English-Speaking Countries 2023

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Interactive Map Introduction The English Language English as a Global Language Globish Pidgin English Countries With English as Official Language English-Speaking Countries Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australia Australian Indian Ocean Territories Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Faroe Islands Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France Gabon Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norfolk Island North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay People's Republic of China Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Macedonia Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Barthélemy San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Siachen Glacier Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia Somaliland South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand The Bahamas The Gambia Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America United States Virgin Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe FAQs How many countries have English as an official language? How many people have English as their mother tongue?How many people speak English around the world?

Introduction

The English language has taken on an increasingly important role in the world today. It is the most widely spoken language in the world, used by more than one billion people globally. It is now the official language of many countries and international organizations, such as the United Nations. English is also a major focus for international business and commerce, with a large number of documents and contracts written in English across multiple industries. In addition, English has become a major factor for education, particularly higher education. Students from many countries travel to places such as the United States and United Kingdom to get their degrees due to these countries offering courses in English. Furthermore, it has become an invaluable tool for communication between cultures and nations, allowing people from different backgrounds to easily communicate with each other. As a result of all this, English has become essential for both social interaction and success in many aspects of life today. This makes it clear that knowing the English language is now an invaluable asset that can open doors to opportunities worldwide.

Country	English-Speaking Country	Portugese-Speaking Country	Spanish-Speaking Country	Russian-Speaking Country
Afghanistan	No	No	No	No
Albania	No	No	No	No
Algeria	No	No	No	No
Andorra	No	No	No	No
Angola	No	Yes	No	No
Argentina	No	No	Yes	No
Armenia	No	No	No	No
Aruba	No	No	No	No
Ashmore and Cartier Islands	No	No	No	No
Austria	No	No	No	No
Azerbaijan	No	No	No	No
Bahrain	No	No	No	No
Bangladesh	No	No	No	No
Belarus	No	No	No	Yes
Belgium	No	No	No	No
Benin	No	No	No	No
Bhutan	No	No	No	No
Bolivia	No	No	Yes	No
Bosnia and Herzegovina	No	No	No	No
Brazil	No	Yes	No	No
Bulgaria	No	No	No	No
Burkina Faso	No	No	No	No
Burundi	No	No	No	No
Cambodia	No	No	No	No
Cameroon	No	No	No	No
Central African Republic	No	No	No	No
Chad	No	No	No	No
Chile	No	No	Yes	No
Colombia	No	No	Yes	No
Comoros	No	No	No	No
Costa Rica	No	No	Yes	No
Croatia	No	No	No	No
Cuba	No	No	Yes	No
Curaçao	No	No	No	No
Cyprus	No	No	No	No
Czech Republic	No	No	No	No
Democratic Republic of the Congo	No	No	No	No
Denmark	No	No	No	No
Djibouti	No	No	No	No
Dominican Republic	No	No	Yes	No
East Timor	No	No	No	No
Ecuador	No	No	Yes	No
Egypt	No	No	No	No
El Salvador	No	No	Yes	No
Equatorial Guinea	No	No	Yes	No
Eritrea	No	No	No	No
Estonia	No	No	No	No
Ethiopia	No	No	No	No
Faroe Islands	No	No	No	No
Federated States of Micronesia	No	No	No	No
Finland	No	No	No	No
France	No	No	No	No
Gabon	No	No	No	No
Georgia	No	No	No	No
Germany	No	No	No	No
Greece	No	No	No	No
Guatemala	No	No	Yes	No
Guinea	No	No	No	No
Guinea-Bissau	No	Yes	No	No
Haiti	No	No	No	No
Honduras	No	No	Yes	No
Hong Kong	No	No	No	No
Hungary	No	No	No	No
Iceland	No	No	No	No
India	No	No	No	No
Indonesia	No	No	No	No
Iran	No	No	No	No
Iraq	No	No	No	No
Israel	No	No	No	No
Italy	No	No	No	No
