Starting in Europe and later becoming dominant in South America, Spanish now has a large number of speakers all over the globe. In this WordsRated article, we examine the language’s total number of speakers at present and over time, its total number of learners, and even motivations for students to learn Spanish.
- More than 496 million people speak Spanish as a first language, and it is second to Chinese as the most commonly spoken first language in the world.
- Around 99 million people also speak Spanish as a second or foreign language.
- This brings the total number of Spanish speakers to around 595 million people, behind Hindi (#3), Mandarin (#2), and English (#1).
- Overall, 7.50% of the global population is made up of people who speak Spanish.
- The number of Spanish speakers has increased by 442 million (+ 288.89%) since 1950.
- By 2068, predictions have shown that the number of Spanish speakers could reach 726 million.
- Following this peak, the number of speakers is expected to gradually decline to 690 million by the end of the century.
- Spanish is the second most-commonly used language on digital platforms, utilized by 7.90% of internet users.
- Despite this, Mexico is the only country with Spanish as its official language to list in the top 10 countries by total number of internet users.
- As of 2022, it is estimated that around 24 million students study Spanish as a foreign language.
- 23.30% of people learn Spanish for study, which is more than any other factor.
- Spanish is ranked #4 on the Power Language Index, behind French (#3), Mandarin (#2), and English (#1), although it is anticipated to surpass French by 2050.
Total Spanish speakers over time (estimate)
The total number of Spanish speakers has been growing steadily since the 1950s, in a trend that is expected to peak in 2068.
- As of 2022, there are an estimated 595 million Spanish speakers around the globe.
- Since 1950, the total number of Spanish speakers has increased by around 442 million.
- This represents a total increase of 288.89% over the given 72-year period.
- Among other factors, the drop in total Spanish speakers shown between 2068 and 2100 is mainly due to the predicted decline in inhabitants of Latin America, contrasting a population explosion in multiple African countries.
| Year | Total Spanish speakers | Change |
| 2100 | 690 million | – 4.96% |
| 2068 | 726 million | + 22.02% |
| 2022 | 595 million | + 288.89% |
| 1950 | 153 million |
A graph is given below to show the estimated total number of Spanish speakers over time:
Countries and territories where Spanish is the primary or only official language
The countries/territories listed in this section are major hubs of native Spanish speakers, with much lower numbers of limited competency speakers.
- Spanish is the official language of 21 different countries.
- 47.62% of these countries are in North America and 42.86% are in South America.
- Spain is the only European country to have Spanish as its official language, while Equatorial Guinea is the only African country to do so.
| # | Country or territory | % of native speakers | Native speakers (2022) | Limited competency speakers (2022) |
| 1 | Mexico | 96.80% | 125.95 million | 4.16 million |
| 2 | Colombia | 99.20% | 51.20 million | 0.41 million |
| 3 | Spain | 91.40% | 43.27 million | 4.07 million |
| 4 | Argentina | 98.10% | 45.36 million | 0.88 million |
| 5 | Peru | 86.60% | 28.99 million | 4.49 million |
| 6 | Venezuela | 97.30% | 32.46 million | 0.90 million |
| 7 | Chile | 95.90% | 19.02 million | 0.81 million |
| 8 | Guatemala | 78.30% | 13.59 million | 3.77 million |
| 9 | Ecuador | 95.80% | 15.47 million | 0.68 million |
| 10 | Bolivia | 83.00% | 9.97 million | 2.04 million |
| 11 | Cuba | 99.80% | 11.28 million | 0.02 million |
| 12 | Dominican Republic | 97.60% | 10.37 million | 0.25 million |
| 13 | Honduras | 98.70% | 9.40 million | 0.12 million |
| 14 | Paraguay | 68.20% | 5.08 million | 2.37 million |
| 15 | Nicaragua | 97.10% | 6.58 million | 0.20 million |
| 16 | El Salvador | 99.70% | 6.53 million | 0.02 million |
| 17 | Costa Rica | 99.30% | 5.18 million | 0.04 million |
| 18 | Uruguay | 98.40% | 3.44 million | 0.56 million |
| 19 | Panama | 91.90% | 4.09 million | 0.36 million |
| 20 | Puerto Rico | 99.00% | 3.16 million | 0.03 million |
| 21 | Equatorial Guinea | 74.00% | 1.08 million | 0.38 million |
If you are a fan of languages and are looking for some assistance in word games, check out the WordsRated Word Finder and boost your vocabulary!
Countries and territories where Spanish is not an official language
The countries/territories listed in this section do not typically include a high percentage of Spanish native speakers, and often show higher rates of limited competency speakers.
- As of 2022, the United States has 41.76 million native Spanish speakers and 15.00 million limited competency Spanish speakers
- By 2060, the United States is anticipated to have the second-largest number of Spanish speakers globally, second only to Mexico (where Spanish is the official language).
