokelau 40 40  
  Cambodia      
  Christmas Island      
  Eritrea      
  Guernsey      
  Hong Kong      
  Indonesia      
  Jersey      
  Korea      
  Somalia      
  Taiwan      
  Thailand      
  Bahrain      
  Total 800-900 million  

The European Union is composed of 27 member states. The total English speaking population of the combined territories is 229,850,000 including 61,850,000 native speakers and 168,000,000 non native speakers.

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
17- Suriname 260,000
19 Zimbabwe 250,000
20 Belize 190,000
21 India 178,598
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
25= Puerto Rico 100,000
28 U.S. Virgin Islands 98,000
29 Japan 93,500
  Switzerland 73,000
30 Antigua and Barbuda 66,000
31 Bermuda 63,000
32 Vanuatu 60,000
33 Guam 58,000
34 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,000
35 Cayman Islands 36,000
36 Honduras 31,500
37 Saint Lucia 31,000
38 Gibraltar 28,000
39 Philippines 27,000
40 British Virgin Islands 20,000
41 Namibia 14,000
42 Anguilla 12,000
43= Solomon Islands 10,000
43= Sri Lanka 10,000
43= Brunei 10,000
46 Aruba 9,000
47 Dominican Republic 8,000
48 Fiji 6,000
49 Saint Helena 5,400
50 Northern Mariana Islands 5,000
51 Micronesia 4,000
52 Montserrat 4,000
53 British Indian Ocean Territory 3,500
54= Dominica 3,000
54= Seychelles 3,000
56= American Samoa 2,000
56= Mauritius 2,000
57 Falkland Islands 1,991
58 Russia 1,804
59 Ethiopia 1,986
60 Norfolk Island 1,678
61= Cook Islands 1,000
61= Samoa 1,000
63 Turks and Caicos Islands 920
64 Nauru 800
65 Palau 500
66 Guadeloupe 200
67 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 188
68 Niue 78
69 Pitcairn 46
70 Tokelau 40

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