With a Hispanic population exceeding 57.4 million, the United States has overtaken Colombia to become the second-largest Spanish-speaking nation, trailing only Mexico. This is according to the report "Spanish: A Living Language 2024," authored by Professor David Fernández from the University of Alcalá and published by the Instituto Cervantes, an organization dedicated to promoting the Spanish language worldwide.
In recent years, the United States has emerged as the country where the use of Spanish is growing most rapidly, spurred by its vibrant Latino community and increasing immigration. According to CNN, Mexico leads with nearly 132 million Spanish speakers, followed by the U.S., Colombia (52.6 million), Spain (48 million), Argentina (47 million), Venezuela (34 million), and Peru (34 million). Chile, Ecuador, and Guatemala each have populations of Spanish speakers ranging from 17 to 20 million.
Additionally, Bolivia adds 12 million, while Cuba and the Dominican Republic each have around 11 million. Honduras follows with 10 million, and both Paraguay and Nicaragua have over seven million speakers. Meanwhile, El Salvador has six million, Costa Rica five million, Panama 4.5 million, and both Uruguay and Puerto Rico close to three million. Guinea Equatorial rounds out the list with around 1.5 million.
The study highlights that, for the first time, the global number of Spanish speakers has surpassed 600 million, solidifying Spanish as the second most spoken native language and the fourth when including those who speak it as a second or foreign language. Approximately 7.2 percent of the world's population now communicates in Spanish, albeit with varying proficiency levels.
Fernández, a doctor in Spanish Language and Literature who has contributed 15 years to the Instituto Cervantes' annual project, notes that the research introduces changes in the classification of native and non-native speakers. These adjustments consider the influence of Spanish in countries like the U.S. and the European Union, as well as the global count of Spanish language students.
Challenges and Opportunities for the Spanish Language
The report also emphasizes the rise of Spanish education in Europe, where it has gradually replaced French as the second most in-demand foreign language across most educational levels. However, in Brazil, Spanish has lost momentum due to the removal of mandatory Spanish language instruction in schools.
Conversely, Spanish faces challenges in higher education in the United States, where the number of students enrolling in Spanish courses has declined in recent years. This downward trend could potentially spread to other educational levels, hindering its growth in one of the primary Spanish-speaking nations.
Future Prospects of the Hispanic Community and Demographic Trends
According to the United Nations' population projections, the growth of Spanish speakers is expected to peak in 2066, reaching 682 million. After this point, the number is anticipated to gradually decrease, representing 6.3 percent of the global population by 2100. Nonetheless, the report suggests that a decline in native speakers may be partially offset by a rise in those who learn Spanish as a second language, particularly in the United States, which continues to attract a growing number of Spanish speakers and could expand its Spanish-speaking demographic in a multilingual environment.