The most popular languages ​​learned around the world

The most popular languages ​​learned around the world

At Atlas & Boots, we've mentioned Duolingo in almost all of our language posts, be they expert tips for learning multiple languages ​​or tools for lazy learners. We're big fans of the app and were intrigued by the latest insights into the most popular languages ​​being learned around the world.

The team sifted through data from every country in the world over the course of three months to identify the most popular languages ​​learned by its 120 million users. The results are fascinating.

Before we look at the most interesting results, we should mention that Duolingo currently offers 19 languages, not all of which are translatable into every other language. As such, there is some natural bias in the data, but it still offers some interesting insights.

English is by far the most popular language

English is the first language of choice in three times as many countries as the second most popular language. English is one of the two most popular languages ​​in two-thirds of all countries and, across all countries, is learned by 53% of all Duolingo users.

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French is the second most popular language

French is the second most popular language from two perspectives.

• Es ist die zweitbeliebteste Sprache erster Wahl (35 Länder im Vergleich zu Englisch mit 116)
• Es ist die beliebteste Sprache zweiter Wahl (77 Länder im Vergleich zu 57 Spanisch)

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This confirms our claim that French is the best language to learn for those who already speak English. However, it should be said that French is in close competition with Spanish. Although it is one of the two most popular languages ​​in 58% of all countries, compared to Spanish in 46%, only 11% of all Duolingo users learn French, compared to 17% who learn Spanish.

Swedish is the most popular language of study in Sweden

This anomaly is certainly distinctive in the map above. After all, aren't the Scandinavians gifted with languages?

Duolingo has an explanation for why 27% of all users in Sweden are learning Swedish: "Immigration to Sweden has skyrocketed in recent years: one in six Swedish residents in 2015 was born outside Sweden. The fastest-growing foreign-born groups come from Syria and Afghanistan, reflecting a recent increase in the refugee population."

English is the second most popular language of study in the United States

English is the second most popular language learned in the US (21% of all users). Similar to Sweden, this can be explained by immigration.

Immigrants make up over 13% of the total U.S. population, and over 25 million people report speaking English less than “very well,” which likely explains why so many use Duolingo to learn English.

Some locals do not speak their official language

Aside from immigration, some locals cannot speak their official language. In India, for example, English is an official language (along with Hindi), but only 10% of Indians speak it, which explains why it is the most popular language learned.

As former Portuguese colonies, Angola and Mozambique retain Portuguese as their only official language. Nevertheless, 40% and 50% of the locals speak the language. This makes it the second most popular learning language after English, which in turn is a prerequisite for learning Portuguese.

In Canada, French is the most popular language of study. Duolingo ponders: "French is spoken primarily in the Quebec region...The other parts of Canada are much less bilingual, although French is mandatory as a second language for most Canadian students. Is this requirement the reason why a third of Duolingo users in Canada are learning French? Or is it because most Canadians really want to learn their other official language?"

Unlike its neighbors, Argentina is learning Italian

Italian is the second most popular language learned in Argentina (after English). This is something of an anomaly, as Italian does not appear in the top two anywhere else on the continent.

The reason becomes clear when you learn that 63% of Argentines have Italian blood, due to the large waves of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Unlike its neighbors, Guyana does not learn English

Unlike the rest of South America, Guyana does not prioritize learning English as one of its top two choices, opting instead for Spanish and Portuguese.

After over a century of British rule, it is a given that Guyana is proficient in English. In fact, it is the country's official language, unlike its neighbors on the continent.

German is the most popular language of study in Namibia

For those unfamiliar with Namibia's colonial history, it may come as a surprise that German is the most popular language learned there.

old=““>Public domainIn Namibia, German is the most popular language of study

In Namibia, German is the most popular language of study (Image: Public Domain)

In fact, it is probably a result of the German rule that Namibia fell under in 1884. German was one of the country's official languages ​​until 1990 and is currently spoken by 32% of Namibia's white population.

Bangladesh doesn't learn English

Spanish is the most popular language learned in Bangladesh, followed by French. It seems strange that English isn't more popular. Is this because of Bangladeshi leaders' efforts to de-emphasize the English after independence? Could it be due to a relatively inferior Bengali-English Duolingo course? Do Bengalis have an affinity with Spain that we don't know about yet? We welcome facts or theories that can help clarify things!

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