Spanish Quiz
Select the Spanish Translation of:

  • aburrido
  • la abuela
  • mediodía
  • el ratón

Number Correct: 0

Spanish Resources
Which Countries Speak Spanish?

Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the World. In terms of total number of speakers, Spanish only follows behind Chinese, English and Hindi languages. Combining the total number of native Spanish speakers and those that speak the language as a second language and over 400 million individuals are Spanish speaking globally. Meaning, regardless of where an individual lives, works or plays they will regularly encounter the Spanish language.

Which countries speak Spanish? – 5 Fast Facts

  • Spanish originated in Spain. It is also the official language of the country, spoken by over 40 million people.
  • With over 100 million speakers, Mexico has the largest concentration of native Spanish speakers.
  • Spanish is spoken all over Central and South America. Argentina, Venezuela, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile, Panama and Peru are just a few of the Spanish speaking countries in this region.
  • In the Caribbean, Spanish is spoken in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Almost 4 million individuals speak Spanish in the U.S. owned territory of Puerto Rico.
  • Spanish can be found in several areas on the continent of Africa, primarily in Equatorial Guinea where Spanish is one of the official languages of the country.

The Spanish-speaking world is becoming increasingly less restricted to countries where it is the primary language. The United States has one of the largest Hispanic communities in the world. In fact, Hispanics have become the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country with a Spanish population spreading from coast to coast. In Los Angeles, Spanish is just as likely as English to be the first language learned. In Miami, Spanish has overtaken English to become the primary language of the city, with over 60 percent of the population listing Spanish as their first language. 

As the language increases in popularity their will no longer be a question of which countries speak Spanish? The globalization of businesses, tourism and the immigration of Spanish speaking individuals will mean the Spanish language will be on almost every continent and country.

See All Spanish Speaking Countries

If you are a native Spanish speaker, or you have picked up Spanish as a second language, you may want to know what countries in the world speak Spanish as their official language. This article will help you discover this information, as well as give you an idea what parts of the world these countries are located in.

Spanish is spoken in many different countries. In fact there are over 20 countries where Spanish is the official language or one of the official languages. The majority of the countries where Spanish is spoken are located in the Americas. However, Spain, a European country, is where the language originated and is how the language got its name. The only other country outside of the Americas where Spanish is the official language is Equatorial Guinea, which is located in the middle of Africa. Spanish is one of the two official languages of Puerto Rico, a territory belonging to the United States, so an argument can be made that Spanish is an official language of the United States, though this is not usually thought of as the case.

The country in the world with the largest Spanish speaking population is Mexico. This large North American country has over 100 million residents who speak Spanish as their native language. The next largest Spanish speaking population in the world is in a country that doesn’t recognize Spanish as an official language—the United States.

Other countries that have accepted Spanish as their official language either in name alone or by governmental decree are: Argentina, Bolivia ,Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico , Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. There are small segments of Spanish speaking populations in other countries, particularly in the Americas but also in Europe as well.

As you can see, there are many Spanish speaking countries in our world. In fact, Spanish is the 2nd most common native language worldwide, and the 3rd most spoken language all together. If you are considering picking up another language, this would certainly be an excellent choice.

English / Spanish
Word of the Day
la cama
Translated into english:

Translated into spanish:
la ambulancia