Top 10 most spoken languages in the World (2025)

Language connects humans and its shapes how we connect, trade, and share ideas across borders.

In 2025, over 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, yet just a handful dominate global communication. These top languages aren’t only defined by their native speakers, but also by how widely they are adopted as second languages.

Below, we break down the 10 most spoken languages in 2025, with figures for both native and second-language speakers.

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English remains the undisputed global lingua franca, spoken in 186 countries and serving as an official language in 67 nations. Only 25% of its 1.5 billion speakers are native, while the vast majority, over a billion people, use it as a second language. Its dominance is tied to global trade, technology, science, and culture.

Mandarin is the most spoken language by native speakers, with nearly a billion people in China and beyond. While it has about 200 million second-language learners, its global spread is far less than English due to its complexity. Mandarin relies on tones to differentiate meaning and a logographic writing system, making it one of the hardest languages to master. Yet, it’s essential for engaging with China, the world’s second-largest economy.

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Hindi is spoken by over half of India’s population and serves as one of the country’s two official languages alongside English. Beyond communication, Hindi is a gateway into India’s fast-growing economy and vibrant culture, from Bollywood cinema to literature.

Spanish is the second-most spoken native language in the world, with 484 million mother-tongue speakers. It is official in 21 countries, primarily across Latin America, Spain, and parts of Africa. The U.S. also has one of the world’s largest Spanish-speaking populations. Spanish continues to grow in global influence, making it one of the easiest and most practical languages to learn.

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Unlike most languages, Standard Arabic has no native speakers. Instead, it serves as a formal, unifying version of the language across 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Standard Arabic is rooted in the language of the Quran; its cultural and spiritual significance make it central to the Arab world.

French, once considered the world’s diplomatic language, remains a global force with 312 million speakers across 29 countries. Interestingly, over half of French speakers live in Africa, a result of colonial history and its role as a cross-border lingua franca. French is one of the official UN languages and is used in many global institutions.

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Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and the second most spoken language in India, particularly in West Bengal. With 242 million native speakers, it ranks among the largest mother-tongue languages.

Portuguese spans 9 countries across 4 continents, but most of its speakers, nearly 80%, live in Brazil. While Portugal accounts for just 5% of the total, Portuguese has spread globally due to colonial history.

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Russian is the most spoken Slavic language and has the highest number of native speakers in Europe. It is official in 4 countries and widely used across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, thanks to historical Soviet influence.

Indonesian, based on Bahasa Indonesia, is the official language of the world’s fourth most populous nation. While only 75 million speak it natively, an additional 177 million use it as a second language, making it a unifying force across the country’s 17,000 islands and hundreds of local dialects.

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