List of countries by English-speaking population

Table columns:
Country
Eligible population
Total English speakers
Total English speakers (%)
As first language
As first language (%)
As an additional language[1]
As an additional language (%)
Comments

Table rows:
cells: United States
296,603,003
283,160,411
95.46
234,171,556
79.0
48,988,855
16.5
Figures are from the 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-year estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau for persons age 5 and older. Total English speakers are those who either spoke English at home (i.e. as first language), or reported speaking another language at home but could speak English "very well" or "well" (i.e. as an additional language). [2]
cells: India
1,028,737,436
125,344,737
12.18
226,449
0.02
125,118,287
12.16
2001 Census figures for population and first, second, and third languages. English as a first language is only spoken by 226,449 people, as a second language by 86,125,221, and as a third language by 38,993,066.[3][4]
cells: Pakistan
188,400,100
108,036,049
57
8,642,883
8
92,316,049
49
Official Language, lingua franca and spoken amongst a wide proportion of the Pakistani Population – 49% as a second language (other estimates). [5][6][7][8][9]
cells: Nigeria
156,493,000
79,000,000
53.34
79,000,000
53.34
Euromonitor International report (2009)
cells: Philippines
100,437,852
64,025,890
63.73
36,935
0.0037
63,988,955
63.72
Total population: Census 2010. Proportion of total speakers: Census 2000, text above Figure 7. 63.71% of the then 66.7 million people aged 5 years or more could speak English.[10] Proportion of native speakers: Census 1995, as quoted by Andrew Gonzalez in "The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines", Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5&6), 487–525, p. 492: .04% of the then 68.4 million people were native speakers of English. (1998).[11] "Six out of 10 people aged 5 and over can speak english (63.71%)."[12]
cells: United Kingdom
64,000,000
59,600,000
97.74
54,400,000
92.14
5,128,000
5.60
Source: Data from the 2011 census for England and Wales.[13] Additional English speaker figures are for usual residents aged 3 years and over with a main language other than English who can speak English "very well" or "well".
cells: Germany
80,600,000
45,400,000
56
272,000
0.338
45,100,000
56
Native speakers: Statistisches Bundesamt (cited here). Non-native speakers: Eurobarometer report 2012 Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany.
cells: Canada
33,121,175
28,360,240
85.63
18,858,980
56.94
9,501,260
28.69
Source: [3], Population by knowledge of official languages and Population by mother tongue. The 2011 count reported that 22,564,665 people were able to conduct a conversation in English but not French, while 5,795,575 were able to converse in both English and French. The census also asked for the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual: 18,858,980 reported English as their sole mother tongue, 144,685 reported both English and French as mother tongues, 396,330 reported English and a non-official language as mother tongues, and 24,095 reported English, French and a non-official language as mother tongues.
cells: Costa Rica
4,910,526
400,415
8.2
400,415
Source: Encuesta Nacional de Hogares 2017 http://www.inec.go.cr/sistema-de-consultas
cells: France
65,350,000
23,000,000
39
23,000,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Australia
21,394,309
17,357,833
97
15,013,965
70.17
2,343,868
17
Source: 2001 Census.[14] The 2001 census data is subject to multiple interpretations. The data noted that 18,972,350 persons out of 21,394,309 total were speakers of a language, and excluded young children. However, more than a million of those 18,972,350 persons provided no information; 879,778 did not give information on proficiency, and 203,101 were "overseas visitors" who were not asked. Of the 17,889,671 persons for whom an inquiry was made 17,357,833 spoke English only, or "well" or "very well" as a second language; while 531,838 spoke "not well" or "not at all".
