how many countries speak english

Roughly 86 countries and territories have English as an official language, and English is spoken—either as a first or second language—in well over 100 countries worldwide.

How many countries “speak English”?

When people ask “how many countries speak English,” they usually mean one of two things:

• English as an official language (used in government, courts, education).
• English widely spoken (even if not official).

For official‑language status , most current counts put the total at about 57 sovereign countries plus 28 dependent territories where English is legally recognized, adding up to around 85–86 countries and territories.

If you count any country where English is commonly used (for business, media, or education), the number jumps to well over 100 , since English is taught or used as a lingua franca in many nations that do not list it as official.

Quick overview table

Here’s a simplified snapshot of the scale:

Category| Approximate count
---|---
Sovereign states with English as an official language| 57 57
Non‑sovereign territories with English as official| 28 57
Total countries/territories with English as official| ~85–86 35
Countries where English is widely spoken (official or not)| >100 6810

Why English is so widespread

English spread globally through British colonial history , then cemented its role via trade, science, tech, and pop culture. Today it is estimated that over 1.3 billion people worldwide can speak English to some degree, making it the most widely used second language on the planet.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.