Wondering where the most English speaking countries are located? The English language is widely spoken, globally, but it isn’t prominent everywhere. This article rates the countries that have the highest percentage of English speaking citizens.
There are several countries all over the world who use the English language, here is a list of the most english speaking countries.
The most prominently spoken languages in any country will depend on its history and geographic location. Though, many English speakers assume that English is the most spoken global language, they are incorrect. In fact, English is third on the list, below Spanish and Chinese.
The Most English Speaking Countries as a 2nd Language
If you did not grow up with English as a spoken language, it is daunting to take up later. But, it’s not as tough as it seems at first. Half the battle is to delineate American accents from British English.
The type of English accent training you have will affect how accurately you can communicate with others, in non-native English speaking countries. English is prominent in any country that conducts global business and market trading, but especially in the countries listed below.
India
India has, by far, the largest population of non-native English speakers on earth. Of the over 125 million English speaking population, just over 225,000 speak it as a first language.
So many Indian citizens speak English that it has become an offshoot of its own, called “Hinglish,” or Indian English. Hinglish is a combination of India’s national language, Hindi, and English.
Pakistan
Pakistan, another country with a huge population, is also a huge English speaking nation. Nearly half of the population of Pakistan speaks English as a second language. Though the official language is Urdu, there are just under 100 million non-native English speakers in Pakistan.
Philippines
Whereas under 50 percent of Pakistan’s population speaks English, the Philippines comes in at over 90 percent. The vast majority–around 90 million–of Filipino citizens speak English as a second language. The country’s national language is Filipino.
The Philippines, also, ranks the highest for English proficiency. Of the overwhelmingly English speaking population, the country boasts a 67.4 average EPI score.
Nigeria
You may not think of Nigeria as one of the most English speaking countries, but you’re forgetting the British colonization of the 18th and 19th century. Nigeria’s spoken language has been heavily influenced by English colonization. Today, almost 80 million people in Nigeria speak fluent English.
Final Thoughts
For native English speakers, taking into account the countries with the most English speaking population, the United States and England are at the top of the list.
There are more non-native English speakers on the planet than there are natives. English, as a language, has been spread across the globe for many years and is the most used language in the global business marketplace.
If you enjoyed reading about the most English speaking countries, feel free to share this article with your friends on social media. And, subscribe to our newsletter for the most recent posts on English pronunciation. Thanks for reading!
