25. Iranian Persian

Number of Total Speakers: 78.6 million

Top on our list is Iranian Persian. It is the official language of Iran, with two dialects, Dari and Tajik, being officially spoken in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, respectively. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family and is written in Arabic characters. 

24. Korean

Number of Total Speakers: 81.7 million

Korean belongs to the Altaic language family and is an official language in North and South Korea. It is spoken by over 81.7 million people around the globe. Korean speakers are also found in the United States, China, and Japan. 

23. Tagalog

Number of Total Speakers: 83.1 million

Tagalog ranks 23rd on our list of 25 most spoken languages in 2024. It is the official language of the Philippines, along with English. Tagalog belongs to the Austronesian language family and is closely related to the Bicol and Bisayan languages. It is spoken by over 83.1 million people around the world.  

22. Wu Chinese

Number of Total Speakers: 83.4 million

Wu Chinese is one of the dialects of the Chinese language. It is the most commonly spoken dialect in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningpo, and Wenzhou. The Wu dialect differs from the standard spoken Chinese in the sound system and the different vocals that are used to pronounce similar words and elements. 

21. Vietnamese

Number of Total Speakers: 85.8 million 

The Vietnamese language belongs to the Mon-Khmer language family and is spoken by over 85.8 million people around the globe. It is the official language of Vietnam and has over a hundred dialects. The Vietnamese language borrows a large proportion of vocabulary from the Chinese and Thai languages. 

20. Tamil

Number of Total Speakers: 86.6 million

Making it to the top 20 most spoken languages in the world in 2024 is the Tamil language, which is primarily spoken in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. It is also the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and other countries, including Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is spoken by over 86.6 million people around the globe. 

19. Yue Chinese

Number of Total Speakers: 86.6 million 

Yue Chinese, also known as Cantonese, is a dialect of Chinese commonly spoken in Guangdong and southern Guangxi provinces of China. It is spoken by approximately 86.6 million people around the globe. 

18. Turkish

Number of Total Speakers: 90 million

Turkish ranks 18th on our list of the most spoken languages. It belongs to the Altaic language family and is the official language of Turkey. Turkish speakers are also found in Cyprus, Europe, and the Middle East. 

17. Telugu

Number of Total Speakers: 96.0 million 

Telugu is one of the largest members of the Dravidian language family. It is primarily spoken in India and is the official state language of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India. There are over 96 million Telugu speakers in the world. 

16. Marathi

Number of Total Speakers: 99.2 million 

Marathi ranks as the 16th most-spoken language in the world. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family. Within India, the language is spoken in Mumbai, Goa, and Deccan. It is the official state language of Maharashtra. 

15. Egyptian Spoken Arabic

Number of Total Speakers: 102.4 million 

Egyptian Spoken Arabic ranks as the 15th most-spoken language in the world in 2024. It is the official language of Egypt and is the most widely spoken dialect of the Arabic language. Egyptian-spoken Arabic has many features similar to Standard Arabic and is influenced by other languages, including Coptic, Turkish, and French. 

14. Nigerian Pidgin

Number of Total Speakers: 120.7 million 

Nigerian Pidgin ranks 14th on our list. It is a Pidgin language spoken in Nigeria. Nigerian Pidgin is based on English and is used mostly for informal conversations. It is spoken by over 120.7 million people in the world. 

13. Japanese

Number of Total Speakers: 123.4 million 

Japanese is categorized as an isolated language that does not relate to any other language in the world. It is the official language of Japan, and Japanese speakers are also found in North and South America. It is spoken by over 123.4 million people around the globe. 

12. German

Number of Total Speakers: 133.2 million

German belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is the official language in Germany and Austria. It is also one of the official languages of Switzerland, along with English, Frisian, and Dutch. 

11. Indonesian

Number of Total Speakers: 199.1 million

The Indonesian language belongs to the Austronesian language family. It is the official language of Indonesia, and speakers are in Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It is spoken by around 199.1 million people around the world. 

10. Urdu

Number of Total Speakers: 231.7 million

Making it to the top 10 on our list is the Urdu language. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and is the official language of Pakistan. The speakers of the Urdu language are found in India and migrant communities within the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. It is spoken by over 231.7 million people around the world. 

9. Russian

Number of Total Speakers: 255 million

Russian is the official language of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. It belongs to the Slavic language family and the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. There are over 255 million Russian speakers around the world. 

8. Portuguese

Number of Total Speakers: 263.6 million

Portuguese ranks 8th on our list of most spoken languages. It is a Romance language spoken as an official language in Portugal. Its speakers are also in Angola, Brazil, and other former Portuguese colonies. 

7. Bengali

Number of Total Speakers: 272.8 million 

Bengali belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family. It is the official language of Bangladesh and is spoken in India and amongst immigrant communities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Middle East. It is spoken by approximately 272.8 million people around the world. 

6. Arabic

Number of Total Speakers: 274.0 million 

Arabic is a Semitic language in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East. It is spoken by approximately 274 million people around the globe. 

5. French

Number of Total Speakers: 309.8 million 

French ranks first in the top 5 on our list of 25 most spoken languages worldwide. It is one of the most internationally significant romance languages. It is the official language of more than 25 countries worldwide, including France, Belgium, and Corsica.

4. Spanish

Number of Total Speakers: 559.1 million. 

Spanish is a romance language belonging to the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Spain and 18 American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. It is spoken by approximately 559.1 million in the world. 

3. Hindi

Number of Total Speakers: 609.5 million 

Hindi is the third most-spoken language in the world in 2024. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family. It is India’s preferred official language. Significant Hindi-speaking communities are also found in South Africa, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Uganda. It is spoken by more than 609.5 million people around the world.

2. Mandarin Chinese

Number of Total Speakers: 1.1 billion 

Mandarin Chinese is one of the most commonly spoken forms of Chinese. It is spoken by over two-thirds of the Chinese population as a native language. The language is divided into 4 main subgroups: Northern, Northwestern, Southwestern, and Southern. More than 1.1 billion speakers around the world speak it.

1. English

Number of Total Speakers: 1.5 billion 

English is the most spoken language in the world in 2024, with more than 1.5 billion speakers around the globe. It belongs to the West Germanic language of the Indo-European languages and originates from England. It is a dominant language in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and many others.