As of November 2024, a whopping 600 million people speak Spanish worldwide.
These figures include native Spanish speakers and those that use it as a second language.
In fact, Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world after Mandarin Chinese.
In one Major english-speaking country, Spanish looks to replace English as its main language with an expert giving the exact date this is likely to occur.
This country’s ties between Spain have been found to be much larger than previously thought due to a significant part of its current territory once belonging to the Spanish Empire.
According to linguist Humberto López Morales, Spanish will replace English as America’s main language and will become the majority language in the United States.
The US and Spain’s historical links has also increased immigration of Spanish speakers prompting researchers and linguists to predict what percentage of the population will speak Spanish including when.
Currently, the US is the second country in the world with the largest number of Spanish speakers.
Certain parts of the US already have more Spanish speakers compared to English speakers including Laredo.
In The Spanish news media La Razón, the Spanish language will dominate in the US by 2050.
They wrote: “Today we are 5.7% of the world population. By 2030, 7.5%, and by 2050, if trends do not change, 10% of the planet will understand Spanish. Let’s hope so.”
Statistics from the US’ The Census Bureau also indicated that the Hispanic population accounts for nearly 71% of the total population growth in the country and will reach 65.2 million people – quivalent to 19.5% of the total.
The US Census Bureau projects that by 2060, the Hispanic population will represent approximately 28% of the United States.
Current analysis has found that the purchasing power of families who speak Spanish in the United States has also increased and has become a necessary language for many economic sectors.
The influence of Hispanic culture is also largely reflected in music, cinema, and gastronomy, enriching America’s cultural diversity.
The Hispanic vote has also been found to be one of the key elements for governing in world-leading power.
Despite this Spanish speaking boom, there are other factors which could see the language potentially being lost.
These factors include linguistic assimilation and trends towards bilingualism, particularly among younger generations.
Evidence has found that although Spanish remains widely spoken at home, adoption of English is very much common among descendants of Hispanic immigrants.