There are almost 7,000 different languages worldwide. With this kind of scenario, how would people across the globe connect with each other? With so many languages spoken globally, the need for translation services is on the rise. Translation services help in translating content from one language to another language to reach out to the target audience.

While it is quite easy to determine how many people speak a particular language, identifying exactly where they are spoken can be tricky. Here are the 20 most spoken languages worldwide and the areas where they are mainly spoken.

1. English (1.2 billion speakers)

English tops the list when it comes to the most widely spoken languages in the world. There are about 1.2 billion speakers worldwide out of which around 370 million are native English speakers. It is spoken in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Indonesia, Palestine, Ireland, Kenya, Zambia, Israel, and more.

2. Hindi (615 million speakers)

615 million people worldwide speak Hindi. It is the primary language in India and Pakistan.  Words used in English such as shampoo, jungle, jodhpurs and bungalow are originally from the Hindi language.

3. Spanish (661 million speakers)

There are nearly 661 million Spanish speakers globally. Spanish is spoken mainly in Spain, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Ecuador, the United States, and the Philippines. Learning Spanish is definitely an advantage considering the number of dialects the language has.

4. Mandarin Chinese (1.3 billion speakers)

Mandarin Chinese is a popular language and is spoken by 1.3 billion people globally. It is spoken in Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Malaysia.

5. Malay (281 million speakers)

Almost 281 million Malay speakers exist in the world. This language is spoken in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore

6. Arabic (422 million speakers)

422 million people globally speak Arabic. It is widely spoken in Lebanon, Algeria, Libya, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Israel.

7. Bengali (261 million speakers)

261 million people worldwide are Bengali speakers. Bengali is mostly spoken in India and Bangladesh.

8. Russian (267 million speakers)

There are 267 million Russian speakers around the globe. Russian is widely spoken in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Kazakhstan, Israel, Georgia, Estonia, and Ukraine.

9. Portuguese (258 million speakers)

There are 258 million people in the world who speak Portuguese. It is spoken in Brazil, Angola, Spain, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, and Cape Verde. 

10. French (229 million speakers )

There are 229 million French speakers worldwide. This language is mainly spoken in Canada, Belgium, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Switzerland, Rwanda, Italy, Spain, Algeria, and Mauritania. 

11. German (130 million speakers)

There are 130 million German speakers worldwide. It is mainly spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy, and Romania. 

12. Punjabi (148 million speakers)

About 148 million people worldwide speak Punjabi. It is spoken in Pakistan and India

13. Japanese (129 million speakers)

129 million people around the globe speak Japanese. The language is mainly spoken in Japan and Palau. 

14. Hausa (150 million speakers)

The language Hausa has 150 million speakers worldwide. It is spoken in Nigeria and Niger.

15. Persian (121 million speakers)

There are 121 million Persian speakers worldwide. The language is spoken in Iran, Kuwait, Tajikstan, and Afghanistan.

16. Vietnamese (95 million speakers)

There are 95 million Vietnamese speakers worldwide. It is widely spoken in Vietnam, the Czech Republic, and Cambodia.

17. Swahili (107 million speakers)

107 million people worldwide speak this language. Swahili is spoken in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, and Mozambique. 

18. Telugu (92 million speakers)

92 million people worldwide speak Telugu. This Language is mainly spoken in India

19. Wu Chinese (80 million speakers)

80 million people worldwide speak this language. It is spoken in China.

20. Korean (77 million speakers)

There are 77 million people in the world who speak Korean. It is widely spoken in South Korea and North Korea.

Conclusion

Knowing the widely spoken languages and where they are spoken is important to enter into new global markets. Avail the professional translation services and easily reach out to the target audience worldwide.