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The United States is now the second country with the most Spanish speakers, only behind Mexico, according to the report “Spanish: A Living Language 2024”.

This report by David Fern&&a&&ndez, professor at the University of Alcal&&a&&,

Mexico has about 132 million, Spain more than 48, Argentina about 47, Venezuela and Peru 34 each country, Chile 20, Ecuador and Guatemala 17 each, Bolivia 12, Cuba and the Dominican Republic about 11 in each case, almost 10 Honduras, more than 7 each Paraguay and Nicaragua, more than 6 El Salvador, about 5 Costa Rica, another 4.5 Panama, just over 3 each Uruguay and Puerto Rico and about 1.6 Equatorial Guinea.

These data count those who master it as a native language together with those who have limited competence due to factors such as sharing it with other languages, including indigenous languages, or having learned it, in the case of migrants who have arrived in countries such as Spain.

Fern&&a&&ndez, a doctor in Spanish Language and Literature, worked for fifteen years on the report “Spanish in the world” published annually by the Instituto Cervantes, a Spanish public entity dedicated to the international dissemination of this language.

The work of the Instituto Cervantes, presented this Wednesday in Madrid, highlights that the number of Spanish speakers exceeds 600 million for the first time.

The study by this expert places the figure at almost 590 million, “the second most important language in the world by number of native speakers and the fourth if those who have it as a second or foreign language are added.”

7.2 percent of the planet's inhabitants can currently communicate in Spanish, with varying degrees of competence, Fern&&a&&ndez explains.

The difference between the two works is explained by the fact that the professor introduces some changes in indicators such as the percentage of native and non-native speakers, based on studies on the weight of the language in the United States and in the European Union and in the way of counting Spanish students.

Regarding the future of this language, he notes that in Europe there is a boom in its teaching, gradually displacing French as a second foreign language at almost all educational levels.

On the other hand, Brazil is feeling the effects of the elimination of the mandatory provision of Spanish in education.

And higher education in the United States shows a considerable decrease in Spanish students, which could also occur at other educational levels, he warns.

In addition, the new population perspectives of the United Nations moderate the expected growth of potential users of Spanish until the end of the century, while bringing forward the date when it will reach its maximum: in 2066 with more than 682 million speakers.

“From then on, the Spanish-speaking community will begin a gradual decline until the end of the century, only partially offset by the increase in non-native Spanish speakers in the US,” he stresses, until in 2100 the world population that speaks Spanish falls to 6.3 percent.

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