Note: While there hasn't been a drastic shift in the rankings since August 2023, slight variations in estimates might exist due to ongoing research and data updates.
- Mandarin Chinese: With an estimated 1.138 billion speakers, Mandarin Chinese holds the significant position of being the most widely spoken language globally, a fact that is crucial for understanding the linguistic landscape of the world.
- English: Closely following, English has approximately 1.456 billion speakers, including native and non-native speakers.
- Hindi: Hindi is the third most spoken language, with an estimated 609.5 million speakers.
- Spanish: Spanish is fourth, with around 559.1 million speakers.
- Arabic: Arabic is the fifth most spoken language, with an estimated 372.5 million speakers.
- Portuguese: Portuguese is spoken by approximately 274.8 million people.
- Bengali: Bengali has an estimated 265.2 million speakers.
- Russian: Russian is spoken by around 258.2 million people.
- Japanese: Japanese has approximately 125.9 million speakers.
- Javanese: Javanese, a language spoken primarily in Indonesia, is spoken by around 106.5 million people.
Please note: These figures are estimates based on available data and research. Actual numbers may vary slightly. Additionally, the ranking of languages can be influenced by factors such as population growth, language learning initiatives, and political changes, which can lead to shifts in the number of speakers.