Around half of the total population of the world claims to speak 5 languages which are their native language. The speakers of the most 5 widely used languages in the world consist of half the population across the world.  You must be surprised to know how these languages are ranked according to the count of the total native speakers across the world.

It is very difficult to determine the most spoken and widely used languages since you need to have a deep study of the world population.  You will have to check its accurate data from various reliable sources.

You must also know that popular languages such as Chinese, English, Spanish, Arabic and Indian languages such as Hindi have the largest native speakers of the world. These languages are even widely used all over the world. Now, let us check further how these languages rank in the world.

Assumption of the Most Speakers of a Language

It is hard to assume the total native speakers of the top 5 languages in the world. Moreover, it is also tricky to assume the top 5 widely used languages in the world.

So, in order to assume the native speakers of the top 5 languages, you must rely upon reliable sources that are collected by various organizations over various periods of time. Now, let us check out the results of collected data regarding the top 5 widely used languages in the world.

What Are The Top 5 Languages Which Are Widely Used in the World?

After tallying the reliable sources, these are the most spoken and widely used top 5 languages in the world which has a maximum number of native speakers, which are:

• Chinese: The topmost position of the most widely and spoken language is Chinese with over 1.3 Billion native speakers across the world. Out of this huge figure, there are over 917 million speakers of Mandarin Chinese. There is no doubt that Chinese is the most spoken language in the world. You must also know that out of 6 people, who want to learn a new language, choose to learn Chinese for their various personal reasons.
• Spanish: With over 460 million native speakers, Spanish holds second top position next to Chinese in the list of top 5 widely used languages in the world. This is the language widely spoken and widely used all over the continent. This is certainly one of the prime languages spoken in parts of South America and Central America.
• English: The language of English has over 379 million native English speakers. You will be surprised to know that as per the language tally from reliable sources, there are more people who speak English and the total speakers go beyond the total native English speakers. Over 753 million people speak English as a second language.

English is such a popular language that it has successfully become the main form of communication in areas of business, travel and international relations. English is the main language in Europe and America due to the popular US culture and British culture. It is also predicted by the world language experts that in the future this language will continue to dominate the world. People who know English can have a better opportunity and a better life.

• Indian Languages (Hindi): In India, there are 23 official languages where the most widely used language is Hindi and a more similar language called Urdu. There are over 341 million native Hindi speakers. It is mainly spoken in Northern, Central and Western parts of India along with various dialects of Hindi and Urdu. The main difference between Hindi and Urdu is that Hindi uses the Devanagari script and Urdu uses the Persian scripts.

You will be also amazed to hear that even the people who speak other Indian languages can also speak Hindi and understand spoken Urdu. The popularity of Hindi is due to its status of being the official language and the education trend of India. Moreover, there also some terms and words of Hindi that have even influenced the English language.

• Arabic: The 5th most widely used language in the world is Arabic which spoken in Arab and in some Muslim- dominated countries. Recently, the total native speakers of the Arabic language are counted at 315 million. The Arabic language is also included in various dialects just as Chinese. This grouping of dialect is done for the speaker’s convenience. The written form of modern standard Arabic language is closely related to the Quran’s Classical Arabic. But the Arabic speaking people living in Morocco and Oman is different from the modern standard Arabic language.

List of Other Most Spoken Languages across the Globe

Apart from the above popular and widely used languages, there are also some languages which are spoken by many people. Moreover, it is also widely used for many business and official purposes too in some countries.

Following are the widely used languages which are as follows:

• Bengali:  You might be surprised to know that Bengali also is included in the list of mostly used language in the world. You didn’t expect the Bengali language to be that popular and widely used language. It is true and you must admit it and accept the fact. It has 228 million native speakers in India, Bangladesh and also other Bengali people residing in countries such as the USA, UK, etc.

This language is widely spoken in India in West Bengal, Andaman Islands and also other states of India where Bengalis reside. Out of 228 million native speakers of Bengali, there are 130 million native speakers who reside in Bangladesh.

• Portuguese: Portuguese is a language that has its colonial past. It has started to spread during the 15th century when the Portuguese traders and conquerors came and spread the presence of this language in Asia, Africa, and America. Initially, the popularity of Portuguese was related to that of the European colonization. When this particular language was spread in colonized nations it has developed on their own with rich cultures and completely transformed the language.

Currently, the Portuguese language is spoken by 220 million native speakers. It is widely spoken in Goa, Brazil, Angola, Cape, Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome, Guinea Bissau, Principe, Macau, etc.

• Russian: The next most popular and widely used language is Russian with 153 million native speakers across the world. It holds the 8th position in the world list of the most spoken languages. The Russian language is famous for its enigmatic grammar and its remarkable Cyrillic script. It is also one of the 6 official languages in the United Nations.

The popularity of the Russian language is also credited due to the works and contributions of the literary figures of Russia namely, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Gogol, Nabokov, and Dostoyevsky.

• Japanese: The total native Japanese speakers in the world are 128 million who live in Japan. This language has a strong foothold in Japan. The written form of the Japanese language consists of Hiragana and Katakana along with the use of the Chinese Kanji characters. The maximum number of Japanese native speakers is found to be in Brazil, the Philippines and the United States of America.
• Lahnda (Western Punjabi): The Lahnda is Punjabi dialect spoken by more than 118 million native speakers. It is spoken in Western Punjab which now is a part of Pakistan. This dialect is not spoken in India.

Top 5 Languages by Total Number of Speakers

If you count the total number of speakers of the topmost 5 languages, then it includes the native speakers as well as those speakers who do not have these top 5 languages as their mother tongue. But they still speak the language and also are able to read and write in these listed languages. When you count the total speakers then you will see that the English language has toppled Chinese from the first position. The Japanese and Punjabi didn’t even make it among the list of most number of speakers in the first 5 lists of most spoken language.

So, the top 5 languages with a maximum number of speakers’ worldwide are as follows:

1. English language with a total of 1.132 billion speakers across the world.
2. Chinese with 1.117 billion speakers.
3. Hindi with 615 million total speakers.
4. Spanish is spoken in the world by a total number of 534 million speakers.
5. French is spoken by 280 million speakers across the globe.

Conclusion

Now, that you have been informed about the top 5 languages which are widely spoken and used all around the world. You must try to learn any of the top 5 languages to have better growth in career, business and after all a better life afterward.

Moreover, you must also need a translation of these top 5 languages for various business, official and personal purposes. In Singapore, you will get the best translators at Singaporetranslators.com. These translators are very experienced language experts who can translate more than 500+ languages in any language of your choice smoothly, flawlessly and also at an affordable price.