There are many countries in the world where you will find millions of English speakers. English is one of the most uttered languages in the world. There are 104 countries where 840 million people use English as a first language. It is one of the best tools to communicate all around the nation.
As the global business tongue, there are 335 million individuals on the planet who speak it as a first language. However, there are 505 million who speak English as a second language.
A Brief History about the Origin and the Expansion of the English Language:
The English language is an Indo-European language among the West Germanic language group. Mainly, the origin of the English language began with the arrival of three Germanic tribes.
The Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes brought English to Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes, traveled the North Sea from Denmark and northern Germany.
A sudden and distinct change in pronunciation started after the end of the Old and Middle English eras. Pronunciation of vowels became shorter and shorter.
Late Modern English has arrived with many more words, with which the English language embraced foreign words from many countries. Traveler centers epicenter.
English today is a constantly transforming language because of the dialects and vocabulary of Germanic peoples— Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
This change in the English language arrived in Latin, French, and Afrikaans due to the surfeit of diverse cultures and languages.
In addition, the expansion of the English language is due to the British Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries. As England expanded and established colonies worldwide, it brought the English with them along their way.
Therefore, due to the expansion of the English language, many administrative divisions in many countries such as Canada, Australia, South Africa. have stated English as the official language.
If you count both native and non-native speakers, English is the largest language and the third-largest language by the number of native speakers.
English is, in many ways, the lingua franca of the world. It behaves like the standard language used in every field, including computer coding, international business, and higher education.
How Many individuals Speak English and, Where is it Spoken?
English is spoken by over one billion people worldwide, although only about 380 million speak it as their first language.
As a result, when native and non-native English speakers are combined, it is recognized as the most widely spoken global language.
English is one of the most commonly studied languages. International organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union list used English as an official working language.
As of 2020, there are 1.27 billion speakers with high English proficiency levels.
This result ranks English as the most spoken language ahead of Mandarin Chinese (which has 1.12 billion speakers) and Hindi (637 million speakers).
Furthermore, more than 50 countries officially list English as an official language.
There are some top countries where you will find that more than 80% of the population speaks English.
The list of Best English Speaking Countries to visit is as follows:
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Republic of Ireland
- Malta
- Jamaica
- Barbados
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Bahamas
- Guyana
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Fiji
- Samoa
- Tonga
- Solomon Islands
- Micronesia
- Vanuatu
- Kiribati
- India
- Pakistan
- Singapore
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Malaysia
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Cameroon
- Kenya
- Zimbabwe
- Ghana
- Rwanda
- Sudan
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
Top English-Speaking Countries You Should Visit
You might be exploring English-speaking countries for a few reasons. One could be that you are a novice traveler looking to travel abroad for something unique. Or some might be to connect with more English speakers in new and different cultures.
Or perhaps you are just interested in which countries speak the most uttered language, that is, English all around the world.
So, here is the list of some Best English Speaking Countries to visit around the world:
English-Speaking Countries in The Americas
a) United States of America:
Based on annual data from the American Community Survey(ACS), In 2017, the U.S. Census Bureau published information on the number of speakers of over 350 languages – out of all languages, the most- spoken language is English. In the United States of America, English is the most familiar language spoken, with approximately 239 million speakers.
b) Belize:
Belize is the crowded English language – an official country in Central America.
As a widespread tourist destination, everyone here uttered the English language. Many expenses are listed in U.S. Dollars, making it a comfortable destination for first-time international travelers. Also, Everything in Belize, from business, government news to schooling, is done in the English language.
c) Canada:
Another English-speaking nation in America is Canada, in which the mother tongue of 59.7% of the Canadian population in English, while the mother tongue of 23.2% of the population is French.
According to Languages Statistics of Canada, in 2011, 28.4 million Canadians knew English, while only 21.6 million Canadians spoke it most frequently at home. Specifically, 30% of Canadians live in the two westernmost areas, British Columbia and Alberta, and 46% of English-speaking Canadians live in Ontario.
d) Bahamas:
Apart from this, In the Bahamas also, English is the national and official language. However, Bahamians use British English in their communication, government and official records, mass media presentations, education, and other commercial transactions.
e) South America & Central America:
In South America and Central America, more than 14 million people speak English.
The vast bulk of these orators live in Argentina (5.9 million), Colombia (2 million), and Chile (1.97 million) makes the United States the country with an enormous English-speaking population.
English-Speaking Countries in Europe
In Europe, More than three-quarters of Europeans can speak English. Some countries have much higher English proficiency than others.
As a native language, Most of the English – speaking population in Europe mainly reside in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Beyond these, it has official status in Malta and the Crown dependencies.
a) Germany:
Germany is one of the English-speaking European countries, where 62.35% are English speakers and widely use this language for business purposes.
Germany rated 10th with an overall score of 63,77. Within Germany, the analysis found that the federal states home to Germany’s big cities arrived on top in terms of English proficiency.
b) United Kingdom:
In the United Kingdom, there are about 60 million English speakers. It splits down to 49.8 million speakers in England and Wales and 5.1 million in Scotland.
Some juvenile languages throughout the United kingdom include Gaelic and Welsh.
c) Sweden:
Sweden’s record of 70% is still a pretty commendable score when it comes to countries based on English proficiency rates.
It has 8.2 million English orators, and nearly 90% of the population speaks English as a second tongue. EPI score of Sweden is 71.7.
d) Netherlands:
When it comes to the highest proficiency in English in Europe, the Netherlands is simply the best. None of them break the record of The Netherlands.
It is the only country in all continental Europe with the highest proficiency of 71.45% in the English language.
The population of English and Dutch provinces can speak English at near-native levels.
English-Speaking Countries in Asia
Compared to other regions, Asia has a vast range of English proficiency levels, from Singapore with a proficiency band of very high to Indonesia with low proficiency in the language.
There are rare native English-speaking population epicenter, centers, but highly individuals in Asia- use English as a second or third language.
India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Singapore use English as an official language. India is the most crowded state that uses English in an official capacity.
But, the estimation says that there are 125 million in India, 94 million in Pakistan, and 90 million in the Philippines.
In this zone, the countries that come are Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, and Hong Kong, with the highest proficiency in English.
Overall, Rating up the top ten English- speaking countries in Asia in terms of English proficiency was:
- South Korea (55.04)
- Taiwan, China (54.18)
- China (53.44)
- Macau, China (53.34)
- Vietnam (51.57)
In other parts of Asia, countries with Low English proficiency rates were Indonesia (74th globally with a score of 453) and Mongolia was 78th globally, with a score of 446.
a) Singapore:
Singapore is the only country with a higher English proficiency rate among the other countries.
It is 10th globally with a score of 611. Singapore has always been a hotbed of international cultures, but many are surprised to learn that 83% of people in Singapore speak English.
Several other languages are prevalent in Singapore – such as Mandarin and Malay. But, the English language is in high demand throughout the island nation.
b) The Philippines:
Coming second in Asia is the Philippines, with an EPI of 60.14 (high proficiency). The Philippines ranks top 6 in terms of English speakers and English proficiency.
It has 90 million English Speakers.
Here, men recorded a slightly higher EPI score than their female counterparts, 60.41 vs. 59.96.
c) Malaysia:
Malaysia came in the third position among the Asian nations in the report with an EPI of 58.55 (high proficiency).
By gender, Malaysian men bear a notably higher status of English proficiency than Malaysian women (60.20 vs. 57.87).
Overall, Malaysia is 30th globally, with a score of 547.
d) India:
India was rated fifth in Asia, with an EPI score of 55.49 (moderate proficiency). By gender, Indian women in English proficiency have a distinct edge over their male counterparts (56.93 vs. 55.10). Also, India is 50th globally with a score of 496.
English Speaking Countries in Africa
Being the second-largest continent in the world. One may wonder if there are any English-speaking countries in Africa or not? And the answer would be yes. There are not only one or two but twenty-four countries in Africa that speak English.
Sierra Leone and Liberia are the only countries in Africa where English is the primary language. Being the lingua franca for both Nigeria and Ghana, English also behaves as the primary language of these countries.
With a population now hitting over 1.3 billion people and 54 countries, Africa has been the epicenter of diversity for a very long time now. With the diversity of populations, there also comes several languages.
Some countries of Africa have an official language for education, administration offices, and business purposes. Most people talk in English, and many users of Igbo speakers preferably operate English at a conversational grade.
a) Ghana:
Ghanaian English is a combination of English spoken in Ghana. English is the official language and is used as a lingua franca throughout the country.
In Ghana, approximately 28 million people, half of the population, use English. Primary and secondary school classes at public academies and schools that prepare for public certificates- are taught in English only.
Nowadays, the literacy level has grown. According to researchers, 66.67% of the total population speaks fluent English. Ghana has 77.2% adults, and out of which, the literacy rate of adults is 76%. Today, it is being used everywhere all around the country, including in-office, media, and industry.
b) Nigeria:
In Africa, Nigeria is the fourth-best country with highly populated English speakers.
It is a multilingual country that consists of eclectic ethnic groups. These groups have constructed a complex landscape via their historical and educational developments.
The country claims a population of 206 million. There are over 525 born languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language of Nigeria is English, the language of retired colonial British Nigeria. Seventy-Nine million people can speak English in it.
Around 53% of the population (79 million people) can speak English in Nigeria, and a small percentage- of the population has native proficiency in the English language.
c) Zimbabwe:
In Zimbabwe, English is the country’s lingua franca, used as the medium of instruction in schools. English is the first language of the maximum number of white Zimbabweans. English also acts as the second tongue of several black Zimbabweans.
Just under 5 percent of Zimbabweans are born English speakers. However, 89 percent of the population can speak fluent English with high proficiency levels.
d) Kenya:
Kenya is an East African country with a population of about 50 million.
Kenya ranks in the top five on the checklist of Best English Speaking Countries to visit in Africa. The country has two official languages – English and Swahili. This country is considered the lingua franca of southeastern Africa for its widespread usage.
About 2.7 million individuals in Kenya express the English language. Existing as the official language, it is also the medium of education in school.
English Speaking Countries in Oceania
Oceania has mainly six regions: Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Polynesia. The majority language in Oceania is English. There are over 30 million English speakers in Oceania.
So, here are some Best English Speaking Countries to visit in Oceania.
a) Australia:
Australia is a linguistically diverse country with over 1600 spoken languages.
Australian English has a unique accent and vocabulary. Collectively, Australians have more than 200 expressed languages.
A 2011 analysis of the National Statistics of Languages Spoken at Home in Australia indicates that most Australians speak only English more than non-English speakers.
Overall, About 76.8% of speakers spoke only English, and 18.2% with non-English speakers.
b) New Zealand:
English is the national language of New Zealand. More than 96 percent of the New Zealand population speaks English as their native language.
However, it is worth noting that English in New Zealand is about as specific from British English as the Australian variety. And really, it is not too distinct from Australian English.
English in New Zealand acts as the primary language used in government, the courts, and the teaching system. And, In 2018, the first MP of New Zealand introduced a statement to parliament to statutorily, which represented English as an official tongue.
The additional language in New Zealand is Maori, spoken by the indigenous people.
c) Fiji:
In the Fijian Islands, English is a widely spoken language. Nearly everyone living in Fiji understands English. It is the language of business and administration in Fiji. It is also what is primarily used in conversation and taught in schools.
People uttered an average of 3 languages in Fiji, varying between one and six languages with English (99.2%), Standard Fijian (86.4%), a Fijian idiom (76.8%), Fiji Hindi (66.1%).
d) Papua New Guinea:
Papua New Guinea is the most multiverse country in the world.
It is home to about 8.1 million people, according to the initial census done in 2016. As one of the most rural countries, only 18% of the population is located in the urban centers of the independent state.
But one of the distinctive characteristics of the state is its linguistic diversity. It is well-known to have almost 852 living languages. Many of the residents live in their communities. In Papua New Guinea, The surroundings are eclectic. Here, English is an official language- used as the language of government, courts, and the schooling system.
About 50% of the population in Papua New Guinea speaks the English language. The primary lingua franca of the country is Tok Pisin, commonly comprehended in English as New Guinea Pidgin.
Why Do You Need to Know the English Language?
When beginning to learn a unique language, you require a reason to keep you encouraged during this journey. There are many obstructions that you might face while learning a new language.
At first, learning English might seem monotonous and time-consuming. Knowing one of the worlds’ most influential languages is like a new approach that opens every door in all fields of work. However, comprehending English is not as easy as you believe. Still, it is one of the most widespread languages for everyone, which gives you numerous opportunities to enhance your personality in every field.
However, you should pay attention to the benefits the English language offers and the results of the entire learning experience.
Here are some thoughts on why learning English is beneficial, which will inspire you to start your journey.
- Enhance the ability to communicate: English acts as the official language of 57 countries around the world. You can instantly expand your ability to express yourself with people from additional countries and continents.
- Access to knowledge in the field of science, business, and technology: English is used in specific fields like business, science, and technology. Knowing English will increase your chances of getting a job, participating in conferences, epicenter, and improving your networking skills. If the students learn English, they will be able to educate themselves by accessing a vast portion of knowledge available on the web. They can themselves read scientific books and papers.
- Provide various Educational Opportunities to Students: English enables you to increase your educational opportunities. Comprehending English makes the students more capable of attending international conferences, seminars, workshops, and events in the English language. This gives them every possible opportunity to hear and understand the different points of the speakers without any difficulty. And at the end of the discussion, they can also share their valuable points.
- Access to numerous English resources: You can acquire access to numerous English resources and increase your proficiency instead of getting misplaced in translation.
- Builds confidence among students:Non-English speaking individuals always face a lack of confidence and display hesitation to speak in English in front of their fellow mates. Building confidence among students is another one of the best reasons to know the English language in front of anyone. The individual can overcome the barricade of hesitation from all by learning English.
- Builds Personal Growth in career: Personal Growth in a career is one of the other needs to learn English. Nowadays, Companies are becoming more international and conduct all their business in English, no matter where in the world they are based. A great way to advance your career is to enhance your English speaking skills. The English language also helps you build your self-confidence. Being bilingual opens your mind to other cultures, and it helps to see the world more frankly, thus increasing your brainpower.
- Travelling will become easier: Many people travel extensively for relaxation and a job, both within their country and abroad. English is the language of international travel that links you across different places. Therefore, the travel enterprise also holds great promise of jobs and gives jobs to those candidates who are good in English-speaking skills.Moreover, It can help you detour the possibility of miscommunication and emphasis during the trip by speaking your most useful English.
- Language of the Media: Most of the content on the internet is in English Nowadays. Some of your favorite films, TV shows are assumably in the English language. Go to any international movie festival, here you will see that all films are either in English or have English subtitles. Knowing the English Language helps you assess any media and art in English without relying on translation.
- Help you to understand other languages: Generally speaking, English is one of the most leisurely languages to learn with its simple alphabet. And once Mastery over the English Language, will help you to develop abilities and practices that you did not have before. These skills will transfer to any other language that you comprehend.
- Opens New Doors to Every job sector: In todays’ connected world economy, English has become the language of the corporate sector spoken by executives, managers, or CEOs. Since many jobs have interfaces with the outside world, employees prefer to chitchat in English. In the interviews, English is the only skill required to get the job of your dreams. Many companies in sectors like Medicine, Hospitality, Business, and IT consider nominees’ English skills while presenting them high profile roles. It shows the significance of English phraseology in every sector of work.
Final Thoughts
The demand for the English language is pervasive in every corner of the world and still increasing day by day in numbers.
English is the most widely used official language among foreign-language speakers. The best countries where you will see the most English speakers are the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. All over the world, when people from different languages come together, they usually use English to communicate. English nowadays provides all kinds of opportunities for communication, quality of life, and education.
It also means that most people can use this language for different purposes in every corner of the world.
Additional FAQs About English-speaking Countries:
How Do Multiple Countries Have English as their Official Language?
According to 2019, there were 27 non-sovereign and 59 sovereign states commodities where English behaves as an official language. Many administrative divisions have declared English as an official language at the regional level.
Also, English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, NAFTA, the European Union, the Caribbean Community, the Union of South American Nations, and numerous additional international administrations.
What is the Cheapest English-speaking Country to Visit?
There are the Eight cheapest English-Speaking Countries to visit:
India: India comes first as the cheapest English-speaking country and the seond-largest English-speaking country globally. Living in a city like Delhi or Bangalore, you can get apartments at very affordable rates that can cost you anywhere from $150 to $600 per month. Here, you can rent a room in a smaller town for as little as $2 per night. Here, you can also find the cheapest eating places.
Philippines: It is the second-best option that comes in the cheapest English-speaking country. Here, you can get anything in your budget, like rent can cost you only between $100 to $400 per month according to your need.
Thailand: The official 27% percentage of English-speaking people are in Thailand. It is one of the cheapest touristy areas with English speaking people.
Peru: Peru is one of the cheapest English-speaking countries to live in, with a freewheeling lifestyle and 300 days of sunshine. Here, You can enjoy luxuries with rent at a high end of $400 within the city.
South Africa: South Africa is one of the cheapest English-speaking countries to visit and live in, with at least 50% cost of living, which is more affordable than most major cities in the world.
Vietnam: Vietnam is one of the cheapest places to live, where you will find many English speakers. Here, you can enjoy beautiful and alluring destination views at the lowest cost.
Romania: Romania is one of the most affordable English-speaking countries. You can get the best of everything in Romania: relaxing pools, beaches, beautiful destinations, landscapes, majestic mountains.
Here, you will also find the best English speakers, so the language barrier is not something to worry about. You will get Accommodation like Bucharest, Timișoara, or Cluj for around $500 per month, or even cheaper outside the city.
Armenia: Armenia is a consistently prosperous country that provides 300 days of sunshine. Here, you can get an outstandingly low cost of living with an English-speaking population that is constantly growing.
What are the Big 5 English-speaking Countries?
The top five English-Speaking Countries are:
United States: 268M English Speakers
India: 125M English Speakers
Pakistan: 94M English Speakers
The Philippines: 90M English Speakers
Nigeria: 79M-100M English Speakers
Additional Reading — English Speaking Countries
