How many people speak Spanish in the world? 42 Statistics

Looking for statistics on the number of Spanish speakers in the world?

Below, you’ll find 42 statistics covering the number of Spanish speakers worldwide – plus a breakdown of the populations of native speakers, non-native speakers and language students.

Information has been collected from the Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish Federation of Spanish Language Schools (FEDELE), and Spain's National Institute for Statistics.

The second half of the article features two lists which cover:

• The 21 countries where Spanish is an official language (ranked in order of population)

• The 28 countries where Spanish is not an official language (ranked in order of population of Spanish speakers)

42 statistics about Spanish speakers 

Spanish speakers in the world

• As of 2024, there are more than 600 million Spanish speakers worldwide. It's the first time the number of Spanish speakers recorded has crossed the 600 million mark.

• Spanish speakers represent 7.5% of the global population.

• The number of Spanish speakers globally, as of November 2024, is 600,607,806.

• There are 499 million native Spanish speakers making up 6.06% of the global population.

• Spanish is the world’s second most widely spoken mother tongue, after Mandarin.

• Spanish is the fourth most widely spoken language globally (including native and non-native speakers) following English, Mandarin, and Hindi.

• There are 78 million non-native Spanish speakers in the world – i.e. people who live in Spanish-speaking areas or have studied the Spanish language but it's not their mother tongue.

• There are 24 million people studying Spanish worldwide – this is the fastest-growing segment of Spanish speakers globally.

Countries where Spanish is an official language

• Spanish is an official language in 20 countries and 1 self-governing territory (Puerto Rico).

• A total of 453 million native Spanish speakers reside in countries or territories where Spanish is an official language.

• Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. It has a population of 133 million of which 125 million (94%) are native Spanish speakers. An additional 6.5 million are bilingual in Spanish and one of Mexico's 68 recognized indigenous languages.

• Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking African country – i.e. a country where Spanish is an official language – with 74% of the population being native speakers.

• Equatorial Guinea is also the smallest Spanish-speaking country. It has a poulation of 1.6 million of which 1.2 million (74%) are native Spanish speakers, and a further 420,000 are fluent in Spanish.

• The economies of Spanish-speaking nations account for over 6% of the global economy.

Countries where Spanish is not an official language

• Over 45 million native Spanish speakers live in non Spanish-speaking countries – i.e. a country where Spanish is not an official language.

• More than 50 million non-native Spanish speakers live in non Spanish-speaking countries – i.e. they learned Spanish later in life or were raised in a bilingual area where Spanish was not their mother tongue.

• A total of 100 million Spanish speakers live in countries where Spanish is not an official language. This figure includes both native Spanish speakers and people who are fluent in Spanish but it's not their mother tongue.

• In 2015, the number of Spanish speakers in the USA surpassed the entire population of Spain for the first time. Today, the United States has second-largest population of Spanish speakers, with 57 million.

• In the United States, 36 million native Spanish speakers are eligible to vote, making up 14.7% of the total U.S. electorate.

• Spanish is spoken at home in 13.3% of U.S. households.

• The Philippines is the Asian country with the largest population of Spanish speakers, totaling 567,000, including 4,500 native speakers and 562,000 proficient speakers. This is due to Spain being a former colonial power.

• Morocco has the largest population of Spanish speakers in Africa, with 1.8 million people (native and non-native). Morocco is the closest African country geographically to Spain, and there are two Spanish enclaves on the coast of the north-african country: Ceuta and Melilla.

• Excluding Spain, Switzerland is the European country with the highest number of Spanish speakers, totaling 557,000.

• In Oceania, Australia has the highest number of Spanish speakers, at 560,000.

• The former Netherlands Antilles has the highest population of Spanish speakers among Caribbean countries where Spanish is not an official language, with 203,000 speakers. The population of the former Netherlands Antilles is 225,000 meaning its also the region with the highest proportion of Spanish speakers (90%) – the islands that make up the so-called Dutch caribbean are either municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands or constituent countries, meaning the official language is Dutch.

Spanish in the arts (and on the Internet)

• Spanish is the sixth most popular language in literature, with 7% of published titles worldwide originally written in Spanish.

• Spanish ranks as the second most important language in cinematography, with over 4,300 Spanish-language films produced between 2007 and 2017.

• In 2023, Spanish-language songs accounted for 21% of the 500 most-listened-to songs on Spotify.

• In 2022, Spanish-language songs made up 21% of the 100 most listened-to songs on YouTube.

• Spanish ranks as the sixth most translated language globally, following English, French, German, Russian, and Italian.

• Spanish is the second most-used language on the Internet, comprising 5.6% of all websites.

• Gabriel García Márquez is the most translated Spanish-speaking author, with 1,382 translations of his works.

• After English, Spanish is the language with the most Netflix-produced series, totalling 93.

Spanish language students across the world

• The United States, the European Union, and Brazil account for 78% of all Spanish language students worldwide. This is due to Spanish being a common foreign language taught at elementary and secondary schools.

• The United States has the highest number of Spanish language students, with 8.6 million enrolled—8 million in schools, 585,000 at universities, and 3,700 in private institutions.

