List of languages of the world by the number of native speakers
This is a list of languages, ordered by the number of native-language speakers, with some data for second-language use. Languages are listed for secondary locations only when spoken by more than 1% of the population.
Since the definition of a single language is to some extent arbitrary, some mutually intelligible idioms with separate national standards or self identification have been listed separately, depending on conventional use, for example Scandinavian, Hindustani, and Malay.
The relevant estimate for the number of native speakers for the purposes of this list is that of SIL Ethnologue. Other estimates may vary, and the numbers should not be taken as more than indicating the rough order of magnitude of a linguistic community.
| Language | Family | Ethnologue (2005 estimate) | Encarta estimate | Other estimates | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 873 million | -- | 873 million native, 178 million second language = 1.05 billion total | 1 |
| Spanish | Indo-European, Italic, Romance | 322 million | 322 million | Encarta also says 322 to 358 million , 400 million native, 100 million second language = 500 million | 2 |
| English | Indo-European, Germanic, West | 309 million | 341 million | 375 million native, over 1.5 billion worldwide. | 3 |
| Arabic | Afro-Asiatic, Semitic | 206 million | 422 million | Total population of Arab countries: 323 million (CIA 2006 est). | 4 |
| Standard Hindi | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 181 million | 366 million | 5 | |
| Portuguese | Indo-European, Italic, Romance | 177.6 million | 176 million | 6 | |
| Bengali | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 171 million | 207 million | 196 million native (2004 CIA) (includes 14 million Chittagonian and 10.3 million Sylheti). | 7 |
| Russian | Indo-European, Slavic, East | 145 million | 167 million | 145 million native (2004 CIA), 110 million second language = 255 million total (2000 WCD) | 8 |
| Japanese | Japanese-Ryukyuan | 122 million | 125 million | 128 million native, 2 million second language = 130 million total | 9 |
| German | Indo-European, Germanic, West | 95.4 million | 100.1 million | 101 million native (95 million Standard German [2004 CIA], 5 million Swiss German), 60 million second language in EU + 5 - 20 million worldwide. 101 million native, ~70 million second language, ~170 million total | 10 |
| Wu | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 77.2 million | -- | 77 million native | 11 |
| Javanese | Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi | 75.5 million | 75.6 million | 70-75 million | 12 |
| Telugu | Dravidian, South Central | 69.7 million | 69.7 million | 76 million native, 10 million second language, = 86 million total (2001) | 13 |
| Marathi | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 68 million | 68 million | 68 million native, 3 million second language, = 71 million total | 14 |
| Vietnamese | Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Vietic | 67.4 million | 68 million | 70 million native, perhaps up to 16 million second language, = ~ 86 million total | 15 |
| Korean | Considered either language isolate or Altaic | 67 million | 78 million | 71 million | 16 |
| Tamil | Dravidian, Southern | 66 million | 66 million | 68 million native, 9 million second language, = 77 million total | 17 |
| French | Indo-European, Italic, Romance | 64.8 million | 78 million | 115 million "real speakers" (includes some second-language speakers), 250 million second language (worldwide including Africa and North Africa) = 365 million total and up to 500 million total with significant knowledge of the language |
18 |
| Italian | Indo-European, Italic, Romance | 61.5 million | 62 million | 61 million native | 19 |
| Punjabi | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | Western Punjabi: 60.8 million Eastern Punjabi: 28 million |
57 million | 61?62 million (2000 WCD) (taken together with Eastern Punjabi (28 million) and Siraiki (14 million): 104 million total) | 20 |
| Urdu | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 60.5 million | 60.3 million | 61 million native, 43 million second language, = 104 million total | 21 |
| Cantonese | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 54.8 million | -- | 66 million native, perhaps up to about 100 million total | 22 |
| Turkish | Altaic, Turkic, Oghuz | 50.6 million | 61 million | 74 million (2006 estimate) + 15 million second language = 89 million | 23 |
| Min | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 46.2 million | -- | Southern Min: 49m, Northern Min 10.43m | 25 |
| Gujarati | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 46.1 million | 46.1 million | -- | 26 |
| Maithili | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 45 million | (included in "Hindi") | 27 | |
| Polish | Indo-European, Slavic, West | 42.7 million | 52 million | -- | 28 |
| Ukrainian | Indo-European, Slavic, East | 39.4 million | 47 million | -- | 29 |
| Persian/Farsi | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian | 39.4 million | 31.3 million | ca. 72 million; sometimes taken to include all of Southwestern Iranian (Luri, Tati, and other); ca. 62 million second language, ca. 134 million total | 30 |
| Malayalam | Dravidian, Southern | 35.8 million | 35.7 million | 38 million native, 10 million second language = 48 million | 31 |
| Kannada | Dravidian, Southern | 35.4 million | 35.4 million | 55 million native, 9 million second language, = 64 million total | 32 |
| Oriya | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 31.7 million | 32.3 million | -- | 33 |
| Azerbaijani | Altaic, Turkic, Oghuz | 31 million | 31.4 million | 25?35 million native, including Qashqai (data for Iran uncertain); 8 million second language (outside Iran) | 34 |
| Hakka | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 29.9 million | -- | 34 million | 35 |
| Bhojpuri | Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan | 26 million | (included in "Hindi") | 126 million total | 36 |
| Burmese | Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Lolo-Burmese | 22 million (1996) | 32.3 million (2006) | 32 million native, 10 million second language, = 42 million total | 37 |
| Gan | Sino-Tibetan, Chinese | 21 million | -- | 48 million, 29 million in Jiangxi | 38 |
| Thai | Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Be-Tai, Tai-Sek, Tai | 20.05 million (1996) | 46.1 million (2006) | ~31 million native (1983 SIL, 1990 Diller, 2000 WCD) (dated data), = ~60 million first and second language (2001 A. Diller). Includes Southern Thai, Northern Thai/Western Lao, but not Shan, Isan, or Lao. | 39 |