Most spoken languages according to Ethnologue, 2026

Number of Speakers in millions

Language First language Second language Total
English 370 1,100 1,480
Mandarin Chinese 990 190 1,180
Hindi 350 260 610
Spanish 490 80 570
 Standard Arabic 0 1 340 340
French 70 260 330
Bengali 230 40 270
Portuguese 250 20 270

1 Arabic speakers learn their local dialect first
and learn to speak Standard Arabic in school