The U.S. Has More Spanish Speakers Than Spain 🇺🇸🇪🇸

What We're Showing

The number and share of Spanish speakers in the top 20 countries with the most Spanish speakers.

Both native speakers and limited proficiency speakers were included.

Figures for the number of Spanish speaker and population of Spanish-speaking countries comes from Instituto Cervantes and is for 2024.

Population data used to calculate the share of Spanish speakers for the U.S, EU-27, and the UK come from the U.S. Census Bureau, Eurostat, and UK Office for National Statistics respectively.

Key Takeaways

• Mexico is the undisputed leader in Spanish speakers with 132.4 million speakers, more than double the next closest country (U.S. with 57.3 million)
• Despite having a population nearly seven times larger (341 million vs. 48 million), the U.S. only marginally surpasses Spain in total Spanish speakers (57.3 million vs. 48.1 million)
• The U.S. and the UK are home to a significant number of Spanish speakers, reflecting decades of Latin American immigration patterns.