In 2025, there were around 1.53 billion people worldwide who spoke English either natively or as a second language, slightly more than the 1.18 billion Mandarin Chinese speakers at the time of survey. Hindi and Spanish accounted for the third and fourth most widespread languages that year. Languages in the United States The United States does not have an official language, but the country uses English, specifically American English, for legislation, regulation, and other official pronouncements. The United States is a land of immigration, and the languages spoken in the United States vary as a result of the multicultural population. The second most common language spoken in the United States is Spanish or Spanish Creole, which over than 43 million people spoke at home in 2023. There were also 3.5 million Chinese speakers (including both Mandarin and Cantonese),1.8 million Tagalog speakers, and 1.57 million Vietnamese speakers counted in the United States that year. Different languages at home The percentage of people in the United States speaking a language other than English at home varies from state to state. The state with the highest percentage of population speaking a language other than English is California. About 45 percent of its population was speaking a language other than English at home in 2023.

Many residents of New York City speak more than one language; a number of them speak and understand non-English languages more fluently than English. This dataset, derived from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), includes information on over 1.7 million limited English proficient (LEP) residents and a subset of that population called limited English proficient citizens of voting age (CVALEP) at the Community District level. There are 59 community districts throughout NYC, with each district being represented by a Community Board.

In 2023, around 43.37 million people in the United States spoke Spanish at home. In comparison, approximately 998,179 people were speaking Russian at home during the same year. The distribution of the U.S. population by ethnicity can be accessed here. A ranking of the most spoken languages across the world can be accessed here.

This data set uses the 2009-2013 American Community Survey to tabulate the number of speakers of languages spoken at home and the number of speakers of each language who speak English less than very well. These tabulations are available for the following geographies: nation; each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico; counties with 100,000 or more total population and 25,000 or more speakers of languages other than English and Spanish; core-based statistical areas (metropolitan statistical areas and micropolitan statistical areas) with 100,000 or more total population and 25,000 or more speakers of languages other than English and Spanish.

Table from the American Community Survey (ACS) B16003 of age by language spoken at home for the population 5 years and over in limited English-speaking households. These are multiple, nonoverlapping vintages of the 5-year ACS estimates of population and housing attributes starting in 2010 shown by the corresponding census tract vintage. Also includes the most recent release annually.King County, Washington census tracts with nonoverlapping vintages of the 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates starting in 2010. Vintage identified in the "ACS Vintage" field.The census tract boundaries match the vintage of the ACS data (currently 2010 and 2020) so please note the geographic changes between the decades. Tracts have been coded as being within the City of Seattle as well as assigned to neighborhood groups called "Community Reporting Areas". These areas were created after the 2000 census to provide geographically consistent neighborhoods through time for reporting U.S. Census Bureau data. This is not an attempt to identify neighborhood boundaries as defined by neighborhoods themselves.Vintages: 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023ACS Table(s): B16003Data downloaded from: <a href='https://data.c

Language questions were only asked of persons 5 years and older. The language question is about current use of a non-English language at home, not about ability to speak another language or the use of such a language in the past or elsewhere. People who speak a language other than English outside of the home are not reported as speaking a language other than English. Respondents that spoke a language other than English at home, where also asked whether they could speak English "very well" or less than "very well. See how the Census Bureau measures Language Use for more information at https://www.census.gov/topics/population/language-use/about.html.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table C16001.