- The European Union (excluding Spain) has 1.27 million native Spanish speakers and 25.98 million limited competency Spanish speakers.
- The United Kingdom also has 0.13 million native Spanish speakers and 4.82 million limited competency speakers.
| # | Country or territory | Native speakers (2022) | Limited competency speakers (2022) |
| 1 | United States | 41.76 million | 15.00 million |
| 2 | EU (27 member states excluding Spain) | 1.27 million | 25.98 million |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 0.13 million | 4.82 million |
| 4 | Morocco | 0.01 million | 1.67 million |
| 5 | Canada | 0.40 million | 0.29 million |
| 6 | Brazil | 0.46 million | 0.10 million |
| 7 | Switzerland | 0.21 million | 0.33 million |
| 8 | Australia | 0.14 million | 0.37 million |
| 9 | Philippines | 0.00 million | 0.46 million |
| 10 | Algeria | 0.18 million | 0.05 million |
| 11 | Belize | 0.17 million | 0.04 million |
| 12 | Israel | 0.13 million | 0.05 million |
| 13 | Netherlands Antilles | 0.01 million | 0.14 million |
| 14 | Japan | 0.11 million | N/A |
| 15 | Aruba | 0.01 million | 0.07 million |
| 16 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.00 million | 0.07 million |
| 17 | Guam | 0.00 million | 0.06 million |
| 18 | Andorra | 0.03 million | 0.02 million |
| 19 | Norway | 0.01 million | 0.02 million |
| 20 | New Zealand | 0.02 million | N/A |
| 21 | Western Sahara | N/A | 0.02 million |
| 22 | Virgin Islands | 0.02 million | N/A |
| 23 | Turkey | 0.00 million | 0.02 million |
| 24 | Jamaica | 0.01 million | N/A |
| 25 | China | 0.01 million | N/A |
| 26 | Russia | 0.00 million | N/A |
| 27 | India | 0.00 million | N/A |
Number of worldwide Spanish learners by country
Around 24 million students study Spanish as a foreign language, however the language still does not have a large uptake in the Middle East or Asia.
- The study of the Spanish language is particularly popular in two Anglophone countries, the United States (8.08 million learners) and the United Kingdom (2.03 million learners).
- As of 2022, around 40% of Spanish learners can be found in countries where the official or one of the official languages is English.
- In the UK, Spanish is seen as one of the most important languages to learn for the future.
- Brazil is the South American country with the most Spanish learners (5.23 million).
- France is the European country with the most Spanish learners (3.34 million).
- Ivory Coast is the African country with the most Spanish learners (0.57 million).
| # | Country or territory | Total Spanish learners |
| 1 | United States | 8.08 million |
| 2 | EU (other member states) | 6.07 million |
| 3 | Brazil | 5.23 million |
| 4 | France | 3.34 million |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 2.03 million |
| 6 | Italy | 0.90 million |
| 7 | Germany | 0.82 million |
| 8 | Ivory Coast | 0.57 million |
| 9 | Benin | 0.41 million |
| 10 | Senegal | 0.36 million |
| 11 | Sweden | 0.25 million |
| 12 | Cameroon | 0.19 million |
| 13 | Gabon | 0.17 million |
| 14 | Poland | 0.15 million |
| 15 | Spain | 0.13 million |
| 16 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.13 million |
| 17 | Portugal | 0.10 million |
| 18 | Canada | 0.09 million |
| 19 | Norway | 0.09 million |
| 20 | Russia | 0.08 million |
| 21 | Ireland | 0.06 million |
| 22 | Morocco | 0.06 million |
| 23 | Australia | 0.06 million |
| 24 | China | 0.05 million |
| 25 | India | 0.05 million |
| 26 | Netherlands | 0.05 million |
| 27 | Algeria | 0.05 million |
| 28 | Belgium | 0.05 million |
| 29 | Austria | 0.04 million |
| 30 | Czechia | 0.04 million |
| 31 | New Zealand | 0.04 million |
| 32 | Denmark | 0.03 million |
| 33 | Tunisia | 0.03 million |
Motivations to learn Spanish
Learners are motivated to learn each foreign language for different reasons, and Spanish is no exception.
- Learning for study is the biggest motivation to learn Spanish, representing 23.30% of learners.
- 18.00% learn Spanish for mental exercise (2nd), and 14.40% learn Spanish for tourism-related reasons (3rd).
- Almost 1-in-10 Spanish learners do so for work-related reasons.
| Motivation | Percentage |
| Studies | 23.30% |
| Mental exercise | 18.00% |
| Tourism | 14.40% |
| Family | 12.50% |
| Work | 9.80% |
| Culture | 9.20% |
| Other | 13.00% |
A graph is given below to compare motivations to learn the Spanish language:
