What percent of the world population speaks English?

Answer 1

This is a hard question to answer because of the following reasons:

• People speak English as a second language are also registered in the percentage of people who speak English
• No organisations collecting the census of the populations of English speakers globally

However, some countries have run surveys in their individual countries to ask their citizens of the language they speak. Therefore, we can only know the percentage of English speakers of the individual country rather than the global percentage.

Note: Some people speak English as native language and for some, it is a second language.

The results are:

• 80%-100% (Majority) of people from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Singapore, Jamaica, Guyana, Liberia and Sierra Leon speak English either as their native language or their second language.

• 60%-80% of people from Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Cyprus can speak English.

• 40%-60% of people from Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece, Macedonia, Estonia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Puerto Rico can speak English.

• 20%-40% of people from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, South Africa and Malaysia can speak English.

• Less than 20% of people from the rest of the countries individually can speak English.

Answer 2

This is a hard question to answer because of the following reasons:

• People speak English as a second language are also registered in the percentage of people who speak English
• No organisations collecting the census of the populations of English speakers globally

However, some countries have run surveys in their individual countries to ask their citizens of the language they speak. Therefore, we can only know the percentage of English speakers of the individual country rather than the global percentage.

Note: Some people speak English as native language and for some, it is a second language.

The results are:

• 80%-100% (Majority) of people from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Singapore, Jamaica, Guyana, Liberia and Sierra Leon speak English either as their native language or their second language.

• 60%-80% of people from Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Cyprus can speak English.

• 40%-60% of people from Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece, Macedonia, Estonia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Puerto Rico can speak English.

• 20%-40% of people from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, South Africa and Malaysia can speak English.

• Less than 20% of people from the rest of the countries individually can speak English.