• Outside of Spain, France leads Europe with 3.6 million Spanish language students—3.4 million in schools, 244,000 at universities, and 9,000 in private institutions.

• Ivory Coast has the largest number of Spanish students in Africa, with 798,000 enrolled—795,000 in schools and 1,800 at universities.

• Australia has the highest number of Spanish students in Oceania, with 63,000 enrolled—53,000 in schools, 9,300 at universities, and 600 in private institutions.

• China leads Asia in Spanish language students, with 54,000 enrolled—9,000 in schools, 35,000 at universities, and 10,000 in private institutions.

• Spain is the country with the most active students either studying the Spanish language or studying other courses with Spanish as the medium of tuition. There are more than 530,000 non-native Spanish speakers studying in Spain – with 98,000 international university students and over 421,000 studying at the 400 Spanish language schools accredited by the Instituto Cervantes.

• Barcelona is understood to be the Spanish city with the most Spanish language students at private institutions in 2023. According to the FEDELE association of Spanish language schools, Barcelona hosted 13,349 students and surpassed Madrid for the first time.

• 22% of all tourists visiting Spain declare the reason for their visit as "meeting new cultures and practising languages". With 85 million tourists visiting Spain in 2023, there could be at least 17 million more Spanish speakers in the world than the 600 million recorded by the Instituto Cervantes. If these populations were recorded as 'Spanish speakers' it would place the number of Spanish speakers in the world at over 617 million – a figure which would mean Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world (as there are officially 609 million Hindi speakers).

Lists of top Spanish-speaking countries in the world

Countries and territories where Spanish is an official language

Below you’ll find a list of the 20 countries and one self-governing territory (Puerto Rico) where Spanish is an official language.

The countries are ordered by population size.

You’ll also find the latest figures on the number of native Spanish-speaking citizens per country and territory.

1. Mexico
   Population: 133 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 132 million (99.9%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 125 million (94%)

2. Colombia
   Population: 53 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 53 million (100%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 52 million (98%)

3. Spain
   Population: 48 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 48 million (99.3%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 46 million (96%)

4. Argentina
   Population: 47 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 47 million (100%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 46 million (99%)

5. Peru
   Population: 35 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 31 million (88.9%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 30 million (86%)

6. Venezuela
   Population: 29 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 29 million (100%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 28.6 million (97%)

7. Chile
   Population: 20 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 20 million (100%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 19 million (96%)

8. Guatemala
   Population: 17.8 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 16.8 million (94%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 13.5 million (76%)

9. Ecuador
   Population: 17 million
   Fluent Spanish speakers: 16.6 million (96.8%)
   Native Spanish speakers: 16 million (94%)

10. Bolivia
    Population: 12 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 12 million (98.7%)
    Native Spanish speakers10 million (81%)

11. Cuba
    Population: 11 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 11 million (99.2%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 11 million (99%)

12. Dominican Republic
    Population: 10.8 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 10.8 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 10.2 million (95%)

13. Honduras
    Population: 9.9 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 9.9 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 9.4 million (95%)

14. Paraguay
    Population: 7.7 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 7.6 million (99.4%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 5.1 million (67%)

15. Nicaragua
    Population: 7.1 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 7.1 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 6.9 million (97%)

16. El Salvador
    Population: 6.4 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 6.4 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 6.4 million (100%)

17. Costa Rica
    Population: 5.3 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 5.3 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 5.3 million (99%)

18. Panama
    Population: 4.2 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 4.2 million (99.7%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 3.6 million (86%)

19. Uruguay
    Population: 3.5 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 3.5 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 3.4 million (99%)

20. Puerto Rico
    Population: 3.3 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 3.3 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 3.1 million (95%)

21. Equatorial Guinea
    Population: 1.6 million
    Fluent Spanish speakers: 1.6 million (100%)
    Native Spanish speakers: 1.2 million (74%)

Countries and territories where Spanish is not an official language

Below you’ll find a list of the 28 countries and territories where Spanish is not an official language, but there is a significant Spanish-speaking resident population.

The countries are ordered by size of resident Spanish speakers.

You’ll also find the latest figures on numbers of native and non-native Spanish-speaking citizens. These figures are from the Instituto Cervantes and 'non-native' refers to people who are either fluent in Spanish or studied Spanish at high school or college (or the country's equivalent).

