What are the most important languages in the world?
There are more than 7000 languages spoken around the world, this shows the high linguistic variety that exists. However, the distribution of speakers is very uneven, since while some of the languages are spoken by a large number of the world’s population, others are on the verge of disappearing. Due to high globalization certain languages have been gaining more importance and it is expected that their number of speakers will continue to grow more and more. Here is a list of some of the most important languages in the world:
- English: English is par excellence the most important language in the world and it is the one that many people learn as a second or third language, which makes it the most universal language. It is spoken on five continents and is the official language of very powerful countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Being dominated by so many people, it is considered the language of business.
- Mandarin Chinese: It is one of the languages with the largest number of speakers in the world. Recognized as the official language of China, the country with the world’s largest economy and an important trading partner for many countries. There is a large investment from this country in Latin America which has made it one of the most important languages in the corporate world.
- Spanish: Spanish is the official language of 21 countries and with so many native speakers it is considered one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It is of great importance for being the official language of emerging economies in Latin America and being one of the official languages of the UN, the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
- German: German is the official language of countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. It is the native language of about 18% of Europeans. It is of great importance since it is the official language of Germany which has great weight in the European economy and is a major exporter.
- Arabic: It is the official language of more than 20 countries. The speakers of this language are mostly concentrated in the Middle East, however there are many people who speak the language around the world. It is also one of the official languages of the UN, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African Union. The Arabic language plays an important role in connecting people through culture, science, literature and other fields.
