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Portuguese Speaking Countries 2024

Portuguese is a language that is spoken around the world, and it is spoken by about 279 million people. The most populous country that speaks Portuguese as its native language is Brazil, which has a population of over 207 million people. Not only is it the largest Portuguese-speaking nation, but it is the only one located in the Americas. In Brazil, Portuguese is the first language of 99.5% of the total population.

Brazil isn’t the only country or territory where Portuguese is spoken. In Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe, it is spoken by the vast majority as a native language. In Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, it is the native language of a significant minority of the population. In Angola, it is also spoken by the majority as a second language. In Cape Verde, the language is spoken by the majority as a second language. In East Timor and Macau, Portuguese is spoken by a small minority as the native language.

There are other countries worldwide that have Portuguese speakers. This includes Venezuela, Guyana and the United States. Over 730,000 people in the United States speak Portuguese at home. Other areas where Portuguese is spoken include Japan, Malaysia, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia, just to name a few.

Notes: - The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) was created on July 17, 1996, at the Lisbon Constitutive Summit. - The CPLP has three main objectives: political and diplomatic coordination, cooperation in all areas, and promotion and diffusion of the Portuguese language. - As of 2024, the CPLP comprises Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor-Leste.

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Country
Speaks Portuguese
Official Language
Native Language of Majority
CPLP Member
Portuguese Spoken By:
Brazil95% as a native language
South AfricaSmall minority as a native language
ArgentinaMinority as a second language
Angola40% as a native language, 60% total
Mozambique17% as a native language, 44% total
VenezuelaMinority as a second language
ZambiaSmall minority as a second language
SenegalSmall minority as a second language
Portugal95% as a native language
ParaguaySignificant minority as a native language
Republic of the CongoSmall minority as a second language
UruguaySignificant minority as a native language, |significant minority as a second language
NamibiaSmall minority as a native language
Equatorial GuineaSmall minority as a second language
Timor Leste0.1% as a first language; 5% total
EswatiniSmall minority as a second language
Macau0.5% as a native language, 3% total
Cape Verde2% as a native language, 48% total
Sao Tome and Principe65% as a native language, 99% total

Which countries speak Portuguese?

Portuguese is the primary language in Brazil, Portugal, Sao Tome, and Principe. It is also spoken in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and Cape Verde. There are also large Portuguese-speaking populations in South Africa, Namibia, Malaysia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Zambia.

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