List of countries by English-speaking population

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Percentage of the population with a knowledge of English

Population density of people whose mother tongue is English.

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, and some numbers have been calculated by Wikipedia editors from data in other sources, so these figures should be treated with caution.

[edit] List in order of total speakers

Rank	Country	% English Speakers	Eligible Population	Total English Speakers	As First Language	As an Additional Language	Comment
1	United States	95.81%	262,375,152	251,388,301	215,423,557	35,964,744	Figures are from the year 2000 U.S. census. English speaker figures are for persons age 5 and older. Total population age 5 and older was 262,375,152 of which 251,388,301 stated that they spoke English "very well" or "well". Third language speakers are respondents age 5 and older who reported they do not speak English at home but know it "very well" or "well". [1]
2	India	10.66%	843,900,000	90,000,000	226,449	65,000,000 second language speakers. 25,000,000 third language speakers	Figures include both those who speak English as a second language and those who speak it as a third language. 1991 figures for second, third. 2001 figures for mother tongue.[2][3][4] The figures include English speakers, but not English users.[5]
3	Nigeria	53.34%	148,093,000	79,000,000	4,000,000	>75,000,000	Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based pidgin or creole. Ihemere gives a range of roughly 3 to 5 million native speakers; the midpoint of the range is used in the table. Ihemere, Kelechukwu Uchechukwu. 2006. "A Basic Description and Analytic Treatment of Noun Clauses in Nigerian Pidgin." Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 296–313.
4	United Kingdom	97.74%	60,975,000	59,600,000	58,100,000	1,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
5	Germany	56%	82,191,000	46,000,000	272,504	46,000,000	Native speakers: Statistisches Bundesamt (cited here). Non-native speakers: 2006 Eurobarometer survey. Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany.
6	Philippines	46.98%	90,457,200	42,500,000	27,000	42,500,000	Total speakers: Census 2000, text above Figure 7. 63.71% of the 66.7 million people aged 5 years or more could speak English. Native speakers: Census 1995, as quoted by Andrew Gonzalez in The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5&6), 487-525. (1998)
7	Canada	85.18%	33,355,400	25,246,220	17,694,830	7,551,390	Source: 2001 Census - Knowledge of Official Languages and Mother Tongue. The 2001 count noted that of 29,639,030 speakers, 20,014,645 spoke English only, and 5,231,575 spoke English and French, while 3,946,525 spoke French only and 446,920 who were classified as speaking "neither English nor French". No data was listed for persons who spoke English and a language other than French. The native speakers figure comprises 122,660 people with both French and English as a mother tongue, plus 17,572,170 people with English and not French as a mother tongue.
8	France	36%	64,473,140	23,000,000		23,000,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
9	Australia	97.03%	21,394,309	17,357,833	15,013,965	2,343,868	Source: 2001 Census. [1] The 2001 census data is subject to multiple intepretations. The data noted that 18,972,350 persons out of 21,394,309 total were speakers of a language, and excluded young children. However, more than a million of those 18,972,350 persons provided no information; 879,778 did not give information on proficiency, and 203,101 were "overseas visitors" who were not asked. Of the 17,889,671 persons for whom an inquiry was made 17,357,833 spoke English only, or "well" or "very well" as a second language; while 531,838 spoke "not well" or "not at all".
10=	Pakistan	10.36%	164,157,000	17,000,000		17,000,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
10=	Italy	29%	59,619,290	17,000,000		17,000,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
12	Japan	11.75%	127,690,000	15,000,000[citation needed]	>93,500[6]		Native speaker figure is the number of foreign residents from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as of 2003.[6]
13	Netherlands	87%	16,445,000	14,000,000		14,000,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
14	South Africa	28.63%	47,850,700	13,700,000	3,673,203	10,000,000	Native speakers: 2001 Census: Census in Brief, page 15 (Table 2.5) Non-native speakers: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
15	Spain	27%	46,063,000	12,500,000		12,500,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
16	Turkey	17%	70,586,256	12,000,000		12,000,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
17	Poland	29%	38,115,967	11,000,000		11,000,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
18	China	0.77%	1,300,000,000	10,000,000	0	10,000,000	Figures are for English users in mainland China only (i.e. excluding Hong Kong where English is an official language and Macau). The oft-cited figure of 300 million is for "learners."[7]
19	Sweden	89%	9,215,021	8,200,000		8,200,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
20	Cameroon	41.51%	18,549,000	7,700,000		7,700,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
21	Malaysia	27.24%	27,170,000	7,400,000	380,000	7,000,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109.
22	Russia	4.9%	141,888,900	6,955,315	1,804	6,953,511	Source: Basic Results, Tables 4.4 and 4.1, Russian Census (2002). The "total" figure is the number of residents who reported English as one of the language they knew. The "first language" figure is the number of residents who reported "American" or "English" as their nationality. The "additional languages" figure is the difference.
