5 Most Spoken Native Languages in the World

In this article, we will look at the 5 most spoken native languages in the world. If you want to read our detailed analysis of the language learning market, you can go directly to the 25 Most Spoken Native Languages in the World.

5. Portuguese

Number of Native Speakers: 236,266,650

Portuguese ranks 5th on our list of 25 most spoken native languages in the world. It is a Romance Language, spoken by over 236 million native speakers around the globe. Portuguese is more commonly spoken in Brazil and Portugal.  

4. Hindi

Number of Native Speakers: 344,650,870

Strongly influenced by Sanskrit, Hindi is an Indo-Iranian language spoken as a native language by over 344 million people around the globe. It is the preferred first language in India and is spoken as a second language by approximately 120 million people. 

3. English

Number of Native Speakers: 379,682,200

English is a West Germanic language belonging to the Indo-European language family. It is closely related to German, Dutch, and Frisian and is the dominant language in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

2. Spanish

Number of Native Speakers: 485,063,960

Up next is Spanish, with over 485 million native speakers around the globe. It is a Romance language and falls under the Indo-European language family. Moreover, apart from Spain, Spanish is the official language of 18 countries, including but not limited to Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chili.

1. Mandarin Chinese

Number of Native Speakers: 939,237,350

Ranking first on our list is Mandarin Chinese, with over 939 million native speakers around the globe. It is one of the most commonly spoken forms of Chinese in all of China. Moreover, it is the native language of around two-thirds of the Chinese population. 

You can also look at the 16 Easiest Languages for Spanish Speakers to Learn and the 15 Highest Quality Green Teas In The World.