Here's the list:

1. United States
   Total Spanish speakers: 57 million
   Native speakers: 42 million
   Non-native speakers: 15 million

2. European Union (EU-27)
   Total Spanish speakers: 29 million
   Native speakers: 1.3 million
   Non-native speakers: 28 million

3. United Kingdom
   Total Spanish speakers: 5 million
   Native speakers: 217,000
   Non-native speakers: 4.8 million

4. Morocco
   Total Spanish speakers: 1.8 million
   Native speakers: 13,000
   Non-native speakers: 1.8 million

5. Canada
   Total Spanish speakers: 1.4 million
   Native speakers: 710,000
   Non-native speakers: 665,000

6. Brazil
   Total Spanish speakers: 693,000
   Native speakers: 522,000
   Non-native speakers: 171,000

7. Philippines
   Total Spanish speakers: 567,000
   Native speakers: 5,000
   Non-native speakers: 562,000

8. Switzerland
   Total Spanish speakers: 556,0000
   Native speakers: 213,000
   Non-native speakers: 343,000

9. Australia
   Total Spanish speakers: 560,000
   Native speakers: 176,000
   Non-native speakers: 384,000

10. Western Sahara
    Total Spanish speakers: 424,000
    Native speakers: N/A
    Non-native speakers: 424,000

11. Belize
    Total Spanish speakers: 216,000
    Native speakers: 59,000
    Non-native speakers: 157,000

12. Dutch Antilles
    Total Spanish speakers: 203,000
    Native speakers: 47,000
    Non-native speakers: 156,000

13. Algeria
    Total Spanish speakers: 175,000
    Native speakers: 1,000
    Non-native speakers: 174,000

14. Japan
    Total Spanish speakers: 160,000
    Native speakers: 131,000
    Non-native speakers: 29,000

15. Israel
    Total Spanish speakers: 149,000
    Native speakers: 104,000
    Non-native speakers: 45,000

16. Aruba
    Total Spanish speakers: 89,000
    Native speakers: 15,000
    Non-native speakers: 74,000

17. Andorra
    Total Spanish speakers: 72,000
    Native speakers: 34,000
    Non-native speakers: 38,000

18. Trinidad and Tobago
    Total Spanish speakers: 70,000
    Native speakers: 4,000
    Non-native speakers: 66,000

19. Norway
    Total Spanish speakers: 37,000
    Native speakers: 13,000
    Non-native speakers: 24,000

20. Guam and Northern Mariana Islands (United States)
    Total Spanish speakers: 32,000
    Native speakers: 1,000
    Non-native speakers: 31,000

21. Russia
    Total Spanish speakers: 29,000
    Native speakers: 29,000
    Non-native speakers: N/A

22. New Zealand
    Total Spanish speakers: 22,000
    Native speakers: 22,000
    Non-native speakers: N/A

23. Turkey
    Total Spanish speakers: 22,000
    Native speakers: 6,000
    Non-native speakers: 16,000

24. U.S. Virgin Islands
    Total Spanish speakers: 17,000
    Native speakers: 17,000
    Non-native speakers: N/A

25. China
    Total Spanish speakers: 15,000
    Native speakers: 15,000
    Non-native speakers: N/A

26. Jamaica
    Total Spanish speakers: 8,500
    Native speakers: 8,500
    Non-native speakers: N/A

27. Bulgaria
    Total Spanish speakers: 5,000
    Native speakers: N/A
    Non-native speakers: 5,000

28. India
    Total Spanish speakers: 4,900
    Native speakers: 4,900
    Non-native speakers: 0

There are a further 160,000 native Spanish speaking residing in countries not featured in either of these lists.

Why are there Spanish speakers in countries where Spanish isn't an official language?

The reasons vary from country to country.

Some of the countries below have large Spanish-speaking populations as a result of immigration from Spanish-speaking nations (such as the United States and the United Kingdom).

Others have a large population due to proximity to Spanish-speaking nations (such as Morocco or Brasil).

Other countries and territories have large populations of native and bilingual Spanish speakers without Spanish being an official language (such as in Belize and Dutch Antilles). 

Other nations have large numbers of Spanish speakers due to Spain being a former colonial power (such as the Philippines). 

Meanwhile, other nations have large populations of non-native speakers who have studied Spanish at schools or universities (such as the United States, the EU, Canada and Australia).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Spanish speakers are there in the world?

According to the latest Spanish in the World 2024 report by the Instituto Cervantes, there are 600.6 million Spanish speakers worldwide as of November 2024. It's the first time in history the number of Spanish speakers has reached 600 million. The figure includes 499 million native speakers, 78 million people fluent in Spanish as a second or third language, and 24 million actively studying Spanish.

What percentage of the world speaks Spanish?

Spanish speakers account for 7.5% of the global population. Meanwhile, solely native Spanish speakers represent 6.06% of the world’s population, making Spanish the second most-spoken mother tongue globally after Mandarin. These are the latest figures according to the November 2024 Spanish in the World 2024 report by the Instituto Cervantes. The report also found the number of native and non-native Spanish speakers crossed the 600 million mark for the first time in 2024.

Which Asian country has the most Spanish speakers?

The Philippines is the Asian country with the largest population of Spanish speakers with a total number of 567,000, according to the November 2024 Spanish in the World 2024 report by the Instituto Cervantes. While only 4,500 are native speakers, 562,000 can speak Spanish as a second or third language, reflecting the enduring linguistic and cultural legacy of Spanish colonization.

Which country has the most Spanish speakers?

Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, with a population over 133 million. Of these 133 million, 125 million are native Spanish speakers with an additional 6.5 million being fluent in Spanish but having one of Mexico's 68 indigenous language as their mother tongue – this is according to the lastest figures from the Spanish in the World 2024 report released in November 2024 by the Instituto Cervantes.