Portuguese is a globally spoken language, with around 279 million people speaking it. Brazil, with a population of approximately 207 million people, is the most populous country that speaks Portuguese as its native tongue.
It is not only the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world, but it is also the only one in the Americas. In Brazil, 99.5 percent of the population speaks Portuguese as their first language. Here is a list of the top Portuguese speaking countries in the world.
1. Brazil

Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in Brazil, with 98 percent of the population speaking it. In addition, it is the official language of this country as well as the language of administration, academia, the arts, and nearly every aspect of daily life.
When the first Portuguese immigrants landed in Brazil in 1500, the nation was known as Portugal. Meanwhile, for each new wave of immigrants, the language’s hold became stronger, to the situation that today’s Brazil has about 205 million Portuguese speakers. Portuguese is Brazil’s official language at the national level. Although there are several ethnic languages in the country, they are only recognized at the local level rather than at the government level.
Moreover, Brazilian Portuguese has developed a unique accent, as well as grammatical and orthographic distinctions, from its European beginnings throughout the ages. The indigenous languages of Brazil, as well as settlers from other European nations, affected the Portuguese spoken there.
2. Angola
Angola’s dominant language is Portuguese. It is also Angola’s most widely spoken language. Angolan Portuguese is a language of Portuguese spoken in Angola that is similar to Brazilian Portuguese in many ways.
In addition, the dialect is the mother language of 39% of the country’s inhabitants, with many others using it as a second language. Portuguese is perhaps the most widely spoken language in Angola, and it is occasionally the sole one. Portuguese users are more frequent in Angola’s metropolitan regions, where Portuguese is spoken by 85 percent of the population.
Furthermore, in rural areas, the use of the language is quite low, with just approximately 49% of the population speaking Portuguese.
3. Portugal
Portuguese is the primary language of Portugal and is an Indo-European Romance language. Many other countries that have had contact with Portugal over the years use Portuguese. Approximately 96 percent of Portugal’s population speaks Portuguese.
In addition, the majority of these Portuguese speakers speak it as their first language. The Portuguese language includes 10 distinct varieties. Portuguese is spoken in many aspects of everyday life in Portugal, from writing to the majority of business and social contacts.
Moreover, Portuguese is also spoken throughout Portugal’s commonwealth countries and territories.
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4. Timor Leste
For more than 400 years, Timor-Leste was a Portuguese colony before being attacked and controlled by Indonesia. Despite the fact that Portuguese is scarcely used in the nation, it is one of its official languages, a traditional link that contributed to its inclusion in the nation.
In addition, although Portuguese is utilized in daily communication, some analysts claim it is primarily a spoken language that needs to be further improved for widespread application. However, the subject is delicate, and a government minister has been admonished for speaking exclusively Portuguese in public and will never use Tetum language.
Street signs at government buildings are written in Portuguese, despite the fact that it is a different language to the majority of Timorese. Publications publish articles in both Tetum and Portuguese.
5. Mozambique
Portuguese is spoken by more than half of the Mozambican people. The territory that is currently Mozambique’s boundaries was known as Portuguese Mozambique from 1498 until 1975. Because of the repeated applications of Portuguese, Mozambique decided to maintain the language after obtaining independence.
In addition, the utilization of the language is most noticeable in metropolitan areas, where Portuguese is spoken by 80 percent of the population. The language is spoken proficiently by the more knowledgeable Mozambicans. The distinctive Mozambican Portuguese is made up of several variations of the language spoken in Mozambique.
Moreover, Portuguese helps Mozambicans of all ethnicities to interact, and many Mozambican Portuguese users speak it with dialects from the country’s many African languages.
6. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is a nation in West Africa that borders the Atlantic Ocean. Kingdoms and colonizations have a lengthy history in the nation. In addition, Guinea-official Bissau’s language is Portuguese, owing to the country’s historical history of colonialism. It was the primary language of government administration and public relations in that period.
Nevertheless, just around 11% to 14% of people can communicate in this language now. These people reflect the country’s most affluent and well-educated citizens. Furthermore, Portuguese is now largely used as a second language, and its use is centered around the city due to its restricted spread.
7. Cape Verdean
The language of European Portuguese spoken in Cape Verde is known as Cape Verdean Portuguese. Although the language is not widely spoken in casual settings, it is the country’s primary language, as stated by the legislation. All government communications, as well as the creation of all official documents, such as legislation and laws, are conducted in Cape Verde Portuguese.
Both print and electronic media frequently utilize the phrase. Cape Verdean Portuguese is descended from European Portuguese, as the islands’ original residents were Portuguese. Different languages contain many grammatical traits, demonstrating their linked identities, but they also have a few distinctions, which may be seen in their pronunciation, vocabulary, and morphology.
8. São Tomé and Príncipe
Portuguese is the primary language of the island country of So Tomé and Prncipe, and it is spoken by 98.4% of the people. The Portuguese held the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1470 until 1975. The Portuguese language was strongly entrenched in the region throughout the years of Portuguese colonialism.
After Portugal and Brazil, the country now ranks third in terms of Portuguese speakers. The Portuguese language spoken in São Tomé is known as Sao Tomean Portuguese. In terms of syntax, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, this dialect is quite similar to Brazilian Portuguese.
In São Tomé and Príncipe, an estimated 98.4 percent of the population speaks Portuguese, with more than half the population speaking it as their first language.
9. Macao
One of Macao’s official languages is Chinese, while the other is Portuguese. Portuguese is Macau’s official language, It is spoken as a first language by 3% of the population. Macao seems to have its own Portuguese language, called Macanese Portuguese.
Macanese Portuguese is different because it is affected by Cantonese. Ceylon, Kannada, and Marathi languages have affected Macanese Portuguese. All the languages are spoken in Goa and Sri Lanka, two former Portuguese colonies. Some Malay terms have also been incorporated into the language.
10. Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, an African country with a Portuguese-speaking population, recognized the language in 2010. There are people who speak both Portuguese and Fa d’Ambô, a Portuguese Creole.
The country accepted the language as its dominant language in order to become a member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). On the islands of Annobón and Bioko, a Portuguese creole language known as Annobonese is spoken. Although Portuguese is taught in schools, it is not required.
To conclude, there are Portuguese speakers in different nations across the world. Venezuela, Guyana, and the United States are among them. In the United States, around 730,000 individuals speak Portuguese in their household.