Nowadays, Spanish is a language spoken by more than 500 million people. This high number of people is because Spain was once a great power conquering the newly discovered America, and nowadays, pop culture from those regions increasingly reaches Europe. How many countries is Spanish spoken in, and why is it so popular?
Spanish is the national language of 22 countries in the world. Apart from Spain, these are mainly the countries of so-called Latin America, i.e., Central and South America, which have been intensively colonized by the Spanish since the end of the 15th century. The most significant number of people for whom Spanish is the native language found in Mexico - over .130 million, although this number grows every year.
Surprisingly, the second country in this ranking is the United States, which does not have Spanish as its official language, but has many first and second-generation immigrants - 52 million people. This is more than the number of citizens in Spain alone (about 47 million).
There are approximately 440 million native Spanish speakers globally.
Why is learning Spanish so important? It is worth knowing more languages than just one because the Internet is becoming a fantastic place to meet new and interesting people and find a job. For about 440 million people, Spanish is the native language, making it the second most spoken native language right after (Chinese) Mandarin. It is the third most popular language after Chinese and English.
In fact, it is one of the top ten languages in terms of the number of people for whom it is a second or third language. It is an official language in 22 countries.
These numbers have made Spanish one of the most essential languages globally. With the vast number of native speakers and countries in which it is spoken, Spanish has its own culture, and learning is necessary for those who plan to go on vacation or find a job.
The history of Spanish has made it universal, and it is spoken not only in Spain but also in most countries of Central and South America. Regarding the number of speakers, Spain is not even the country with the most significant number of Spanish speakers.
In Mexico, 121 million people speak Spanish, which means that most of the speakers come from.
Although Spanish is one of the most widely spoken and studied languages globally, it is unfortunately not an official language in the United States. (there is no official language recognized in the Constitution), 53 million Spanish speakers, 41 million speak it as their native language.
This is a significant number considering that approximately 320 million people live in the United States. According to the Cervantes Institute, that number will increase to about 128 million by 2050. Colombia has about 48 million Spanish speakers. Spain, on the other hand, has 46 million Spanish speakers.
So Why is Spanish so common in the Americas? It all started with Christopher Columbus' voyage and colonization of the Americas in the late 15th century. During the Spanish empire, many territories in this part of the world came under the control of the Spanish royal family.
Countries where Spanish is spoken
Would you ever dream of immersing yourself in Spanish culture, being able to talk to foreigners, or ordering food without looking stupid? Why don't you learn to know more about Spanish customs and traditions before going?
You can visit many different places that you haven't dreamed of before. If you want to work in a Spanish-speaking country, one of them might be
Mexico
Mexico is a country where 64 languages have national language status. Among them is, of course, Spanish. The population of Mexico is 127 million, of which 122 million are Spanish speakers. Consequently, the country is the largest of the Latin American Spanish-speaking countries.
Colombia
As long as we consider only countries where Spanish is the official language. Another country whose population speaks Spanish is Colombia. It is a country with the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. It is inhabited by more than 49 million Spanish speakers. That's about 99.5% of the country's population. Amazing, right?
Argentina
In answer to the question "what language is spoken in Argentina?" the vast majority of
people would answer Argentinean. After all, Polish is spoken in Poland and German in Germany. Unfortunately, Argentinean does not exist. The official language of this country is Spanish. Argentina is home to just over 44 million native speakers of Spanish.
Spain
The birthplace of the Spanish language is, of course, Spain. This country is home to nearly 43 million native Spanish speakers. It was on Spanish ships that the language spread throughout the Americas. Of course, it looked very different back then - there were significant differences in grammar and pronunciation.
Venezuela
Another country with a significant Spanish-speaking population is Venezuela. The country is home to 31 million Spanish speakers. Interestingly, at least 40 other languages are spoken in Venezuela. Despite this, it is Spanish that is used for official purposes.
Peru
Yet another country where Spanish is spoken in Peru. This language is spoken by over 31 million people or about 86% of the total population. The Quechua language is also trendy. It is spoken by more than 3.5 million people living in Peru, or about 10% of its people.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is also a unique place. In this country, Spanish has been recognized as the official language since 1844. It is currently spoken by more than 65% of the population. It is used in education and government administration. Apart from Spanish, Portuguese and French are also official languages of this country.
Chile
Where else is Spanish the official language? In a narrow country called Chile. It is spoken by about 18 million people, which is almost the entire population of this country. Interestingly, there are nine living and seven extinct languages spoken in Chile.
Philippines
The Philippines is also worth a look. Admittedly, Spanish is not the official language there, but it was for many years. In the 19th century, education in the Philippines was in Spanish. Today, however, the growing popularity of Filipino and English has contributed to the declining status of Spanish in the country.
Belize
Where else is Spanish spoken? In Belize. English is the official language of this country. Nevertheless, about 56% of the population communicates in Spanish (45% of them natively). This is because the land borders Mexico and Guatemala. Spanish is, therefore, one of its critical languages. Moreover, in Belize, this language is taught in secondary and elementary school.
Andorra
Another country where Spanish is an essential language is Andorra. This country is one of the smallest in Europe. Its official language is Catalan. However, the vast majority of the population there speaks Spanish. Due to the dominance of this language, the government is trying to promote more extensive use of Catalan.
Gibraltar
The British overseas territory of Gibraltar, located on the southern coast of Spain, is another place where the vast majority of residents speak Spanish. However, it is not the official language (English is).
Why is it important to know the countries where Spanish is spoken?
Already you know what the countries where Spanish is spoken are. This language is trendy and therefore offers many opportunities. Learning Spanish has many benefits, not only personal but also professional. It can make travel easier, help you connect with people, and open up career opportunities.
It is also an essential part of a global future. Spanish is the third most studied language globally, and the Cervantes Institute predicts that the number of Spanish speakers will grow to 750 million by 2050. That's a sizable number indeed.
Understanding is key
Uniquely probably know how many Hollywood stars speak Spanish if you read magazines. Both movies and TV shows feature Spanish-speaking celebrities such as Mar Anthony, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, and many more. Learning Spanish will allow you to visit many unique places and perhaps meet some very famous people.
Knowing Spanish is a must if you love to travel. It is a language spoken in Spain and throughout the length of Central and South America and from the US-Mexico border in the north to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina.
The development of the Spanish language during the colonial period
The popularity of the Spanish language was influenced by colonial expansion. In the fifteenth century, the Spanish was one of the central explorers of new lands, which resulted in the spreading of the native speech of travelers also in those parts of the world. The Spanish reached as far as the United States of America, so nowadays, you can communicate in Spanish even there.
Different versions of Spanish
If you have never heard Spanish before, you may not realize it comes in several dialects. The difference between seemingly the same language spoken in South America and Spain is enormous, but a communicative knowledge of classical Spanish allows you to get along anywhere.
Interestingly, in the Iberian Peninsula itself and the classic Castilian (or Spanish taught in courses), there are also separate languages such as Galician, Basque, and Catalan.
Spanish is therefore very popular, but not necessarily in its basic form. Regardless of the dialect chosen, the language is characterized by relatively simple grammatical rules and pronunciation that many nations have no problem with.
