List of countries by English-speaking population

This is the year 2000 list of countries of the world sorted by the total English-speaking population in that country

Country

A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...

. This includes both native speaker

First language

A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...

s and second-language

Second language

A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....

speakers of English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

Statistics on second language speakers are usually imprecise, in part because there is no widely agreed definition of second language speakers - there is no differentiation between countries where English is the lingua franca

Lingua franca

A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...

and those where it is not.

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

The degree of caution needed can be put into perspective by noting that the English-language newspaper with the highest daily circulation is the Times of India (3.24 million) even though India only has a quarter of a million people who use English as a mother tongue.

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	%	280,950,438	267,444,149	225,505,953	41,938,196	Figures are from the year 2007 American Community Survey American Community Survey The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census... by the U.S. Census Bureau. English speaker figures are for persons age 5 and older. Total population age 5 and older was 280,950,438 of which 267,444,149 stated that they spoke English "very well" or "well". Second language speakers are respondents age 5 and older who reported they do not speak English at home but know it "very well" or "well".
2	India	%	1,100,000,000	125,226,449	226,449 (2001 estimate)	125,000,000	2001 figures for native language. The figures include English speakers, but not English users.
3	Philippines	%	97,000,000	89,800,000	3,427,000	>46,373,000	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). Ethnologue Ethnologue Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue... lists 3.4 million native speakers with 75% of the population speaking it as an additional language.
4	Nigeria	%	148,093,000	79,000,000	4,000,000	>75,000,000	Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin Nigerian Pidgin Nigerian Pidgin is an English-based pidgin and a creole language spoken as a lingua franca across Nigeria. The language is commonly referred to as "Pidgin" or "Brokin". It is often not considered a creole language since most speakers are not native speakers, although many children do learn it early... , 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.
5	United Kingdom	%	60,975,000	59,600,000	58,100,000	1,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
6	Germany	56%	82,191,000	46,272,504	272,504	46,000,000	Native speakers: Statistisches Bundesamt (cited here). Non-native speakers: Eurobarometer report 2006 Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany.
7	Canada	%	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 native language, plus 17,572,170 people with English and not French as a native language.
8	Early Modern France	36%	64,473,140	23,000,000		23,000,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
9	Pakistan	%	164,157,000	18,000,000		18,000,000	Source:
10	Australia	%	21,394,309	17,357,833	15,013,965	2,343,868	Source: 2001 Census. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/census1.nsf/log?openagent&Aust%5FProficiency%20in%20Spoken%20English%20Language%2Ezip&CC0&2001%20Census%20Classification%20Count&6BCA40CE3C9EC14DCA256C62001EAB3C&0&2001&19%2E11%2E2002&Current The 2001 census data is subject to multiple interpretations. 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".
11	Italy	29%	59,619,290	17,000,000		17,000,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
12	Netherlands	87%	16,445,000	14,000,000		14,000,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
13	South Africa	%	47,850,700	13,673,203	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.
14	Spain	27%	46,063,000	12,500,000		12,500,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
15	Turkey	17%	70,586,256	12,000,000		12,000,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
16	Poland	29%	38,115,967	11,000,000		11,000,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
17	Mainland China	%	1,200,000,000	10,000,000		10,000,000	Figures are for English users in mainland China Mainland China Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and... only (i.e. excluding Hong Kong where English is an official language Official language An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a... and Macau). The oft-cited figure of 300 million is for "learners."
18	Sweden	89%	9,215,021	8,200,000		8,200,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
19	Cameroon	%	18,549,000	7,700,000		7,700,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
20	Malaysia	%	27,170,000	7,380,000	380,000	7,000,000	Crystal (2005), p. 109.
21	Russia	%	141,888,900	6,955,315	1,804	6,953,511	Source: Basic Results, Tables 4.4 and 4.1, Russian Census (2002) Russian Census (2002) Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:... . 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. More than 9 million schoolgoers studied English as a foreign language in 2008-2009.
22	Thailand	10%	63,038,247	6,549,329		6,549,329	Secondary language of the elite
23	Belgium	59%	10,584,534	6,250,000		6,250,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