Ivory Coast	No	No	No	No
Japan	No	No	No	No
Jordan	No	No	No	No
Kazakhstan	No	No	No	Yes
Kosovo	No	No	No	No
Kuwait	No	No	No	No
Kyrgyzstan	No	No	No	Yes
Laos	No	No	No	No
Latvia	No	No	No	No
Lebanon	No	No	No	No
Lesotho	No	No	No	No
Libya	No	No	No	No
Liechtenstein	No	No	No	No
Lithuania	No	No	No	No
Luxembourg	No	No	No	No
Macau	No	Yes	No	No
Madagascar	No	No	No	No
Malaysia	No	No	No	No
Maldives	No	No	No	No
Mali	No	No	No	No
Malta	No	No	No	No
Mauritania	No	No	No	No
Mexico	No	No	Yes	No
Moldova	No	No	No	No
Monaco	No	No	No	No
Mongolia	No	No	No	No
Montenegro	No	No	No	No
Montserrat	No	No	No	No
Morocco	No	No	No	No
Mozambique	No	Yes	No	No
Myanmar	No	No	No	No
Namibia	No	No	No	No
Nauru	No	No	No	No
Nepal	No	No	No	No
Netherlands	No	No	No	No
New Caledonia	No	No	No	No
New Zealand	No	No	No	No
Nicaragua	No	No	Yes	No
Niger	No	No	No	No
North Korea	No	No	No	No
Northern Mariana Islands	No	No	No	No
Norway	No	No	No	No
Oman	No	No	No	No
Pakistan	No	No	No	No
Palau	No	No	No	No
Palestine	No	No	No	No
Panama	No	No	No	No
Paraguay	No	No	Yes	No
People's Republic of China	No	No	No	No
Peru	No	No	Yes	No
Poland	No	No	No	No
Portugal	No	Yes	No	No
Qatar	No	No	No	No
Republic of Macedonia	No	No	No	No
Republic of the Congo	No	No	No	No
Romania	No	No	No	No
Russia	No	No	No	Yes
Rwanda	No	No	No	No
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	No	No	No	No
Saint-Barthélemy	No	No	No	No
San Marino	No	No	No	No
Saudi Arabia	No	No	No	No
Senegal	No	No	No	No
Serbia	No	No	No	No
Seychelles	No	No	No	No
Siachen Glacier	No	No	No	No
Sint Maarten	No	No	No	No
Slovakia	No	No	No	No
Slovenia	No	No	No	No
Somalia	No	No	No	No
Somaliland	No	No	No	No
South Korea	No	No	No	No
Spain	No	No	Yes	No
Sri Lanka	No	No	No	No
Sudan	No	No	No	No
Suriname	No	No	No	No
Sweden	No	No	No	No
Switzerland	No	No	No	No
Syria	No	No	No	No
São Tomé and Príncipe	No	Yes	No	No
Taiwan	No	No	No	No
Tajikistan	No	No	No	No
Tanzania	No	No	No	No
Thailand	No	No	No	No
Togo	No	No	No	No
Tunisia	No	No	No	No
Turkey	No	No	No	No
Turkmenistan	No	No	No	No
Turks and Caicos Islands	No	No	No	No
Uganda	No	No	No	No
Ukraine	No	No	No	No
United Arab Emirates	No	No	No	No
Uruguay	No	No	Yes	No
Uzbekistan	No	No	No	No
Vanuatu	No	No	No	No
Vatican City	No	No	No	No
Venezuela	No	No	Yes	No
Vietnam	No	No	No	No
Western Sahara	No	No	No	No
Yemen	No	No	No	No
Zimbabwe	No	No	No	No
Eswatini	No	No	No	No
Åland Islands	No	No	No	No
Anguilla	Yes	No	No	No
Antigua and Barbuda	Yes	No	No	No
Australia	Yes	No	No	No
Australian Indian Ocean Territories	Yes	No	No	No
Barbados	Yes	No	No	No
Belize	Yes	No	No	No
Bermuda	Yes	No	No	No
Botswana	Yes	No	No	No
British Virgin Islands	Yes	No	No	No
Brunei	Yes	No	No	No
Canada	Yes	No	No	No
Cayman Islands	Yes	No	No	No
Dominica	Yes	No	No	No
Fiji	Yes	No	No	No
Ghana	Yes	No	No	No
Grenada	Yes	No	No	No
Guam	Yes	No	No	No
Guernsey	Yes	No	No	No
Guyana	Yes	No	No	No
Ireland	Yes	No	No	No
Isle of Man	Yes	No	No	No
Jamaica	Yes	No	No	No
Jersey	Yes	No	No	No
Kenya	Yes	No	No	No
Liberia	Yes	No	No	No
Malawi	Yes	No	No	No
Marshall Islands	Yes	No	No	No
Mauritius	Yes	No	No	No
Nigeria	Yes	No	No	No
Norfolk Island	Yes	No	No	No
Papua New Guinea	Yes	No	No	No
Philippines	Yes	No	No	No
Puerto Rico	Yes	No	Yes	No
Saint Helena	Yes	No	No	No
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Yes	No	No	No
Saint Lucia	Yes	No	No	No
Saint Martin	Yes	No	No	No
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Yes	No	No	No
Sierra Leone	Yes	No	No	No
Singapore	Yes	No	No	No
Solomon Islands	Yes	No	No	No
South Africa	Yes	No	No	No
South Sudan	Yes	No	No	No
The Bahamas	Yes	No	No	No
The Gambia	Yes	No	No	No
Trinidad and Tobago	Yes	No	No	No
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	Yes	No	No	No
United Kingdom	Yes	No	No	No
United States Virgin Islands	Yes	No	No	No
United States of America	Yes	No	No	No
Zambia	Yes	No	No	No

The English Language

The English language is a West Germanic language, originating from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by various Germanic tribes in the 5th century. Rooted in Old English and Middle English (which were closely related to Old Norse), English has evolved over centuries into its modern form, becoming one of the most influential languages in history.

