The 12 Most Spoken Languages Globally 💭

Editor's note: Due to a software issue, a previous version of this graphic displayed incorrect spelling of Arabic and Urdu. This has since been corrected!

What we’re showing

The top 12 languages globally, as of 2023. These figures come from Ethnologue, which publishes a list of the largest languages every year.

Facts

• Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, and an official language in India and South Africa
• Bengali is another major language used in South Asia, predominantly in Bangladesh and India

See the top 20 languages in the data tab.