Data quality:Hamilton, City (C)Total non-response (TNR) rate, short-form census questionnaire: 2.5%Total non-response (TNR) rate, long-form census questionnaire: 3.5%Notes: 36 Knowledge of official languages refers to whether the person can conduct a conversation in English only French only in both or in neither language. For a child who has not yet learned to speak this includes languages that the child is learning to speak at home.For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 37 First official language spoken refers to the first official language (English or French) spoken by the person.For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 38 Mother tongue refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the person at the time the data was collected. If the person no longer understands the first language learned the mother tongue is the second language learned. For a person who learned more than one language at the same time in early childhood the mother tongue is the language this person spoke most often at home before starting school. The person has more than one mother tongue only if they learned these languages at the same time and still understands them. For a child who has not yet learned to speak the mother tongue is the language spoken most often to this child at home. A child who has not yet learned to speak has more than one mother tongue only if these languages are spoken to them equally often so that the child learns these languages at the same time.n.i.e. = not included elsewhere n.o.s. = not otherwise specified For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 39 Users should be aware that estimates associated with Indigenous languages are more affected than most by the incomplete enumeration of certain reserves and settlements in the Census of Population. 40 All languages spoken at home refers to all languages that the person speaks at home on a regular basis at the time of data collection.n.i.e. = not included elsewheren.o.s. = not otherwise specified For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 41 Language spoken most often at home refers to the language the person speaks most often at home at the time of data collection. A person can report more than one language as "spoken most often at home" if the languages are spoken equally often.For a person who lives alone the language spoken most often at home is the language in which they feel most comfortable. For a child who has not yet learned to speak this is the language spoken most often to the child at home. Where more than one language is spoken to the child the language spoken most often at home is the language spoken most often. If more than one language is spoken equally often to the child then these languages are included here. n.i.e. = not included elsewhere n.o.s. = not otherwise specified For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 42 Other language(s) spoken regularly at home refers to the language(s) if any that the person speaks at home on a regular basis at the time of data collection other than the language(s) they speak most often at home.Comparisons to previous Census data is not recommended for the 'Other languages spoken regularly at home' variable. For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 43 Knowledge of official languages refers to whether the person can conduct a conversation in English only French only in both or in neither language. For a child who has not yet learned to speak this includes languages that the child is learning to speak at home.Knowledge of non-official languages refers to whether the person can conduct a conversation in a language other than English or French. For a child who has not yet learned to speak this includes languages that the child is learning to speak at home. The number of languages that can be reported may vary between surveys depending on the objectives of the survey. n.i.e. = not included elsewhere n.o.s. = not otherwise specified For more information on language variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Languages Reference Guide Census of Population 2021.

This feature layer was created using Census 2016 data produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Local Electoral Areas boundary data (generalised to 20m) produced by Tailte Éireann. The layer represents Census 2016 theme 2.5, speakers of foreign languages by languages spoken. Attributes include population breakdown by languages spoken by foreign language speakers (e.g. Polish, French). Census 2016 theme 2 represents Migration, Ethnicity and Religion. The Census is carried out every five years by the CSO to determine an account of every person in Ireland. The results provide information on a range of themes, such as, population, housing and education. The data were sourced from the CSO.For the purposes of County Council and Corporation elections each county and city is divided into Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) which are constituted on the basis of Orders made under the Local Government Act, 1941. In general, LEAs are formed by aggregating Electoral Divisions. However, in a number of cases Electoral Divisions are divided between LEAs to facilitate electors. The current composition of the LEAs have been established by Statutory Instruments No’s 427-452/2008, 503-509/2008 and 311/1998.

*Asian/Pacific Islander

Language questions were only asked of persons 5 years and older. The language question is about current use of a non-English language at home, not about ability to speak another language or the use of such a language in the past. People who speak a language other than English outside of the home are not reported as speaking a language other than English. Similarly, people whose mother tongue is a non-English language but who do not currently use the language at home do not report the language.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau; 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP02.

Data on the knowledge of official languages by the population of Canada and Canada outside Quebec, and of all provinces and territories, for Census years 1951 to 2021.

Language spoken at home and the ability to speak English for the population age 5 and over as reported by the US Census Bureau's, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates table C16001.

Statistics Canada Census Data from 2021. This file geodatabase includes extra data for the language at home total, male, and female populations provided by Statistics Canada joined with the census tracts. The extra tables include the following:Language spoken at home for the total population by ageLanguage spoken at home for the total population where English is their first official language spoken by ageLanguage spoken at home for the total population where French is their first official language spoken by ageLanguage spoken at home for the total population where English and French are their first official languages spoken by ageLanguage spoken at home for the total population where neither English nor French are their first official language spoken by ageThe geodatabase also includes tables of the above topics for the male and female populations.NOTE: Only languages where there were one or more respondents were included. For a full list of languages included in the census, please refer to the List of Languages by Statistics Canada.For more information on definitions of terms used in the tables and other notes, refer to Statistics Canada's Languages Reference Guide and Statistics Canada's 2021 Census.