English is considered one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today, with approximately 1.5 billion speakers globally. It has played an incredibly important role in global communication and commerce, evolving into an international lingua franca that is used for business, media, education and more. Because of its widespread use, English is sometimes referred to as a “world language”.

As well as being spoken by native speakers all around the globe, multiple varieties have emerged such as American English, Indian English and Australian English; each with their own unique characteristics and variations. The lexicon of contemporary English includes words derived from a wide variety of sources including Greek, Latin, French and other European languages, reflecting its history as a diverse melting pot of cultures over time.

English as a Global Language

English has long been an important language in international communication and diplomacy. It is the most widely used language for business and travel, as well as being increasingly adopted as a lingua franca in many countries around the world. By some estimates, more than one billion people speak English today, making it the second-most common language after Mandarin Chinese. This is especially remarkable given that English has no official status in many countries and yet still managed to become such a pervasive global language over time. It is also the dominant language of science and technology, giving its speakers a clear advantage in fields such as education and research. Furthermore, English is the primary language of entertainment media such as movies, television shows, books, music, and video games; this allows its speakers to easily access cultural information from around the world. The prevalence of English in all aspects of life makes it invaluable for anyone seeking to navigate our increasingly interconnected global landscape.

Globish

Globish is an English-based language which has been created as a global lingua franca. It consists of a 1500-word core vocabulary that was taken from the simplified English used in international business and aviation contexts. The words are selected for their universality, ease of understanding, and high frequency of use. Globish is designed to be easily learned by non-native English speakers who may have different or limited backgrounds in English. In contrast to traditional forms of English, it removes the complexities and ambiguities that are associated with more standard versions. It is used widely in international communications, as well as in a variety of other settings such as education, hospitality, travel and tourism, technology services and in many other areas. Its popularity stems from its relative simplicity and ability to bridge cultural boundaries quickly and effectively. Furthermore, it encourages speakers to express themselves while avoiding misunderstandings due to miscommunication. As such, Globish can be seen as a tool for global communication that allows people from different linguistic backgrounds to communicate with one another more efficiently.

Pidgin English

Pidgin English is a type of language that is created from two or more languages and serves as a common means of communication between speakers who do not share the same language. Pidgin English has become an essential part of the linguistic landscape in many countries around the world. For example, Hawaii Pidgin English is made up of English, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Cantonese and other languages. In the Philippines, Taglish (Tagalog-English) is a form of pidgin that blends Tagalog and English together. Similarly, in India there is Hinglish (Hindi-English) which combines Hindi and English words to create new meanings. On the African continent, Nigerian Pidgin (or Naija Pidgin) incorporates multiple languages including Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa into its vocabulary. Interestingly, this variety of pidgin has now spread beyond Nigeria to Ghana and Cameroon where it has become widely used as well. Apart from being used in everyday speech among friends and family members, pidgins can also be found in literature like songs and poems that give voice to shared experiences within these communities where multiple languages are spoken.

Countries With English as Official Language

English has become the official language of 51 countries, primarily due to its widespread usage and dominant presence in the world. This is largely attributed to its origin from Great Britain and the British Empire’s expansive reach during the colonial period, which led to much of the world speaking English as a lingua franca.

The United States of America also played an integral part in helping English become the official language in many countries. It has been estimated that around half of all English speakers call themselves American and it is thought that more than two billion people are exposed to their influence through marketing, media, literature, and other forms of communication. Furthermore, former colonies often adopted English as an official language due to education systems established by former colonizing powers.

The spread of English has seen it adopted as an official language in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and the Americas. In fact, English is recognized as an official or co-official language by over 80 nations around the world. This includes prominent countries such as India, Nigeria and Singapore who boast large populations speaking multiple languages but have adopted English as a ‘bridge’ between various linguistic groups to facilitate communication and interaction amongst their citizens.

List of countries with English as an official language :

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Australian Indian Ocean Territories
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Botswana
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Canada
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Ghana
Grenada
Guam
Guernsey
Guyana
Ireland
Isle of Man
Jamaica
Jersey
Kenya
Liberia
Malawi
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Nigeria
Norfolk Island
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Puerto Rico
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Sudan
The Bahamas
The Gambia
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
United Kingdom
United States Virgin Islands
United States of America
Zambia

English-Speaking Countries

Afghanistan

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English-Speaking Country

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