In this article, we will take a look at 20 richest countries that speak English. If you want to skip our discussion and see the top countries, go to 5 Richest Countries that Speak English.
English: A Global Language
English is spoken worldwide and has become the language of global business. With globalization, English has continued to be the most popular means of communication for traders and merchants and is one of the fastest-growing languages in the world.
On March 30, Tomedes reported that English speakers increased from 1.05 billion to 1.30 billion between 2011 and 2021. That’s a rise of 245 million English speakers in a decade which is far more than any other language. The second most spoken language is Mandarin Chinese, which is spoken by over 1.1 billion people worldwide. Hindi is spoken by over 600 million people and Spanish by 550 million. Over the past 50 years, English added 523 million, Chinese added 276 million and Hindi added 187 million speakers, between 1971 and 2021. Since 1921, English has added 894 million speakers, which makes it the fastest-growing language over the past 100 years. In today’s time, English remains the third most spoken language as a first language, with 372.9 million native speakers. While 1.08 billion people speak English as a second language.
English saw its glory when British people stepped onto the shores of South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. In the 19th century, the British Empire's global presence made a huge impact on the English language. In the 20th century, Americans emerged as a superpower and English continued to flourish as a major business language. In today’s modern world of technology and globalization, English remains one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the Caribbean Community, the Union of South American Nations, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, among other international organizations.
Major Companies Offering Services for Learning Languages
Some of the top companies offering products and services to teach English and other languages, including Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL), Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), and Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR).
Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) is one of the leading online language learning platform. On November 8, Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) announced its earnings for the third quarter of 2023. The company posted earnings per share of $0.06, beating estimates by $0.18. Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) reported a revenue of $137.62 million, surpassing estimates by $5.49 million. Duolingo, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:DUOL) monthly active users increased to 83.1 million, up by 47% year-over-year. While the daily active users were 24.2 million during Q3 2023. Here are some of the comments from the Q3 2023 earnings call:
“We surpassed our expectations and had impressive user bookings and revenue growth. And it was a fun quarter two with the Barbie campaign and also preparing for our Best Duocon. We also feel very good about the coming quarter which is why we're raising our full-year guidance to now reflect 40% year-over-year bookings growth.
Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) is a leading education technology company that offers various English language courses and other digital courses. On November 16, the company announced its collaboration with Google Cloud. Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) has joined the Google Cloud Endorsed Content Program that will endorse high-quality Udemy courses. On November 14, the company announced a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing. Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY) will be the Official Learning and Skills Partner of McLaren Racing, allowing McLaren teams flexible and effective learning opportunities.
Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) is another top educational platform that offers a wide range of language courses and courses from various fields. On April 13, Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) announced new VR courses from Duke University, the University of Washington, and Peking University. Moreover, the company has also launched a new AR Professional Certificate and Specialization from Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) to support learners in developing AR skills. With a diverse scope for learning and providing new skill sets, Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR) continues to offer the best courses on the internet.
Now, let’s take a look at the richest countries that speak English.
20 Richest Countries that Speak English
20 Richest Countries that Speak English
Our Methodology
To make our list of the richest countries that speak English, we first compiled a list of 100 richest countries in the world by GDP per capita. We used Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) figures. As a simple definition, PPP is calculated by removing price differences by equating the price of a basket of essentials in the local currency to the U.S. Dollar. We then sourced GDP per capita figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) database. We narrowed down our list to the 20 countries with the highest GDP per capita. We only chose countries with English as its official language or one of its official languages. The list is ranked in ascending order of GDP per capita.
Note: We also included the wealth data for countries which we sourced from Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Databook 2023.
20 Richest Countries that Speak English
20. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
GDP Per Capita (2023): $17,840
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is located in the southern part of the Caribbean. English is the official language of the country. In 2022, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ total wealth was reported at $2 billion. The Caribbean state makes it to our list of the richest countries that speak English.
19. Barbados
GDP Per Capita (2023): $18,740
Barbados is an Eastern Caribbean island and its official language is English. The country’s total wealth stood at $20 billion in 2022. With a GDP per capita of $18,740, Barbados ranks 19th among the richest countries that speak English.
18. Saint Lucia
GDP Per Capita (2023): $18,970
Saint Lucia is located in the eastern part of the Caribbean. English is the official language of the country. In 2022, Saint Lucia’s total wealth was reported at $6 billion. The Caribbean country is one of the richest countries that speak English.
17. Botswana
GDP Per Capita (2023): $19,390
Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. English is Botswana’s official language and the country has a total wealth of $24 billion, as of 2022. Ranked 17th on our list, Botswana is one of the richest countries that speak English.
16. Grenada
GDP Per Capita (2023): $20,200
Grenada is a Caribbean country and English is the official language. The country’s total wealth stood at $5 billion in 2022. With a GDP per capita of $20,200, Grenada makes it to our list of the richest countries that speak English.
15. Antigua and Barbuda
GDP Per Capita (2023): $25,450
Antigua and Barbuda is another Caribbean country on our list of the richest countries that speak English. With a total wealth of $2 billion and a GDP per capita of $25,450, Antigua and Barbuda is one of the richest countries that speak English.
14. Saint Kitts and Nevis
GDP Per Capita (2023): $29,890
Located in the Caribbean, English is the sole official language of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The country has a total wealth of $3 billion and a GDP per capita of $29,890. Saint Kitts and Nevis makes it to our list of the richest countries that speak English.
13. Trinidad and Tobago
GDP Per Capita (2023): $30,720
The official language of Trinidad and Tobago is English. Trinidad and Tobago has a total wealth of $58 billion and a GDP per capita of $30,720. The Caribbean country ranks 13th on our list of the richest countries that speak English.
12. Puerto Rico
GDP Per Capita (2023): $41,680
English is the second official language of Puerto Rico after Spanish. With a GDP per capita of $41,680, Puerto Rico ranks among the richest countries that speak English.
11. Seychelles
GDP Per Capita (2023): $41,830
Seychelles is located in East Africa and English is one of the official languages of the country. With a total wealth of $7 billion and a GDP per capita of $41,830, Seychelles makes it to our list of the richest countries that speak English.
10. The Bahamas
GDP Per Capita (2023): $44,950
English is the official language of The Bahamas. The country’s total wealth was reported at $21 billion and with a GDP per capita of $44,950, The Bahamas is one of the richest countries that speak English.
9. New Zealand
GDP Per Capita (2023): $53,810
English is the most spoken language and the official language of New Zealand. With a total wealth of $1.42 trillion and a GDP per capita of $53,810, New Zealand makes it to our list of the richest countries that speak English.
8. United Kingdom
GDP Per Capita (2023): $56,840
The United Kingdom is one of the majority English-speaking nations. The United Kingdom has a total wealth of $15.97 trillion and a GDP per capita of $56,840. Ranked 8th on our list, the United Kingdom is one of the richest countries that speak English.
7. Canada
GDP Per Capita (2023): $59,810
English is the official language of Canada along with French. The country’s total wealth stood at $11.26 trillion in 2022. With a GDP per capita of $59,810, Canada is ranked seventh among the richest countries that speak English.
6. Guyana
GDP Per Capita (2023): $61,100
Guyana is the only South American country with English as its official language. With a total wealth of $9 billion and a GDP per capita of $61,100, Guyana ranks among the richest countries that speak English.