cells: Italy
59,619,290
17,000,000
34
17,000,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Bangladesh
163,323,100
30,108,031
18
709,873
29,398,158
Source: Euromonitor International report 2009, Euromonitor Dec 2010 [15]
cells: Egypt
83,289,500
28,101,325
35
28,101,325
Source: Euromonitor International Report 2011 [16]
cells: Thailand
63,038,247
17,121,187
27.16
17,121,187
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Netherlands
16,770,000
15,030,000
90
15,030,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Nepal
29,890,686
10,700,866
35.8
20,000
0.067
876,720
Source: Census. (date not verified)[citation needed]
cells: South Africa
52,981,991
16,424,417
31
4,930,510
9.3
11,493,907
22
Native speakers from 2011 Census.[17] Non-native speakers: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Poland
38,501,000
14,300,000
37
100,000
14,200,000
Source: Central Statistical Office,[18] Additional language speakers are people age 18–69, who reported English Language as their first of second best foreign language, Central Statistical Office [19] Native language counted as those who speak English at home.
cells: Turkey
70,586,256
12,000,000
17
12,000,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
cells: Iraq
31,700,000
11,095,000
35
11,000,000
Source: Euromonitor International report (2011)
cells: Sri Lanka
22,480,000
10,565,600
47
37,061
0.2
9,680,000
47
English Proficiency Index [20]
cells: Spain
47,190,000
10,400,000
22
10,400,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: China
1,210,000,000
10,000,000
<1
10,000,000
Figures are for English users in mainland China only (i.e. excluding Hong Kong where English is an official language and Macau). The often-cited figure of 300 million is for "learners."[21] [22]
cells: Brazil
205,000,000
10,542,000
5
292,000
0.14
10,250,000
5
Source: British council (2012) and EF. Only 5% of Brazilians have a proficient grasp of English as a second or foreign additional language and an additional 6% have a very rudimentary knowledge. Brazil has 240 thousand British descendants and 180 thousand American ancestry citizens including the Confederados cultural sub-group, descendants of the Confederate colonies.
cells: Sweden
9,921,541
8,200,000
86
8,200,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Kenya
43,013,431
8,100,000
18.83
7,900,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Cameroon
19,740,000
7,500,000
38
7,500,000
Euromonitor International Report (2009)
cells: Malaysia
27,170,000
15,580,000
62.57
380,000
1.4
15,200,000
61.1
EF English Proficiency Index[23]
cells: Russia
138,312,535
7,574,303
5.48
2,522
7,571,787
Source: Composition by Nationality and Language Ability, Citizenship, Tables 4.5 and 4.1, Russian Census (2010). The "total" figure is the number of residents who reported English as one of the languages they knew. The "first language" figure is the number of residents who reported "American" or "English" as their nationality. The "additional languages" figure is the difference. More than 9 million schoolgoers studied English as a foreign language in 2008–2009.
cells: Belgium
10,584,534
6,250,000
60
6,250,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2006 (the 2012 report seems to have a critical typo) Note that the Belgian population is divided in two distinct linguistic regions: The Dutch-speaking Flanders, and the French-speaking Wallonia (note that the region of Brussels also has a majority of native French speakers). Like in the Netherlands, a high percentage of Flemish people speak English fluently, and in Wallonia, a lower percentage of people speak English (as it is the case in France), which brings down the total percentage.
