In this article, we will look at the 17 hardest languages to learn in the world for non-English speakers. We will also discuss the importance of the Arabic language in business and the economic outlook of the MENA region. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Hardest Languages to Learn in the World for Non-English Speakers.
Arabic as a language
According to Ethnologue’s data, Arabic is the 6th most spoken language in the world and is spoken by approximately 274 million people around the globe. It is also one of the hardest languages to learn for non-English speakers. The Arabic language is considered tough to learn due to various factors, including its right-to-left syntax, letters changing shapes depending on the position within a word, and the complex pronunciation of short vowels that are not written in full letters while writing the language.
However, regardless of the difficulty level, the number of people learning the language has surged. According to Share America, the Arabic language has become the 8th most taught language at academic institutions in the United States, with approximately 26,000 pupils learning the language from kindergarten to 12th grade and 31,500 students learning the language at the university level. Moreover, according to the Pew Research Center, the number of Arabic Speakers aged 5 and above in the United States increased from 215,000 in 1980 to 1.4 million in 2021, making Arabic the 7th most common non-English language in the United States. In addition, with the surge in its speakers across the United States, Arabic surpassed other common languages spoken by US immigrants; for instance, the number of Italian and German speakers declined by 68% and 36%, respectively, during the same period. You can also look at the 16 Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers and the 25 Most Spoken Native Languages in the World.
International organizations are also stepping forward to foster the Arabic language, especially in education. According to a news report by UNESCO on November 10, 2023, the UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Regional Office in Beirut, in collaboration with the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation, organized a series of consultations on fostering the Arabic language within the education system across the Arab region. These consultations are part of the UNESCO framework ‘Fostering Arabic Language in Education and among local communities towards building more inclusive societies.’
Growth in the MENA Region Expected to Accelerate in 2024
Arabic is among the most commonly spoken languages in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. MENA is a resource-rich region with hydrocarbon-based products making up most of its exports. According to the World Bank’s data, oil rents comprised 23.7% of Saudi Arabia's GDP in 2021 alone. Furthermore, according to another report by the World Bank titled ‘Balancing Act: Jobs and Wages in the Middle East and North Africa When Crises Hit,’ the MENA region as a whole experienced an extraordinary growth rate of 6% in 2022. The exponential growth was attributed to factors including the surge in oil prices and the increased export of oil by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries. However, due to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and the challenges posed by the ‘Arab Spring,’ the growth activity is expected to slow down to 1.9%. Notably, the decreasing growth rates are expected to be less marked for developing oil exporter companies and are expected to grow at 2.4%. On the bright side, the MENA region is expected to grow by 3.5% in 2024 without a large gap between oil-importing and exporting countries. You can also look at the 15 States with the Best Economy Right Now and the 20 Richest Arab Billionaires In The World.
To better understand the living standards in the MENA region, it is important to analyze the real GDP per capita. According to the report, real GDP per capita growth was projected to decrease to a low of 0.4% in 2023, down from 4.3% in 2022. Recovery from the pandemic and the economic shock from the Russia-Ukraine crisis are recognized as factors contributing to this downfall. However, due to the government's efforts to uplift the economy, the real GDP per capita rates for 8 of 15 MENA countries were expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. On December 16, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia will keep spending on economic transformation despite the oil hit. The Kingdom is determined to develop its non-oil economy despite the oil production cuts and lower oil prices. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman oversees the Vision 2030 economic transformation and is determined to boost spending and investment in infrastructure, services, and local industry. Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, said,
“The Gulf state is midway through Vision 2030, which requires hundreds of billions in investments to help wean the economy off hydrocarbon income, build big infrastructure projects to develop sectors such as tourism and industry, and expand the private sector.”
Leading Players in the MENA Region
Some of the top companies in the MENA region include Saudi Arabian Oil Company (TADAWUL:2222), Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010), and Qatar Airways Company.
Saudi Arabian Oil Company (TADAWUL:2222), also known as Saudi Aramco, is one of the largest oil-producing companies in the world. With a workforce of over 70,000, the company marked 90 years of exploration and discovery on the lands of Saudi Arabia in 2023. On December 14, 2023, Saudi Arabian Oil Company (TADAWUL:2222) reported its successful partnership with Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC (AML:LSE) to become its official title partner. The partnership signifies the commitment of both companies to renovate the mobility industry together and will be valid until 2028.
Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) is a leading player in Saudi Arabia's telecommunication industry. The company was established in 1998 and is based in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) drives digital transformation engines in the Arab region. It provides digital infrastructure, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and digital payment services and maintains the region's fixed and mobile telecommunication infrastructure. The Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) group comprises 14 MENA and European subsidiaries. On January 22, Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) announced its strategic collaboration with Saudi Railways Company to elevate national cybersecurity and technological innovation. The collaboration was reached between Sirar, a subsidiary of the Saudi Telecom Company SJSC (TADAWUL:7010) and Saudi Railways Company. It is a long-term agreement to ensure that the Kingdom's railways perform as per international standards with the help of Sirar’s cybersecurity services.