23	Thailand	10%	63,038,247	6,549,329		6,549,329	Secondary language of the elite[8][9]
24	Belgium	59%	10,584,534	6,250,000		6,250,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
25	Romania	29%	21,438,000	6,200,000		6,200,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
26	Zimbabwe	41.58%	13,349,000	5,550,000	250,000	5,300,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109.
27	Greece	48%	11,147,000	5,350,000		5,350,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
28	Sierra Leone	83.53%	5,866,000	4,900,000	500,000	4,400,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
29	Mexico	4.55%	106,682,500	4,855,000		4,855,000	Consulta Mitovsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, April 2007 [2]; and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) [3].
30	Austria	58%	8,340,924	4,800,000		4,800,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
31	Denmark	86%	5,489,022	4,720,000		4,720,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
32	Switzerland	61.28%	7,637,300	4,680,000	73,400		Figure for speakers of English as "main language", according to Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel 2008[10] Source for number of non-native English speakers is 1999 publication by Prof. François Grin cited here: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/countries/uk/language.html
33	Ireland	98.37%	4,422,100	4,350,000	4,122,100	300,000	Source: European Union Directorate General for Education and Culture[4] Central Statistics Office[5] Travbla[6]
34	Tanzania	9.89%	40,454,000	4,000,000		4,000,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
35	New Zealand	97.82%	4,275,100	3,673,623	3,700,000		There were 4,027,947 responses to 2006 Census: Language spoken. 3,673,679 gave English as a response, 81,936 had no English but another language. The balance of 272,382 were; no language (too young) 75,195, no response 196,221, response unidentifiable 588, response outside scope 378. Hence it is most meaningful to express the English speaking per cent without including the figures for these 272,382. This gives 97.8% English-speaking, 2.2% non-English-speaking (3,673,679 and 81,936 divided by 3,755,565) Crystal (2005), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers.
36	Bangladesh	2.21%	158,665,000	3,500,000		3,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
37=	Finland	63%	5,331,483	3,400,000		3,400,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
38=	Portugal	32%	10,623,000	3,400,000		3,400,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
39	Singapore	71%	4,588,600	3,257,906	665,087	1,128,158	Source: 2000 Census. Second language speaker figure only includes those literate in English aged 15 or more and does not include third language proficiency. Native speakers aged 5 or more, literate population, aged 15 or more, and percentage of literate population literate in English.
40	Papua New Guinea	49.76%	6,331,000	3,150,000	150,000	3,000,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
41	Liberia	82.67%	3,750,000	3,100,000	600,000	2,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
42	Kenya	7.19%	37,538,000	2,700,000		2,700,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
43	Jamaica	97.64%	2,714,000	2,650,000	2,600,000	50,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
44=	Uganda	8.09%	30,884,000	2,500,000		2,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
44=	Hong Kong	35.9%	6,963,100	2,500,000	200,000	2,300,000	According to 1996 by-census, Hong Kong has approximately 2.5 million speakers, of whom 200,000 regard English as their "usual" language [11].
44=	Czech Republic	24%	10,403,136	2,500,000		2,500,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
47	Hungary	23%	10,043,000	2,300,000		2,300,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
48	Croatia	49%	4,555,000	2,200,000		2,200,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
49	Puerto Rico	48.61%	3,991,000	1,940,000	100,000	1,840,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
50=	Sri Lanka	9.9%	19,299,000	1,910,000	10,000	1,900,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
50=	Zambia	16.02%	11,922,000	1,910,000	110,000	1,800,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
52	Bosnia and Herzegovina	45%	4,000,000	1,800,000		1,800,000	not verified.
53	Bulgaria	23%	7,640,238	1,800,000		1,800,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
54=	Slovakia	32%	5,402,273	1,700,000		1,700,000	not verified.
54=	Ghana	5.96%	23,478,000	1,400,000		1,400,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
56	Slovenia	57%	2,023,358	1,200,000		1,200,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
57	Trinidad and Tobago		1,305,000	1,145,000	1,145,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
58	Lithuania	32%	3,369,600	1,100,000		1,100,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
59	Latvia	39%	2,270,700	900,000		900,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
60	Guyana		751,000	680,000	650,000	30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
61	Botswana		1,639,833	630,000		630,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
62	Estonia	46%	1,340,602	620,000		620,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
63	Cyprus	76%	794,600	600,000		600,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
64	Malawi	3.88%	13,931,831	540,000	209[12]	540,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
65	Lesotho	27.86%	1,795,000	500,000		500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
66	Suriname		470,784	410,000	260,000	150,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
67	Malta	88%	419,285	370,000		370,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
68	Namibia	17.24%	1,820,916	314,000	14,000	300,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
69	Luxembourg	60%	480,222	290,000		290,000	Eurobarometer 2005 http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf
70	Bahamas	87.13%	330,549	288,000	260,000	28,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
69	Barbados	98.57%	279,000	275,000	262,000	13,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
70	Belize	81.65%	301,270	246,000	190,000	56,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
71	Mauritius	15.97%	1,264,866	202,000	2,000	200,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
72	Vanuatu	83.55%	215,446	180,000	60,000	120,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
73	Fiji	20.62%	853,445	176,000	6,000	170,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
74	Solomon Islands	31.68%	552,438	175,000	10,000	165,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
75	Ethiopia	0.22%	78,254,090	171,712	1,986	169,726
76	Guam	91.09%	173,456	158,000	58,000	100,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
77	Brunei	37.76%	381,371	144,000	10,000	134,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
78	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	95%	120,000	114,000	114,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
79	U.S. Virgin Islands	95.97%	108,448	113,000	98,000	15,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
80=	Grenada	90.91%	110,000	100,000	100,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
80=	Israel	1.37%	7,303,000	100,000			Source: Ethnologue (2005)[13] The 100,000 figure may be low considering that English is de facto the second language of speakers of both Hebrew and Arabic. It is the main language for external commerce and tourism, and a required language for all Jewish and Arab schools, and for the universities (which teach in Hebrew).[14][15]
82	Samoa		188,540	94,000	1,000	93,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
83	Isle of Man		80,058	80,000	80,000
84	Bhutan	11.4%	658,000	75,000		75,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
85	Saint Lucia		165,000	71,000	31,000	40,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
86	Northern Mariana Islands		84,000	70,000	5,000	65,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
87	Antigua and Barbuda		85,000	68,000	66,000	2,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
88	American Samoa		67,000	67,000	2,000	65,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
89	Micronesia		111,000	64,000	4,000	60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
90=	Bermuda		65,000	63,000	63,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
90=	Dominica		67,000	63,000	3,000	60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
92	Marshall Islands		59,000	60,000		60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
93	Swaziland		1,141,000	50,000		50,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
94	Aruba		104,000	44,000	9,000	35,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
95	Gambia		1,709,000	40,000		40,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
96	Saint Kitts and Nevis		50,000	39,000	39,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
97	Cayman Islands		47,000	36,000	36,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
98	Seychelles	37.93%	87,000	33,000	3,000	30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
99	Honduras		7,106,000	31,500	31,500
100=	Gibraltar		28,875	30,000	28,000	2,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
100=	Tonga		100,000	30,000		30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
102	Kiribati		95,000	23,000		23,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
103=	Rwanda	0.21%	9,725,000	20,000		20,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
103=	British Virgin Islands		23,000	20,000	20,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
105	Palau		20,000	18,500	500	18,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
106	Anguilla		13,000	12,000	12,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
107	Nauru		10,000	10,300	800	9,500	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
108	Dominican Republic		9,760,000	8,000	8,000
109	Saint Helena		6,600	5,400	5,400
110=	Cook Islands		20,200	4,000	1,000	3,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
110=	Montserrat		5,900	4,000	4,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
112	British Indian Ocean Territory		3,500	3,500	3,500
113	Lebanon	0.08%	4,099,000	3,300		3,300
114	Niue		1,600	2,160	78	2,082
115	Falkland Islands			3,000	1,991	1,991
116	Netherlands Antilles		192,000	1,800		1,800
117	Norfolk Island		2114	1,678	1,678
118	Turks and Caicos Islands		26,000	920	920
119	Guadeloupe	0.05%	408,000	200	200
120	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	3.07%	6,125	188	188
121	Pitcairn		50	46	46
122	Tokelau		1,400	40	40
	Cambodia		14,444,000				Replacing French as second language, especially in Phnom Penh. Also used for mobile phone texting
	Christmas Island		1,493
	Eritrea		4,851,000
	Guernsey		65,726
	Indonesia		231,627,000
	Jersey		89,300
	South Korea		48,224,000
	Somalia		8,699,000
	Taiwan		23,000,000
	Bahrain		760,168
	World	17.65%	6,718,045,021	1,186 million	331,000,000	812 million	Estimate by Wikipedia contributors.

• The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The combined total English speaking population is 229,850,000 including 61,850,000 native speakers and 168,000,000 non-native speakers,^[16] and would be ranked 2nd if it were included.

[edit] List in order of native speakers

Pie chart showing the relative numbers of native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world

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	Philippines	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
19	Zimbabwe	250,000
20	India	226,000
	Hong Kong if ranked separately	200,000
21	Belize	190,000
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[13]
25=	Puerto Rico	100,000
28	U.S. Virgin Islands	98,000
29	Japan	>93,500[6]
30	Switzerland	73,000
31	Antigua and Barbuda	66,000
32	Bermuda	63,000
33	Vanuatu	60,000
34	Guam	58,000
35	Saint Kitts and Nevis	39,000
36	Cayman Islands	36,000
37	Honduras	31,500
38	Saint Lucia	31,000
39	Gibraltar	28,000
40	South Africa	27,000
41	British Virgin Islands	20,000
42	Namibia	14,000
43	Anguilla	12,000
44=	Solomon Islands	10,000
44=	Sri Lanka	10,000
44=	Brunei	10,000
47	Aruba	9,000
48	Dominican Republic	8,000
49	Fiji	6,000
50	Saint Helena	5,400
51	Northern Mariana Islands	5,000
52	Micronesia	4,000
53	Montserrat	4,000
54	British Indian Ocean Territory	3,500
55=	Dominica	3,000
55=	Seychelles	3,000
57=	American Samoa	2,000
57=	Mauritius	2,000
58	Falkland Islands	1,991
59	Russia	1,804
60	Ethiopia	1,986
61	Norfolk Island	1,678
62=	Cook Islands	1,000
62=	Samoa	1,000
64	Turks and Caicos Islands	920
65	Nauru	800
66	Palau	500
67	Guadeloupe	200
68	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	188
69	Niue	78
70	Pitcairn	46
71	Tokelau	40
72	East Timor	30

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Raymond G. Gordon, Jr. (ed.), ed (2005). "English". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Fifteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. ISBN 1-55671-159-X. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng. Retrieved on 2006-03-17. 
• Europeans and their languages - Eurobarometer report, February 2006 (pdf). Only includes EU citizens aged 15 or more.
• Crystal, David (2003-08-03) [1995]. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-521-53033-4. http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521530334. Retrieved on 2006-07-20. 

[edit] See also

• List of countries where English is an official language
• Anglosphere
• Anglophone
• Hispanosphere
• Sinosphere
• Indosphere

v • d • e The English-speaking world Dark blue: Countries and territories where English is spoken natively by a significant population. Light blue: Countries where English is an official language but not native. English is also one of the official languages of the European Union. Click on the coloured regions to view the related article.