24	Israel	%	7,303,000	\|6,205,000	100,000	6,105,000	Source: Ethnologue (2005) English is widely spoken by all ethnic groups .
25	Kingdom of Romania	29%	21,438,000	6,200,000		6,200,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
26	Zimbabwe	%	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	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
28	Sierra Leone	%	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	%	106,682,500	4,855,000		4,855,000	Consulta Mitovsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, April 2007 http://www.consulta.com.mx/interiores/99_pdfs/12_mexicanos_pdf/mxc_NA20070420_LosIdiomasdelMexicano.pdf; and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/default.aspx?c=6789.
30	Austria	58%	8,340,924	4,800,000		4,800,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
31	Denmark	86%	5,489,022	4,720,000		4,720,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
32	Switzerland	\|%	7,637,300	4,680,000	73,400	4,606,600	Figure for speakers of English as "main language", according to Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel 2008 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	Norway		4,920,500
34	Republic of Ireland	%	4,422,100	4,350,000	4,122,100	237,900	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006; Central Statistics Office http://www.cso.ie; Travbla http://travbla.com/Ireland/en
35	Singapore	80%	5,076,700		665,087	3,396,273	Source: 2010 Census. Second language speaker figure only includes those literate in English aged 15 or more and does not include third language proficiency. Singapore Census of Population, 2010, Advance Data Release No.1, "Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion"
36	Tanzania	%	40,454,000	4,000,000		4,000,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
37	New Zealand	%	4,275,100	3,673,623	3,673,623		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.
38	Bangladesh	%	158,665,000	3,500,000		3,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
39	Finland	63%	5,331,483	3,400,000		3,400,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
40	Portugal	32%	10,623,000	3,400,000		3,400,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
41	Lebanon	%	4,099,000	3,300,000		3,300,000
42	Papua New Guinea	%	6,331,000	3,150,000	150,000	3,000,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
43	Liberia	%	3,750,000	3,100,000	600,000	2,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
44	Kenya	%	37,538,000	2,700,000		2,700,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
45	Jamaica	%	2,714,000	2,650,000	2,600,000	50,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
46	Uganda	%	30,884,000	2,500,000		2,500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
47	Hong Kong	%	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.
48	Czech Republic	24%	10,403,136	2,500,000		2,500,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
49	Hungary	23%	10,043,000	2,300,000		2,300,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
50	Independent State of Croatia	49%	4,555,000	2,200,000		2,200,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
51	Puerto Rico	%	3,991,000	1,940,000	100,000	1,840,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
52	Sri Lanka	%	19,299,000	1,910,000	10,000	1,900,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
52	Zambia	%	11,922,000	1,910,000	110,000	1,800,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
53	Kazakhstan	15.4%	12,156,705	1,874,583	602	1,873,981	Number of those who understand spoken English, from these 1.9 million: 311,435 (2.6%/16.6%) can only read, 931,444 (7.7%/49.6%) can read and write in English. The number of native speakers is the sum of Americans and Englishmen "by nationality". (Census 2009)
53	Bosnia and Herzegovina	%	4,000,000	1,800,000		1,800,000	not verified.
54	Kingdom of Bulgaria	23%	7,640,238	1,800,000		1,800,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
55	Slovakia	32%	5,402,273	1,700,000		1,700,000	not verified.
56	Ghana	%	23,478,000	1,400,000		1,400,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
57	Slovenia	57%	2,023,358	1,200,000		1,200,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
58	Trinidad and Tobago	87.74%	1,305,000	1,145,000	1,145,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
59	Lithuania	32%	3,369,600	1,100,000		1,100,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
60	Latvia	39%	2,270,700	900,000		900,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
61	Guyana	90.55%	751,000	680,000	650,000	30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
62	Botswana	38.42%	1,639,833	630,000		630,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
63	Estonia	46%	1,340,602	620,000		620,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
64	Cyprus	76%	794,600	600,000		600,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
65	Malawi	%	13,931,831	540,209	209	540,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
66	Lesotho	%	1,795,000	500,000		500,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
67	Suriname	87.09%	470,784	410,000	260,000	150,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
68	Malta	88%	419,285	370,000		370,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
69	Namibia	%	1,820,916	314,000	14,000	300,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
70	Luxembourg	60%	480,222	290,000		290,000	Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
71	The Bahamas	%	330,549	288,000	260,000	28,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
72	Barbados	%	279,000	275,000	262,000	13,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
73	Belize	%	301,270	246,000	190,000	56,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
