Spanish is the official and national language of many nations across the world. There are numerous Spanish speakers. After English and French, Spanish is currently the third largest and most learned language. Spanish has many native speakers, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world after Chinese.
Moreover, 21 sovereign governments have designated Spanish as their official or national language. It is taught in schools, and it is the main language for official government communications. Here is a list of the top Spanish speaking countries in the world:
1. Spain
Spain is the birthplace of the Spanish language, therefore it’s no surprise that Spanish is used as a first language almost everywhere in the country. Spanish speakers in Europe. However, Spain has dropped behind the United States, with 46 million Spanish speakers, and is now the country with the third-biggest Spanish-speaking population.
Although Spanish is only spoken by over 572 million people globally, it is the primary or second language of over 46 million people (99.9% of the population) living inside Spain’s boundaries. Despite the significance of the single official language in Spain, seven main regional languages continue to thrive.
2. Argentina
Argentina is a South American country with such spectacular landscapes. Accordingly, the ethnic composition of its citizens and residents is diverse, thanks to government initiatives that fostered foreign immigration throughout the mid-nineteenth century. The languages spoken in Argentina represent the country’s variety even more. Undoubtedly, it’s no wonder that Spanish is Argentina’s most widely spoken language.
In Argentina, around 41.7 million people speak Spanish as their first language, with another million speaking it as a second. Furthermore, this language is spoken by the great majority of people, 40.9 million. Government departments, educational institutions, and the establishment press all utilize Spanish.
3. Bolivia
Bolivia’s most widely spoken language is Spanish. This is due to the country’s past as a Spanish colony and the extensive usage of the language following independence. Meanwhile, for the indigenous peoples, the “discovery” of the US and the subsequent Spanish colonization changed everything. The Incas were defeated after years of battle, and the surviving were incorporated into the new Spanish colonies, where they learned the Spanish language, society, and religion.
Bolivia’s constitution of 2009 declared Spanish and 36 indigenous languages to be official languages. Previously, the country’s official languages were just Spanish, Aymara, and Quechua. Many foreigners speak or comprehend Spanish, especially in cities, market towns, and new colonies and shopping centers.
4. Chile
In Chile, Spanish is the most frequently spoken language. Chilean Spanish is the regional dialect spoken in the nation. It is a variety of Spanish that differs substantially from Castilian Spanish, but has a pronunciation that is comparable to Andalusian Spanish. Meanwhile, the language is spoken by around 14 million Chileans.
The pronunciation, syntax, grammar, and vocabulary usages of Chilean Spanish dialects differ from those of standard Spanish. Furthermore, the Royal Spanish Academy acknowledges 2,214 terms and idioms developed solely or mostly in Chilean Spanish, according to the Royal Spanish Academy.
5. Colombia
In Colombia, more than 100 languages are spoken, with Spanish being the most widely spoken, with more than 99 percent of Colombians speaking it. There seems to be 65 Amerindian languages spoken by Colombian indigenous peoples, two Creole ethnicities, and the Roman language is spoken across the nation.
Meanwhile, the primary language of Colombia is Spanish, which also is spoken by the majority of the nation’s 45 million inhabitants. Colombian Spanish, on the other hand, is distinct, differing from conventional Spanish in other Spanish-speaking nations by having a highly distinct pronunciation. Colombians speak a variety of Spanish dialects in different parts of the country.
6. Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s national and official language is Spanish. In addition, it is the most widely recognized language in the country. English, Creole, and a few Indian languages are also spoken. Accordingly, most official government businesses and major media are written in Spanish, but English is commonly spoken in tourist regions.
Tourist information is generally exclusively available in English or is multilingual. Furthermore, many companies in Costa Rica are owned and run by Europeans who speak Spanish, English, and their home languages to their customers.
7. Cuba
Cuba, like the rest of Latin American countries, has Spanish as its official language as a result of Spanish colonial rule. The country’s linguistic past, however, is more complicated than it appears at first look. Many causes have influenced Cuba’s current linguistic composition.
Cuban Spanish, often known as Cubano, is the official language of Cuba, with 11 million native speakers. Considering its independence, the Cuban language has been affected by the country’s dynamic variety. Cubans speak a dialect of Castilian Spanish, which was carried over from the Canary Islands by immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries.
8. Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic’s primary language and the most widely spoken language is Spanish. It is the primary language used in trade, business, government agencies, and educational institutions. Furthermore, in the Dominican Republic, the majority of media outlets are printed or recorded in Spanish.
Meanwhile, inside the nation, a number of Spanish varieties are spoken. Dominican Spanish is the name given to all of these languages together. Dominican Spanish is spoken not just in the Dominican Republic, as well as in the United States, primarily in New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami by the Dominican diaspora.
9. Mexico
Mexico has a population of about 120 million people, the most of whom speak Spanish and a few others who speak one of the country’s original languages. Among Latin American Spanish varieties, Mexican Spanish is the most elegant, transparent, and simple to follow. Many firms in the United States are actively looking for employees who are fluent in Spanish, particularly for managerial positions and advancement. Many English speakers are beginning to study Spanish or improving their existing Spanish language abilities as a result of the extensive and rising use of the Spanish language.
10. Venezuela
In Venezuela, a minimum of forty languages are spoken or utilized, but Spanish is the language spoken by the large majority of Venezuelans. The official languages of Venezuela include Spanish and indigenous languages spoken by Venezuelans, according to the country’s constitution of 1999.
Many indigenous languages are becoming endangered as more indigenous people migrate to cities. Five or fewer people speak languages like Sapé and Mapoyo. Venezuelans are generally fewer professionals than their counterparts in other Spanish-speaking countries.
To conclude, from Asia to the Americas, Spanish is spoken in many parts of the world, having over 500 million speakers globally. The number of Spanish speakers worldwide is increasing, from Spanish-speaking nations in Africa to Spanish-speaking countries in Asia.
