The top 15 English-speaking countries (official language)

A language is considered official when it is the one established for use in official documents, the constitution and is used in acts of government. The English language is the third most widely spoken official language in the world and the most used to establish relationships in business.

There are more than 57 English-speaking countries that exist around the world, in some of them it is shared with another official language, or with another mother tongue, but the English language is considered official, since it is the one used to communicate with authorities and government.

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Top 15 English-speaking countries in the world

This list shows the countries around the world where the English language is officially spoken. Not all English-speaking countries are included, because although it is used on a daily basis, not all establish it as their official language.

Europe

Europe is the continent where the English language originated

. However, it is where there are fewer English-speaking countries, although many of its inhabitants dominate it. In countries like Luxembourg, Holland, Norway, Denmark or Sweden there is a very good command of English, even if it is not their official language.

1. UK

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is in this region where the English language arises. We could say that it is the origin of everything, the rest of the countries on the list speak English because of the United Kingdom, and specifically England.

2. Republic of Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland, English is spoken by everyone. However, it is not the only language in the country. Irish or Irish Gaelic is a historical language that was spoken before English rule, but today very few people speak it. Both are official languages.

3. Republic of Malta

It is the country with the highest population density of the countries of the European Union. Maltese is the other official language besides English. It is one of only three English-speaking countries in Europe.

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America

In America there are 7 official English-speaking countries It is estimated that almost two-thirds of native English speakers worldwide are originally from the United States of America.

Although there are regions or countries where English is spoken due to international tourism that visits these countries, the official language of the country is different, so it is not included in this list.

4. United States of America

In the United States, English is the predominant official and mother tongue. Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands are free associated states and belong to the USA, so their language is also English.

5. Canada

In Canada, French and English are official languages. English is spoken by 90% of the inhabitants, while French is spoken in the Quebec area. It is a territory in which the majority of people are bilingual.

6. Jamaica

In Jamaica, English is the official language and the most widely spoken. There is another language, Creole, which is a combination of English with African languages ​​that is only spoken, not written.

Other countries in America

In America there are other English-speaking countries. Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas and Guyana are territories where English is officially spoken because at some point they were English colonies.

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Oceania

The smallest continent on the planet is made up of quite a few speaking countries. Although some have other languages ​​as official, many have English as their administrative language.

In Oceania there are 14 countries, of which 11 consider English as their official language, even though the majority share this with a mother tongue.

7. Australia

Australia's only official language is English. Although it has hundreds of aboriginal languages, they are disappearing and none is recognized as official.

8. New Zealand

There are three official languages ​​in New Zealand: English, Maori, and Sign Language. The English language is spoken by 96% of the population. Maori was declared an official language in 1987 and sign language in 2006.

9. Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is one of the English-speaking countries on the Oceania continent. Its official languages ​​are English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin, but it is considered the country in the world with the most indigenous languages.

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Other countries in Oceania

Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, and Kiribati, are the rest of the English-speaking countries found in Oceania. They have English as their official language, even though in most of these countries there are other mother tongues and dialects.

Asia

Only 6 of the 48 countries in Asia are English-speaking (officially). Which on the other hand is not bad at all, since English originated far away from there and there are many people living in Asia.

Asia is the most populous continent in the world, and thousands of languages ​​are counted within its confines. We find countries as drastically different as India and Singapore with English as their official language.

10. India

In India there are two official languages: Hindi and English. However, there are and are recognized more than 20 national languages, in addition to several dialects. India was a British colony that has inherited a strong Anglo-Saxon heritage.

11. Singapore

In Singapore, the immense cultural diversity is reflected in the number of official languages. Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil and English are the four official languages ​​of this Asian country.

12. Philippines

The Philippines is one of the main English-speaking countries on the Asian continent. More than 170 languages ​​are spoken here, but only two are official: English and Filipino.

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Other Asian countries

Other English-speaking Asian countries are Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia where some official mother tongues are also considered, such as Urdu, Eastern Punjabi, Sinhalese and Tamil, which in many cases exceeds the percentage of the population that speaks it compared to the language English.

Africa

In Africa there are also English speakers. It is an official language in many countries, which have been British colonies or other European powers in the past.

Around 2,000 languages ​​are spoken in Africa, concentrating the largest number of bilingual, trilingual and polyglot people in the world. This is due to the immense linguistic diversity that has historically existed in this region.

13. South Africa

South Africa, in addition to its extensive ecosystems, has 11 official languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda, Ndebele and English. English is the second most widely spoken language in this country.

14. Nigeria

Nigeria is another English-speaking country located in Africa. This country is the most populous in Africa and the seventh in the world. Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Fula and English are the official languages ​​of this country.

15. Kenya

Kenya is a coffee and tea producing country and is also a world powerhouse in athletics. Its official languages ​​are English and Swahili, a Bantu language with a lot of Arabic influence.

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Other African countries

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda, Sudan and Ethiopia are other countries where the English language is the official language. On the other hand, in all these countries a multitude of other native languages ​​coexist.