List of English Speaking Countries in the World

Choosing a vacation destination where most people speak your language can certainly be an advantage in convenience. The majority of countries where English is spoken are in the western hemisphere, but there are others in most regions of the world. Here are a list of countries where most people speak this language…

NORTH AMERICA

United States: Most Americans speak English, some also speak French or Spanish.

Canada: The majority of Canadians speak it, although there are a substantial number of people who use other languages, especially in the Quebec province. About 1/4th of Canadians speak French, and some indigenous languages are spoken. According to wikitravel.org, most signs and information for tourists in Quebec have translations in both languages.

WESTERN EUROPE

United Kingdom: Not only is English spoken in the UK mainland, but in its terrorities of Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, the Cayman Islands, St. Helena, Anguilla, and Bermuda.

Ireland: Many Irish people use this language, which is one of Ireland’s official languages. Some Irish people speak the Gaelic language.

LATIN AMERICA

Jamaica: Most people are English speakers in this former U.K. colony.

Bahamas: It is spoken by many residents of these northern-Caribbean islands. The Bahamas were formerly a territory of the U.K.

Barbados: Most people in Barbados, another former British colony, speak this language.

Virgin Islands: It is spoken by most people in the Virgin Islands – some of the islands are U.S. territories, others are British.

Belize: The official language of Belize (another former U.K. colony) is English and it is commonly used, but other languages are also spoken there. It is a small nation in mainland Central America.

Grenada: Many people speak this language in Grenada, a former British colony in the Caribbean.

Aruba: Although Aruba is a Dutch colony in the Caribbean, many Arubans speak it as well.

Dominica: Another Caribbean island which was formerly a U.K. colony, Dominica has many English speakers.

AFRICA

Zimbabwe: Formerly known as Rhodesia, Zimbabwe has many people who speak English. Some indigenous languages are also spoken.

Zambia: A former British colony, Zambia has more English speakers than most other African countries.

PACIFIC

Australia: It is the most common language in this former British colony.

New Zealand: Also a former British colony, New Zealand’s most common language is English. The Maori language is spoken by native people.

Micronesia: Many people speak English in Micronesia, which has it as its official language as well. Several indigenous languages are also spoken.

As you can see from this list, there are more English-speaking countries than usually come to mind. English is also in widespread use among some small islands not mentioned here, and many western Europeans are capable of speaking English in addition to their national languages. Some countries and territories like Guam or Liberia have a high number of English speakers but not enough to be a majority. However, keep in mind that some of the countries which are not listed here but have it as an “official” language may not actually have a substantial number of people who can speak it.

Some data from the CIA World Factbook (public domain) was used for this article.