In this article, we will take a look at the 30 most spoken languages in the world in 2024. If you would like to skip our discussion on the language services market, you can go to the 5 Most Spoken Languages in the World in 2024.
In our increasingly interconnected world, communication serves as the bridge that links everyone. An important aspect of effective communication is shared language. Currently, over 7,000 languages are spoken globally, with some being more popular due to the significant portion of the world's population using them. For instance, Mandarin, spoken by over 900 million natives, stands as the most spoken native language, and similarly, Hindi is also among the top 20 most spoken languages in the world in 2024. Languages play an important role in various aspects of life, including career advancement, trade opportunities, education, and travel.
Many individuals choose to diversify their language skills to enhance their career prospects or qualify for more lucrative job opportunities. Numerous companies specialize in language education to facilitate language learning and open new avenues. Popular companies in this space include Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR), Duolingo Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL), and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META). The language services industry was valued at $55.13 billion in 2023 and is forecasted to reach $59.41 billion in 2024. This expansion reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8%. The growth is likely to be driven by factors such as globalization, business expansion, social media growth trends, and rising demand for travel and tourism. The launch of AI-based translation tools has also impacted the market, with automated translation services quickly gaining traction. This will be a defining trend as speech and live captioning tools that convert speech to text offer further access to foreign languages. These evolving trends are expected to have implications for the most spoken languages in the world in 2050.
Duolingo Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL), one of the top language learning applications in the world, is quickly adapting Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to improve the customization of courses. The company recently launched Duolingo Max, in collaboration with OpenAI, to offer more personalized lessons using AI. This adaptation addresses the increasing demand for machine-based translation in business communications, particularly as the e-commerce and quick commerce sectors require rapid interactions across the globe. The solid financial performance of Duolingo Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) further highlights its success in meeting the evolving needs of language learners. The company's management provided insights into its performance during the Q4 2023 earnings call:
“We had a fantastic year capped off with record bookings and profitability in Q4. We exceeded our bookings forecast in part because of the continued acceleration in user growth in the fourth quarter because we saw strength in our family plan throughout the quarter and because we saw better-than-expected performance in our New Year’s promotion. Our continued strength in user and subscriber growth drove bookings and revenue growth of 51% and 45% year-over-year, respectively or 49% and 43% on a constant currency basis.”
30 Most Spoken Languages in the World in 2024
Our Methodology
To shortlist the 30 most spoken languages in the world in 2024, we referred to a number of credible sources such as the Ethnologue and Langoly. Our list accounts for both native and non-native speakers of each language. The 30 most spoken languages in the world have been ranked in ascending order of their total number of speakers as of 2024.
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30 Most Spoken Languages in the World in 2024
30. Western Punjabi
Total Speakers: 66.4 million
Western Punjabi is a sub-dialect of the primary Punjabi language. It is predominantly spoken in Punjab, a region divided between Pakistan and India. Western Punjabi incorporates numerous words derived from Persian, Arabic, and Urdu.
29. Italian
Total Speakers: 67.9 million
Italian, a Romance-era language, is mainly spoken by Italians and is common among the inhabitants of Sicily and Sardinia. It serves as the official language of Italy and San Marino. Additionally, Italian holds official status in Vatican City, alongside Latin, and in Switzerland, where it is recognized alongside German, French, and Romansh. Beyond these official designations, Italian is spoken in various regions, including the Alps and Côte d’Azur in France, as well as in smaller communities in Croatia and Slovenia.
28. Javanese
Total Speakers: 68.3 million
Javanese is the native language of the residents of Java Island. Due to the island's large population, Javanese is the largest Austronesian language. The language includes various regional dialects and speaking styles, covering informal, deferential, and even palace language styles.
27. Swahili
Total Speakers: 71.4 million
Swahili (also called Bantu) is spoken as a native or second language throughout eastern Africa. The region spreads from Lamu Island, Kenya, to the southern border of Tanzania in the south. It is the primary operational language in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, where English is the primary working language, and in Congo, where French is the primary language. The Swahili language is largely influenced by Arabic.
26. Egyptian Spoken Arabic
Total Speakers: 74.8 million
Egyptian Spoken Arabic is an offshoot of the generic or standard Arabic language. This particular spoken Arabic dialect is used by many Egyptians and is different enough from traditional Arabic to be considered a separate language. It is commonly referred to as Masri or Egyptian.
25. Hausa
Total Speakers: 77.1 million
Hausa holds significant importance in Western and Central Africa. It is recognized as a Chadic language within the Afro-Asiatic language group. The Hausa people, the largest indigenous group in the region, primarily use this language. Hausa is also one of the key languages spoken in Nigeria and Niger.