cells: Israel
7,303,000
6,205,000
84.97
100,000
1.37
6,105,000
Source: Ethnologue (2005)[24] English is widely spoken, both by the Jewish majority and by minority ethnic groups.[25][26]
cells: Austria
8,415,000
6,150,000
73
6,150,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Romania
19,043,767
5,900,000
31
5,900,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Zimbabwe
13,349,000
5,550,000
41.58
250,000
1.87
5,300,000
Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Greece
10,787,690
5,500,000
51
5,500,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Sierra Leone
5,866,000
4,900,000
83.53
500,000
8.52
4,400,000
Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Mexico
120,664,000
15,686,262
12.9
15,686,262
Consulta Mitofsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, January 2013;[27] and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI).[28]
cells: Denmark
5,543,000
4,770,000
86
4,770,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Switzerland
7,637,300
4,680,000
61.28
73,400
0.96
4,606,600
Figure for speakers of English as "main language", according to Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel 2008[29] Source for number of non-native English speakers is 1999 publication by Prof. François Grin cited here: http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/countries/uk/language.html
cells: Morocco
32,770,900
4,587,926
14
4,587,926
Source: Euromonitor International report 2011
cells: Norway
5,136,700
4,500,000
90
4,500,000
Source: http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2014/03/norwegian-english-fusion-language/[unreliable source]
cells: Ukraine
40,044,238
7,207,962
18.0
Source: EF English Proficiency Index [4]
cells: Republic of Ireland
4,422,100
4,350,000
98.37
4,122,100
93.21
237,900
Source: Eurobarometer report 2006; Central Statistics Office [5]; Travbla [30]
cells: Singapore
5,607,300
4,218,737
83.1
1,873,302
36.9
2,345,435
Source: 2015 Census. Second language speaker figure only includes those literate in English aged 15 or more and does not include third language proficiency. General Household Survey 2015 "Language Spoken at Home Among Residents Aged 5 Years and Over"
cells: Ghana
27,000,000
18,000,000
66.67
18,000,000
Source: 2010 Ghanaian Census[31]
cells: Tanzania
40,454,000
4,000,000
9.89
4,000,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: New Zealand
4,275,100
3,673,623
97.82
3,673,623
85.93
There were 4,027,947 responses to 2006 Census: Language spoken. 3,673,679 gave English as a response, 81,936 had no English but another language. The balance of 272,382 were; no language (too young) 75,195, no response 196,221, response unidentifiable 588, response outside scope 378. Hence it is most meaningful to express the English-speaking per cent without including the figures for these 272,382. This gives 97.8% English-speaking, 2.2% non-English-speaking (3,673,679 and 81,936 divided by 3,755,565) Crystal (2003), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers.
cells: Finland
5,410,000
3,800,000
70
3,800,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Portugal
10,623,000
2,900,000
27
2,900,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Papua New Guinea
6,331,000
3,150,000
49.76
150,000
2.37
3,000,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Liberia
3,750,000
3,100,000
82.67
600,000
16
2,500,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Jordan
6,598,000
2,969,370
45
2,969,370
Source: Euromonitor International report (2011)
cells: Jamaica
2,714,000
2,650,000
97.64
45,900
17.1
50,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Algeria
35,954,000
2,516,780
7
2,516,780
Source: Euromonitor International report (2011)
cells: Uganda
30,884,000
2,500,000
8.09
2,500,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Hong Kong
6,808,433
3,136,784
46.07
238,288
3.5
2,898,496
According to 2011 population census, Hong Kong has approximately 3.1 million speakers, of whom 238,288 regard English as their "usual" language.[32]
cells: Czechia
10,562,214
2,850,000
27
2,850,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Argentina
42,192,500
2,752,681
6.52
Source:.[33] Percentage of people who state to have a high level of English. Another 19.49% and 16.23% of people said they had an intermediate and low level, respectively, of English.
cells: Yemen
24,800,000
2,232,000
9
2,232,000
Source: Euromonitor International report 2011
cells: Croatia
4,555,000
2,200,000
49
2,200,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2006
cells: Colombia
47,661,368
2,012,950
4.22
75,600
1,937,350
Total was estimated by multiplying projected population for 2014 (DANE) by percentage of Colombian population that speaks English 4.09%[34] then 63,600 was added to that figure which is the total of American and British residents. Figures for native speakers are as follows: 60,000 U.S. citizens that reside in Colombia[35] 12,000 are Colombian Raizal from San Andrés and Isla de Providencia where they speak San Andrés–Providencia Creole[36] 3,600 British expatriates[37]
cells: Hungary
9,982,000
2,000,000
20
2,000,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Puerto Rico
3,991,000
1,940,000
48.61
100,000
1,840,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Zambia
11,922,000
1,910,000
16.02
110,000
1,800,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Bulgaria
7,640,238
1,900,000
25
2,605
1,902,605
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 and 2011 Census[38]
cells: Kazakhstan
12,156,705
1,874,583
15.4
602
1,873,981
Number of those who understand spoken English, from these 1.9 million: 311,435 (2.6%/16.6%) can only read, 931,444 (7.7%/49.6%) can read and write in English. The number of native speakers is the sum of Americans and Englishmen "by nationality". (Census 2009)
