The figures one sees for the number of Spanish speakers per country vary tremendously. One of the biggest factors is whether the number being cited includes all “Spanish speakers”—including those who speak Spanish as a first, second or even third language—or exclusively those who speak Spanish as their first or “native” language (their mother tongue, to use the common expression in Spanish).
Many countries in the Americas enjoy rich linguistic diversity (as does Spain), and not everyone there speaks Spanish as their first language. Additionally, in Brazil and the United States, significant portions of the population speak Spanish as a second language.
It is also interesting to note that, even though the number of first-language Spanish speakers in the United States is relatively small when considered as a percentage of the population (12%), this country still represents the third-largest native-speaking Spanish population in the world.
For example, compare these “top ten” lists:
Spanish Speakers (1st or 2nd language) *
1. Mexico 107 million
2. United States 50 million
3. Spain 46 million
4. Colombia 45 million
5. Argentina 40 million
6. Venezuela 28 million
7. Peru 25 million
8. Chile 17 million
9. Ecuador 14 million
10. Brazil 12 million
Spanish Speakers (“mother tongue” only) *
1. Mexico 100 million
2. Colombia 45 million
3. United States 43 million
4. Spain 42 million
5. Argentina 39 million
6. Venezuela 28 million
7. Peru 23 million
8. Chile 15 million
9. Ecuador 13 million
10. Cuba 11 million
* Source: 2009 study “The Economic Value of Spanish” funded by the United Nations and the International Telecommunications Union, based on population data from 2004-2005. Figures rounded to the nearest million. 2004-2005 data estimated 400 million first-language Spanish speakers, plus perhaps 25 million non-native speakers. However, the same study’s projections for 2009-2010 estimate approximately 500 million “Spanish speakers” in total.
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