Spanish Speaking Countries 2023

The Spanish language is spoken in countries throughout the world. It is the majority language across 20 states and territories. This means that it is used as the primary language for communication across most of the population. Official documents are written in Spanish in these countries and territories, and it is taught to children in schools. Across these nations, there are over 442,000,000 people that speak Spanish.

Mexico is the Spanish-speaking nation with the highest population. As of 2014, Mexico has a population of over 120 million residents. It is the only country with a population of over 100 million that is primarily Spanish-speaking. Many Spanish-speaking countries are located around the world, most being located in South America, Latin America, and Europe.

All of the nations and territories that have Spanish as their majority language are (in alphabetical order): Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela

Some nations have minority populations of Spanish-speaking residents. While Spanish isn’t the official language in these areas, most printed and broadcast media are also available in Spanish. The United States, while a primarily English-speaking country, has the largest population of Spanish-speaking residents among these nations. About 23% of the total population – or 52 million people – speak Spanish.

In addition to the United States, Andorra, Belize, and Gibraltar also have large populations of Spanish-speaking residents.

Spanish has also influenced creole languages spoken in areas around the world. Papiamento, which is based on Spanish, is spoken in Aruba, the Caribbean Netherlands, and Curacao. Chavacano is another Spanish-based creole language that is spoken throughout parts of the Philippines by over 600,000 people.