A handy guide exploring different English-speaking countries

English is one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. It is currently spoken by over 1.35 billion people worldwide. However, only 360 million of the 1.35 billion people speak English as their first language. However, with such a large number of English speakers around the world, English can open many doors for you. This universal language will allow you to communicate with people from virtually any country.

English is the official language of 67 countries and 27 non-sovereign entities worldwide. However, English is also spoken in many countries where it is not the official language.

In fact, some English-speaking countries may have more than one official language. To facilitate communication between citizens who speak different languages or dialects, many countries use English as a lingua franca or de facto working language.

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English-speaking countries of Europe

 There are only a few countries in Europe where English is recognized as an official language. However, it is still spoken by the majority of the population in many countries where it is not an official language, such as Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

You will be amazed to see how well some countries speak English despite the fact that it’s not their native language. Here is a list of all the European countries where English is an official language, along with their capitals and the percentage of the population who speaks English.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the populationthat speaks English
England	London	55,980,000	92%
Wales	Cardiff	3,136,000	99%
Scotland	Edinburgh	5,454,000	98.6%
Ireland	Dublin	4,937,786	98.37%
Malta	Valletta	441,543	62.39%
Gibraltar	Gibraltar	33,691	100%
Isle of Man	Douglas	85,033	99.93%

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English-speaking countries in Africa

With 54 countries, Africa is the world’s second-largest continent. It’s natural to wonder if there are any countries on this fascinating continent that speak English, either officially or unofficially. There are, in fact, many. English is the primary language of 24 African countries. Some of them use it as their official language, while others use it as a lingua franca or de facto working language.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the populationthat speaks English
South Africa	Johannesburg	59,308,690	31%
Nigeria	Abuja	206,139,589	86.42%
Mauritius	Port Louis	1,271,768	15.97%
Botswana	Gaborone	2,351,627	38.42%
Cameroon	Yaounde	26,545,863	38%
Gambia	Banjul	2,416,668	2.34%
Ghana	Accra	31,072,940	66.67%
Kenya	Nairobi	53,771,296	18.83%
Lesotho	Maseru	2,142,249	27.86%
Liberia	Monrovia	5,057,681	82.87%
Namibia	Windhoek	2,540,905	17.24%
Malawi	Lilongwe	19,129,952	3.88%
Seychelles	Victoria	98,347	37.63%
Sierra Leone	Freetown	7,976,983	83.53%
Saint Helena	Jamestown	6,077	Unknown
Somalia	Mogadishu	15,893,222	Unknown
South Sudan	Juba	11,193,725	Unknown
Sudan	Khartoum	43,849,260	Unknown
Swaziland	Mbabane, Lobamba	1,160,164	48.2%
Tanzania	Dodoma	59,734,218	9.89%
Rwanda	Kigali	12,952,218	15%
Uganda	Kampala	45,741,007	89.9%
Zambia	Lusaka	18,383,955	16%
Zimbabwe	Harare	14,862,924	82.07%

English speaking countries of the Americas

While the majority of people in the Americas speak English, the main languages spoken in South America are Spanish and Portuguese. However, English is an official language in a few countries in both Central and South America, including Belize in Central America and Guyana in South America.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the population that speaks English
United States	Washington DC	334,497,000	95.5%
Canada	Ottawa	38,341,700	83.06%
Belize	Belmopan	410,981	81.65%
Guyana	Georgetown	793,000	90.55%
Bermuda	Hamilton	65,000	96.92%
Falkland Islands	Stanley	3,672

English speaking countries in the Caribbean

Native Spanish speakers come to mind when you think of the Caribbean islands. You might be surprised to learn that some Caribbean islands have English as their official language.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the populationthat speaks English
Puerto Rico	San Juan	2,860,853	48.61%
Jamaica	Kingston	2,961,167	97.64%
Antigua and Barbuda	Saint John’s	97,929	80%
Anguilla	The Valley	15,003	92.31%
Bahamas	Nassau	393,244	87.13%
Barbados	Bridgetown	287,375	93.91%
British Virgin Islands	The Valley	30,231	86.96%
Cayman Islands	George Town	65,722	76.6%
Sint Maarten	Philipsburg	42,876	Unknown
Dominica	Roseau	71,986	94.03%
Grenada	Saint George’s	112,523	90.91%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Basseterre	53,199	78%
Saint Lucia	Castries	183,627	43.03%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Kingstown	110,940	95%
Turks and Caicos Islands	Cockburn Town	38,717	Unknown
Trinidad and Tobago	Port of Spain	1,399,488	87.74%
US Virgin Islands	Charlotte Amalie	104,425	95.97%

English speaking countries of Asia

Asia is home to some of the world’s most populous countries, including India and China. Five Asian countries recognize and speak English as their official language. That is not to say that English is not widely spoken in other Asian countries. Indeed, many Asian citizens speak English as a second or even third language.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the populationthat speaks English
India	Delhi	1,380,004,385	12%
Pakistan	Islamabad	220,892,340	49%
Philippines	Manila	109,581,078	58.2%
Singapore	Singapore	5,850,342	83.10%
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	437,479	39.07%

English speaking countries in Oceania

Oceania has the most diverse language population on the planet. There are currently estimated to be 450 Oceanic languages. Aside from a plethora of indigenous languages, most countries in Oceania speak English.

Country	Capital	Population	Percentage of the populationthat speaks English
Australia	Canberra	25,499,884	92.80%
New Zealand	Wellington	4,822,233	97.82%
Cook Islands	Avarua District	17,564	19.80%
Fiji	Suva	896,445	20.62%
Guam	Hagåtña	168,775	91.09%
Kiribati	Tarawa	119,449	24.21%
Marshall Islands	Majuro	59,190	98.33%
Micronesia	Palikir	548,914	57.66%
Nauru	Yaren District	10,824	96.67%
Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan	57,559	83.33%
Palau	Ngerulmud	18,094	92.50%
Papua New Guinea	Port Moresby	8,947,024	49.76%
American Samoa	Pago Pago	55,191	80.1%
Samoa	Apia	198,414	49.86%
Solomon Islands	Honiara	686,884	31.68%
Tonga	Nuku’alofa	105,695	30%
Vanuatu	Port Vila	307,145	83.55%

Frequently asked questions

Q. How many countries are officially English speaking?

A. 67 different countries.

Q. Which English is mostly used in the world?

A. UK English is the preferred variant in most European countries as well as in English-speaking countries in Africa and South Asia (i.e. India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh).

Q. How much of the world speaks English?

A. English is one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. It is currently spoken by over 1.35 billion people worldwide.

Conclusion

As you can see, the English-speaking world is vastly different. English is spoken on nearly every continent on the planet. It bridges cultural gaps, allowing us to freely communicate with people from other countries. You can learn English via different English learning apps. These apps are super helpful with user-friendly interfaces.  And as you continue to learn English, you will learn more about the countries where English is spoken. Stop wondering why is English hard to learn and start exploring deeper and deeper into this fascinating world.