September 26th is the European Day of Languages. The celebration was established for the first time during the European Year of Languages in 2001 with the aim – according to the European Commission – to bring attention to the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and the European Union. In this article we will see videos, data and statistics on the most spoken languages around the world. An evoution from 1900 to 2020.
The most Spoken Languages in the World – 1900/2020.
What are the most spoken languages in the world?
In the video realized by the Youtube channel of “Statistcs and Data“, which uses as data the source “Ethnologue: Languages of the World”, the most spoken languages in the world from 1900 to 2020 are shown (this figure includes people who speak one or more languages other than their mother tongue). In 2020 English is the most widely spoken language in the world with more than 1.2 billion people practicing it. After that, the Chinese language, with more than 1.120 million people speaking it, and Hindi that stops” at about 637 million. At the foot of the podium, Spanish (538 million) and French (278 million). Among the most widely spoken languages in the world in 2020 are Russian, Portuguese and German. Italian is spoken by 67.7 million people in 2020 (27th place).
The most widely spoken languages in 1900: there was also Italian
Going back 120 years, to 1900, among the most spoken languages in the world there was also Italian, which with 45 million people was in 13th place among the most widely spoken languages in the world. In first place was Mandarin with 476 million people and Spanish with 317 million. English in 1900 was only in third place with 275 million people speaking it. One last interesting detail: the English language has only surpassed Mandarin in recent years. This is because thanks to globalization and the development of new technologies, many people have it as a second or third language.
The most Spoken Languages in the World – 1900/2020.
Most Popular Languages by Total Number of Speakers (first speaker – 2020)
At the beginning of this article, we looked at the evolution of the world’s most spoken languages. As written, the data includes people who speak one or more languages other than their mother tongue.
But what are the 100 most spoken languages today in 2020 by number of speakers? In this new video you can see the ranking of the 100 most spoken languages in the world.
The most spoken language is Mandarin Chinese with 921 million people. This is followed by Spanish with 463 million and English with 370 million. In fourth place is Hindi with 342 million and Bengali with 228 million. English is therefore the first language in the world in terms of the total number of people who speak it, but it is surpassed by Mandarin Chinese when it comes to first language.
Data source and useful links
Data source: Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Wikipedia.
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