Qatar Airways Company is one of the largest airline companies in the MENA region. Established in 1993 and reestablished in 1997, Qatar Airways Company is Qatar's national airline based at Doha Hamad International Airport. The airline flies to more than 170 destinations worldwide and was named the ‘World’s Best Business Class’ for the tenth time by the 2023 World Airline Awards. On February 10, Qatar Airways Company announced its new partnership with Gategroup to enhance its inflight dining service. The partnership with Gategroup will amplify the brand name of Qatar Airways Company by providing a refined dining experience, both inflight and on the ground, in the lounges of Doha Hamad International Airport.
While Arabic is a difficult language to learn for non-English speakers, there are several others. Let's now look at the 17 hardest languages to learn in the world for non-English speakers.
17 Hardest Languages to Learn in the World for Non English Speakers
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Our Methodology
We employed a consensus approach to compile the list of the 17 hardest languages to learn in the world for non-English speakers. We sifted through the rankings of Far & Wide, Bestlife, Watchmojo, ZacJason, and List 25, to compile a list of the 50 hardest languages for non-English speakers. We shortlisted only those languages that appeared in at least 3 sources and ranked them based on their average rank among our sources. We used the number of mentions as a tiebreaker for instances where the average rank was tied between two or more languages. The list is in descending order of the average rank of the languages.
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17 Hardest Languages to Learn in the World for Non-English Speakers
17. Greek
Average Rank: 11.2
Number of Mentions: 4
With an average ranking of 11.2, Greek is among the 17 hardest languages to learn in the world for non-English Speakers. It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is most commonly spoken in Greece.
16. Persian
Average Rank: 10.6
Number of Mentions: 3
Persian is the official language of Iran, and two of its variations are spoken as official languages in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family and ranks as the 16th hardest language for non-English speakers to learn.
15. Navajo
Average Rank: 10.2
Number of Mentions: 4
Navajo belongs to the Athabascan language family and is spoken by the Navajo people in Arizona and New Mexico. The Navajo language is particularly difficult to learn due to its tone and the fact that pitch levels differentiate various nouns. It is the 15th toughest language for non-English speakers to learn.
14. Czech
Average Rank: 9.2
Number of Mentions: 3
Czech is the official language of the Czech Republic and belongs to the Slavic language family. The language has several vowels, similar to the English language. However, there are some special letters, such as á, é, í, ó, ú, ů, with different pronunciations, making it difficult to learn for non-English speakers.
13. Turkish
Average Rank: 9
Number of Mentions: 3
Turkish belongs to the Atlantic group of languages and is widely spoken in Turkey, Cyprus, parts of Europe, and the Middle East. With an average rank of 9, Turkish ranks as the 13th hardest language for non-English speakers to learn.
12. Vietnamese
Average Rank: 9
Number of Mentions: 5
Belonging to the Mon-Khmer language family, Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam. There are various dialects of the language spoken in the rural areas. Moreover, the use of tone distinguishes various identical words and vowels making it difficult to learn for non-English speakers.
11. Georgian
Average Rank: 8.2
Number of Mentions: 3
Georgian is the official language of the Republic of Georgia, with various dialects in the spoken form of the language. The technicality of vowels, consonants, and 3 different styles within the writing script of the language makes it a difficult language to learn for non-English speakers.
10. Hungarian
Average Rank: 8.2
Number of Mentions: 5
Ranking 10th on our list is Hungarian, belonging to the Uralic language family. It is most commonly spoken in Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. The language is written in Latin alphabets with some modifications. There are various technicalities in terms of the vowels, and the special letters make it a tough language to learn.
9. Albanian
Average Rank: 7.6
Number of Mentions: 3
Albanian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is spoken in Albania and parts of the southern Balkans. There are two principal dialects of the Albanian language called Gheg and Tosk. It ranks as the 9th hardest language to learn for non-English speakers to learn.
8. Icelandic
Average Rank: 7.6
Number of Mentions: 5
Icelandic is the official language of Iceland and belongs to the North Germanic language family. A complicated verb system, pronunciations, and several declensions make it a difficult language to learn.
7. Japanese
Average Rank: 7
Number of Mentions: 5
Japanese is categorized as one of the most isolated languages in the world. It is mainly spoken in Japan; in fact, no nation uses the Japanese language as a first or second language other than Japan. The language's written script is very complex, making it the 7th toughest language on our list.
6. Thai
Average Rank: 6.2
Number of Mentions: 4
Thai belongs to the Southeast Asian language family and is an official language in Thailand. The language combines monosyllabic and polysyllabic alphabets; many identical letters are distinguished based on tone. Thus making it a complex language to learn.