cells: Lebanon
4,265,600
1,706,000
40
1,706,000
Source: Euromonitor International report (2011)
cells: Chile
16,634,603
1,585,027
9.53
Source: 2012 Census.[39]
cells: Rwanda
10,137,400
1,520,610
15
1,520,610
Source: Euromonitor International report 2009
cells: Slovakia
5,397,036
1,400,000
26
1,400,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Trinidad and Tobago
1,305,000
1,145,000
87.74
1,145,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Slovenia
2,050,000
1,210,000
59
1,210,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Lithuania
3,053,800
1,160,000
38
1,160,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Latvia
2,070,371
950,000
46
950,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Guyana
751,000
680,000
90.55
650,000
30,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Botswana
1,639,833
630,000
38.42
630,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Estonia
1,294,236
650,000
50
650,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Cyprus
839,000
610,000
73
610,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Malawi
13,931,831
540,209
3.88
209
540,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109 and Kayambizinthu.[40]
cells: Lesotho
1,795,000
500,000
27.86
500,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Suriname
470,784
410,000
87.09
260,000
150,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Malta
453,000
400,000
89
48,000
352,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Namibia
1,820,916
314,000
17.24
14,000
300,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Luxembourg
509,000
290,000
56
290,000
Source: Eurobarometer report 2012
cells: Bahamas
330,549
288,000
87.13
260,000
28,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Barbados
279,000
275,000
98.57
262,000
13,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Belize
301,270
246,000
81.65
190,000
56,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Madagascar
23,042,300
4,147,614
18
4,147,614
The main languages are French and Malagasy.[citation needed]
cells: Mauritius
1,264,866
202,000
15.97
2,000
200,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Vanuatu
215,446
180,000
83.55
60,000
120,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Fiji
853,445
176,000
20.62
6,000
170,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Solomon Islands
552,438
175,000
31.68
10,000
165,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Guam
173,456
158,000
91.09
58,000
100,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Brunei
381,371
144,000
39.07
10,000
134,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
120,000
114,000
95
114,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: U.S. Virgin Islands
108,448
113,000
95.97
98,000
15,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Grenada
110,000
100,000
90.91
100,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Samoa
188,540
94,000
49.86
1,000
93,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Isle of Man
80,058
80,000
99.93
80,000
cells: Myanmar
53,900,000
2,400,000
4.45
2,400,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Saint Lucia
165,000
71,000
43.03
31,000
40,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Northern Mariana Islands
84,000
70,000
83.33
5,000
65,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Antigua and Barbuda
85,000
68,000
80
66,000
2,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: American Samoa
57,345
45,933
80.1
1,791
44,142
Source: The World Factbook – American Samoa
cells: Federated States of Micronesia
111,000
64,000
57.66
4,000
60,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Bermuda
65,000
63,000
96.92
63,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Dominica
67,000
63,000
94.03
3,000
60,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Marshall Islands
59,000
60,000
98.33
60,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Swaziland
1,141,000
50,000
4.38
50,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Aruba
104,000
44,000
42.31
9,000
35,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: The Gambia
1,709,000
40,000
2.34
40,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Saint Kitts and Nevis
50,000
39,000
78
39,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Cayman Islands
47,000
36,000
76.6
36,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Seychelles
87,000
33,000
37.93
3,000
30,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Gibraltar
28,875
28,875
100
28,000
875
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Tonga
100,000
30,000
30
30,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Kiribati
95,000
23,000
24.21
23,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: British Virgin Islands
23,000
20,000
86.96
20,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: Palau
20,000
18,500
92.5
500
18,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Andorra
81,222
17,869
22
17,869
Source Census: Linguistic knowledge 2004.
cells: Anguilla
13,000
12,000
92.31
12,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Nauru
10,300
800
96.26
9,500
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. English is spoken as the language of government and commerce.
cells: Cook Islands
20,200
4,000
19.8
1,000
3,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109.
cells: Montserrat
5,900
4,000
67.8
4,000
Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
cells: TOTAL
5,102,585,737
1,179,874,130
336,358,172
838,676,510

Questions about this table:
originalText: what country has the largest number of english speakers
answer: answerTexts: United States