English speaking countries What countries speak English?

English Speakers in the Americas

Within the English-speaking countries in the Americas, an estimated 350 million people can speak English. About 297 million are native speakers residing in the United States, while 30 million live in Canada. In Central and South America, there are about 14 million English speakers. The English speakers are spread across Puerto Rico (1.7 million), Chile (1.97 million), Columbia (2 million), and Argentina (5.9 million).

English Speakers in Africa

Many countries in Africa consider English a second language. Given the diversity in the languages on the continent, statistics show that about 237 million people speak English in the region. Most English speakers in Africa reside in Cameroon (9.8 million) and 111 million in Nigeria. There are 29 million English speakers in Uganda and South Africa (16 million).

English Speakers In Oceania

Within the Oceania region, about 30 million people speak English. Twenty-two million are native English speakers from Australia. 4 million come from New Zealand, with a majority of the citizens speaking New Zealand English. There are a total of 200,000 English speakers in Fiji and 3.2 million in Papua New Guinea.

English Speakers in the Caribbean

In the Caribbean, there are about 18 territories where English is the official language. It's also a language popularly used among tourists. So, even if you're in a region where it isn't the primary language, most people within the region speak it as a second language. The largest and populous island in the Caribbean (Jamaica) has 2.6 million English speakers, with 459,000 being native speakers.

English Speakers in the Middle East

A large population in the Middle East speaks Arabic. English is regarded as a "business" language taught in universities and schools as a second language. In Iraq, 35% of the country's English speakers consider it their second language. In Israel, over 80% of the country's population can speak it.