24. Iranian Persian (aka Farsi)
Total Speakers: 77.4 million
Persian is a part of the Irani branch of the Indo-Iranian language family. It is spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan and shares linguistic connections with neighboring languages such as Pashto and Kurdish. Persian has incorporated numerous words from Arabic and is typically written using the Arabic script.
23. Korean
Total Speakers: 81.7 million
People in South and North Korea use the Korean language, as do people in certain regions of China. Korean-origin communities in the United States and Japan also use this language. Although there are slight variations in spelling, writing, and vocabulary between South and North Korea, the fundamental principles of the language remain consistent.
22. Wu Chinese
Total Speakers: 81.8 million
Wu Chinese is a dialect of Chinese spoken mainly in Shanghai, Jiangsu province, and Zhejiang. Major cities where Wu is commonly spoken include Hangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningpo, and Wenzhou. This dialect belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and shares connections with other Chinese dialects like Cantonese and Mandarin.
21. Tagalog
Total Speakers: 82.3 million
Tagalog serves as the primary language for some Filipinos, while for the majority, it functions as a second language. It is one of the two national languages of the Philippines. Tagalog belongs to the Austronesian language group and shares linguistic similarities with other languages, such as Javanese and Malay.
20. Vietnamese
Total Speakers: 85.3 million
Vietnamese is a tonal language that uses the Latin alphabet with 29 letters and different accents. It has evolved from ancient Chinese languages and has retained the influence of Chinese, French, and English.
19. Yue Chinese
Total Speakers: 85.6 million
This variety of Chinese is spoken by individuals in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, including the major cities of Canton, Hong Kong, and Macau. Cantonese settlers worldwide also speak the language.
18. Tamil
Total Speakers: 86.4 million
Tamil, among the oldest languages globally, is widely spoken in the Indian subcontinent. It is an official language in Singapore and Sri Lanka and is widely spoken in Fiji, Malaysia, Mauritius, and South Africa. Tamil is among the top 20 most spoken languages in the world in 2024.
17. Turkish
Total Speakers: 88.1 million
Turkish is the major component of the Turkic language family in the Altaic language group. Turkish is mainly spoken in Turkey, Cyprus, and some places in Europe and the Middle East. It forms the Oğuz branch of the Turkic languages along with Gagauz, Azerbaijani (or Azeri), Turkmen, and Khorasan Turkic.
16. Telugu
Total Speakers: 95.7 million
Telugu is a language from the Dravidian family and is the principal language of Southern India. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu has a unique script with little similarities to other languages.
15. Marathi
Total Speakers: 99.1 million
People speak Marathi in Maharashtra, India, and Goa. Compared to other languages, its geographical reach is relatively small.
14. Nigerian Pidgin
Total Speakers: 120.7 million
Nigerian Pidgin is a bridge language that allows over 250 Nigerian ethnic communities to communicate. It is a blend of English, local languages, and common phrases.
13. Japanese
Total Speakers: 125.4 million
Japanese is the primary language spoken in Japan. Like Korean, Japanese belongs to the Altaic language group.
12. German
Total Speakers: 134.6 million
German is the official language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg. It is also spoken in parts of Italy and Poland. Furthermore, it is one of the official languages in Belgium, along with Dutch and French.
11. Indonesian
Total Speakers: 199 million
Indonesian, also known as Bahasa Baku, is spoken in Indonesia, which is the fourth most populous nation globally. This contributes to Indonesian being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. The language shares similarities with Malay, which is spoken in Malaysia and Brunei.
10. Urdu
Total Speakers: 231.3 million
Urdu is a language with Indo-Iranian origins. It is the official language of Pakistan and is recognized as an official secondary language in India. The spoken form of Urdu is closely related to Hindi. Urdu is at the tenth position on our list of the 30 most spoken languages in the world in 2024.
9. Portuguese
Total Speakers: 257.7 million
Portuguese is the official language of nine countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola, among several others. Portuguese is among the top 10 spoken languages in the world in 2024.
8. Russian
Total Speakers: 258.2 million
Russian serves as the official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is one of the most spoken languages in Europe.
7. Bengali
Total Speakers: 272.7 million
Bengali, or Bangla, is the official language of Bangladesh and is the second most spoken language in India, after Hindi. It is part of the Indo-Aryan group of languages.
6. Modern Standard Arabic
Total Speakers: 274 million
Arabic is a unique language with significant differences between dialects, and Modern Standard Arabic attempts to link these gaps. Arabic is the official language of over 20 countries, but almost all countries have their unique dialects of Arabic.
Most of the languages on this list have seen an increase in the total number of speakers over the years. The growing trend of learning languages can also be attributed to the services of companies such as Coursera Inc. (NYSE:COUR), Duolingo Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL), and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), which play a key role in facilitating language learning.