Data on the first official language spoken by the population of Canada and Canada outside Quebec, and of all provinces and territories, for Census years 1971 to 2021.

The American Community Survey, Table B16001 provided detailed individual-level language estimates at the tract level of 42 non-English language categories, tabulated by the English-speaking ability. Two sets of languages data are included here, with population counts and percentages for both:the tract population speaking languages other than English, regardless of English=speaking ability, identified by the language name, and the languages spoken other than English by the tract population who does not speak English 'very well', identified by the language name followed by "_Enw".The default pop-up for this service presents the second of these data: languages spoken other than English by the tract population who does not speak English 'very well'.In part because of privacy concerns with the very small counts in some categories in Table B16001, the Census changed the American Community Survey estimates of the languages spoken by individuals. In 2016, the number of categories previously presented in Table B16001 was reduced to reflect the most commonly spoken languages, and several languages spoken in Massachusetts were grouped into generalized (i.e., "Other...") categories.Table B16001 has been renamed Table C16001 with these generalized categories. Therefore, although the information presented in this datalayer is not current, and these data cannot be updated.

As of 2023, more than ** percent of people in the United States spoke a language other than English at home. California had the highest share among all U.S. states, with ** percent of its population speaking a language other than English at home.

Data on the language spoken most often at home by the population of Canada and Canada outside Quebec, and of all provinces and territories, for Census years 1971 to 2021.

ABS Census data extract - G13 LANGUAGE USED AT HOME BY PROFICIENCY IN SPOKEN ENGLISH providing a breakdown of population at Suburb level and by:speaks English onlyother language(a)not stated(b)other Chinese languages(c)other Indo-Aryan languages(d)other Southeast Asian Austronesian languages(e)other(f)This data is based on place of usual residence.(a) This list of languages consists of the most common Language used at home responses reported in the 2016 Census and 2011 Census. (b) Includes the categories 'Proficiency in English not stated' and 'Language and proficiency in English not stated'.(c) Comprises 'Chinese, nfd', 'Hakka', 'Wu', 'Min Nan' and 'Chinese, nec'.(d) Comprises' Indo-Aryan, nfd', 'Konkani', 'Marathi', 'Sindhi', 'Assamese', 'Dhivehi', 'Kashmiri', 'Oriya', 'Fijian Hindustani' and 'Indo-Aryan, nec'.(e) Comprises 'Bikol', 'Bisaya', 'Cebuano', 'Ilokano', 'Ilonggo (Hiligaynon)', 'Pampangan', 'Malay', 'Tetum', 'Timorese', 'Acehnese', 'Balinese', 'Iban', 'Javanese', 'Southeast Asian Austronesian Languages, nec' and 'Southeast Asian Austronesian Languages, nfd'.(f) Includes languages not identified individually, 'Inadequately described' and 'Non-verbal, so described'.Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

Data on the first official language spoken of the population of Canada and Canada outside Quebec, and of all provinces and territories, for Census years 1971 to 2016.

Counts and breakdown of languages used data with margins of error for Alaskan Communities/Places and aggregation at Borough/CDA and State level for recent 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) intervals. The 5-year interval data sets are published approximately 1/2 a period later than the End Year listed - for instance the interval ending in 2019 is published in mid-2021.Source: US Census Bureau, American Community SurveyThis data has been visualized in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) format and is provided as a service in the DCRA Information Portal by the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Division of Community and Regional Affairs (SOA DCCED DCRA), Research and Analysis section. SOA DCCED DCRA Research and Analysis is not the authoritative source for this data. For more information and for questions about this data, see: US Census - Language UseUSE CONSTRAINTS: The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) provides the data in this application as a service to the public. DCCED makes no warranty, representation, or guarantee as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided on this site. DCCED shall not be liable to the user for damages of any kind arising out of the use of data or information provided. DCCED is not the authoritative source for American Community Survey data, and any data or information provided by DCCED is provided "as is". Data or information provided by DCCED shall be used and relied upon only at the user's sole risk. For information about the American Community Survey, click here.