One of the most widely spoken languages in the world, it crosses continents from Asia to the Americas. Here are the top ten countries that speak Portuguese.
Following the expansion of the Portuguese empire during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Portuguese language has now become one of the most widely spoken in the world. In fact, it now ranks ninth overall, with 234 million speakers worldwide.
Interestingly, only five per cent of speakers actually reside in Portugal itself. Because of the expansion of the empire, the language was brought to the shores of Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Today, ten countries and territories have made Portuguese an official language.
It has therefore become one of the most influential languages in the world, with a list of countries that includes native speakers and other countries where it shares status among common languages.
From every continent of the globe, here are the top ten countries that speak Portuguese, ranked.
10. Sao Tomé and Principe – different islands, different dialects
Sao Tomé and Principe, a group of islands off the coast of Africa, was a Portuguese colony from 1470 until 1975, just under 50 years ago.
As a result, Portuguese is the official and national language, with different dialects and varieties popping up. Sao Tomé is the first on our list of countries that speak Portuguese.
9. East Timor – one of two official languages
Next on our list of the countries that speak Portuguese is East Timor. While the country also speaks Tetum, Portuguese is the co-official language of the country.
East Timor gained independence from the European nation in 1975.
8. Macau, China – a waning influence
Much like East Timor, Portuguese is the co-official language of Macau. It shares this status with Cantonese.
However, it is now estimated only around three per cent of the current population still speak Portuguese.
7. Equatorial Guinea – three official languages
Located in Central Africa, Equatorial Guinea is next on our list of countries that speak Portuguese. It was once a Portuguese colony before it became a Spanish colony in the 18th century.
Today, Equatorial Guinea lists Spanish, French, and Portuguese as the native languages. Portuguese was only added in 2010.
6. Mozambique – one of the top countries that speak Portuguese
Mozambique also gained its independence from Portugal in 1975. Today, Portuguese is still the official language. However, only half of its 31 million population speak the language.
5. Guinea-Bissau – 11 per cent of the population
Kicking off the top five countries that speak Portuguese is Guinea-Bissau. The Western African nation has a population of just under two million people.
11 per cent of the population speak Portuguese, which is designated as the official language. However, the local dialects are from a Portuguese-based Creole called Crioulo or Kiriol.
4. Cape Verde / Cabo Verde – the written language but not the spoken tongue
Portuguese is designated as the national language of Cape Verde / Cabo Verde. However, Portuguese-based Creole is, in fact, the language or dialect used in conversation in the country.
Those within the country use Portuguese, on the other hand, for the majority of written communication.
3. Angola – only one of 47 languages
One of the African countries on our list of the top countries that speak Portuguese is Angola. It is the official language of the country.
60 per cent of the population spoke Angolan Portuguese in 2005, with 20% using it as their first language. However, there are 46 other languages spoken in Angola, most of which are Bantu languages.
2. Brazil – the largest country in the world where Portuguese is spoken
Taking the penultimate spot on our list of countries that speak Portuguese is the South American country of Brazil. Brazil is the largest country in the world that speaks the language.
Portuguese is the official language of a population of 212.6 million. Differences emerge between Brazilian and European Portuguese, such as in the accents, grammar, and spelling.
1. Portugal – one of the most obvious Portuguese-speaking countries
Top of the list of the countries that speak Portuguese is Portugal itself. Portugal has a population of just over ten million.
This means that only five per cent of Portuguese speakers actually reside in Portugal itself, even though it is the country’s primary language.
Portuguese is a Romance language, the second after Spanish. Today, it is now the fastest-growing European language in the world, behind English.
Notable mentions
Sao Paolo: The Brazilian city of Sao Paolo in South America has a population of 12 million Portuguese speakers, which is more than Portugal itself.
France: France is the country with the second highest number of Portuguese speakers in Europe – a total of 959,000 alongside the national language of French.
United States: It is no surprise that the US, a multilingual country and a conglomeration of different cultures, has around 693,000 Portuguese speakers.
Sri Lanka: There are a number of Portuguese-speaking communities in Sri Lanka.
Venezuela: The Latin American country boasts a significant amount of Portuguese speakers, with a number in the region of 254,000 who speak the Portuguese language.
FAQs about countries that speak Portuguese
Where is Portuguese spoken?
Portuguese is spoken as an official language in ten different countries and regions. It is spoken the world over, primarily in Portugal, Africa, and South America.
What is the most popular language in South America?
Portuguese is the primary language in South America. This is due to the fact that Brazil, with 184 million inhabitants, counts for over 50% of the continent’s population.
Is Portuguese hard to learn?
Portuguese is a Romance language and is spoken around the world. Therefore, it should not be so difficult to learn. Many native English-speakers find it relatively easy to learn.