74	Mauritius	%	1,264,866	202,000	2,000	200,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
75	Vanuatu	%	215,446	180,000	60,000	120,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
76	Fiji	%	853,445	176,000	6,000	170,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
77	Solomon Islands	%	552,438	175,000	10,000	165,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
78	Ethiopia	%	78,254,090	171,712	1,986	169,726
79	Guam	%	173,456	158,000	58,000	100,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
80	Brunei	%	381,371	144,000	10,000	134,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
81	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	%	120,000	114,000	114,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
82	United States Virgin Islands	%	108,448	113,000	98,000	15,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
83	Grenada	%	110,000	100,000	100,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
84	Netherlands Antilles	50%	192,000	96,000		96,000
85	Samoa	49.86%	188,540	94,000	1,000	93,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
86	Isle of Man	99.93%	80,058	80,000	80,000
87	Bhutan	%	658,000	75,000		75,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
89	Saint Lucia	43.04%	165,000	71,000	31,000	40,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
90	Northern Mariana Islands	83.33%	84,000	70,000	5,000	65,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
91	Antigua and Barbuda	80%	85,000	68,000	66,000	2,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
92	American Samoa	100%	67,000	67,000	2,000	65,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
93	Federated States of Micronesia	57.66%	111,000	64,000	4,000	60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
94	Bermuda	96.92%	65,000	63,000	63,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
95	Dominica	94.03%	67,000	63,000	3,000	60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
96	Marshall Islands		59,000	60,000		60,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
97	Swaziland	4.38%	1,141,000	50,000		50,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
98	Aruba	42.31%	104,000	44,000	9,000	35,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
99	The Gambia	2.34%	1,709,000	40,000		40,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
100	Saint Kitts and Nevis	78%	50,000	39,000	39,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
101	Cayman Islands	76.7%	47,000	36,000	36,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
102	Seychelles	%	87,000	33,000	3,000	30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
103	Honduras	0.44%	7,106,000	31,500	31,500
104	Gibraltar		28,875	30,000	28,000	2,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
105	Tonga	30%	100,000	30,000		30,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
107	Kiribati	24.21%	95,000	23,000		23,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
108	Rwanda	%	9,725,000	20,000		20,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
109	British Virgin Islands	86.96%	23,000	20,000	20,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
110	Palau	92.5%	20,000	18,500	500	18,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
111	Andorra	22%	81,222	17,869		17,869	Source Census: Linguistic knowledge 2004.
112	Anguilla	92.31%	13,000	12,000	12,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
113	Nauru		10,000	10,300	800	9,500	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
114	Dominican Republic	10.98%	9,760,000	15,000	15,000
115	Saint Helena	81.82%	6,600	5,400	5,400
116	Cook Islands	19.8%	20,200	4,000	1,000	3,000	Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
117	Montserrat	67.8%	5,900	4,000	4,000		Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
118	British Indian Ocean Territory	100%	3,500	3,500	3,500
119	Falkland Islands	95.54%	3,140	3,000	1,991	1,009
120	Niue		2,160	1,600	78	2,082
121	Norfolk Island	79.38%	2,114	1,678	1,678
122	Turks and Caicos Islands	%	26,000	920	920
123	Guadeloupe	%	408,000	200	200
124	Saint-Pierre and Miquelon	%	6,125	188	188
125	Pitcairn Islands	92%	50	46	46
126	Tokelau	2.86%	1,400	40	40
	World World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....	%	6,736,629,307	964,732,362	345,246,454	619,485,908	Estimate by Wikipedia contributors.

The European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The combined total English speaking population is 229,850,000 (out of a total population of 500,000,000 – 46%) including 61,850,000 native speakers and 168,000,000 non-native speakers, and would be ranked 2nd if it were included.

List in order of native speakers

Rank	Country	First language
1		225,505,953
2		58,200,000
3		18,232,195
4		15,581,334
5		4,400,000
6		3,673,203
7		3,500,000+ (approx.)
8		3,427,000
9		2,600,000+ (approx.)
10	Trinidad and Tobago	1,145,000
11		884,418
12	Guyana	650,000
13	Liberia	600,000
14	Sierra Leone	500,000
15	Malaysia	380,000
16	Germany	272,504
17	Barbados	262,000
18	The Bahamas	260,000
19	Zimbabwe	250,000
20	India	227,000
	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
25=	Puerto Rico	100,000
28	United States Virgin Islands	98,000
29	Japan	>93,500
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	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	15,000
48	Fiji	6,000
49	Saint Helena	5,400
50	Northern Mariana Islands	5,000
51	Federated States of 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
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 Islands	46
71	Tokelau	40
72	East Timor	30

List in order of total speakers

List in order of native speakers

See also