English is now the #1 studied language in 154 countries, 79% of every country Duolingo tracks and a 14% jump from 2024. Japanese overtook German for the first time, Korean passed Italian, and formal enrolment bodies count tens of millions more learners inside classrooms. This post compiles the most learned foreign languages worldwide by learner count in 2026, drawn from Duolingo, the OIF, Instituto Cervantes, and Berlitz.
Most Learned Foreign Languages: Key Facts
- English tops the ranking in 154 countries, up 14% from 2024, per the Duolingo 2025 Language Report.
- French counts 51 million foreign-language learners and 170 million in institutional settings, based on OIF data.
- Spanish has 24.6 million active foreign-language students, up 79% over the past decade, per Instituto Cervantes.
- Japanese moved to #4 on Duolingo, passing German for the first time in the ranking’s history.
- Vietnamese grew 140% year over year on Berlitz, the sharpest rise of any tracked language.
The most learned foreign languages in 2026 are English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Hindi in that order on Duolingo. Institutional data keeps French at #2 by formal enrolment, while Spanish leads platform-driven growth.
Top 10 Most Learned Foreign Languages Worldwide in 2026
Duolingo publishes the most widely cited ranking because its dataset spans over 40 languages and pulls learners from nearly every country. The platform closed 2025 with 52.7 million daily active users, a figure covered in more detail in Duolingo’s user and revenue numbers.
Japanese and Korean climbed after Duolingo opened both courses to speakers of more than 20 base languages in 2025. Hindi entered the top 10 for the first time.
| Rank | Language | 2025 Position Change | Standout Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. English | #1 | Steady | #1 studied language in 154 countries |
| 2. Spanish | #2 | Steady | #1 in 33 countries |
| 3. French | #3 | Steady | #1 in 16 countries |
| 4. Japanese | #4 | Up from #5 | Passed German for the first time |
| 5. German | #5 | Down from #4 | Still #1 in several European countries |
| 6. Korean | #6 | Up from #7 | Second fastest-growing in 7 countries |
| 7. Italian | #7 | Down from #6 | Popular in the EU, Argentina, US |
| 8. Chinese | #8 | Up from #9 | Fastest-growing in Germany, Brazil, Mexico, France |
| 9. Portuguese | #9 | Steady | Fastest-growing in China and India |
| 10. Hindi | #10 | Entered top 10 | Rising across South Asia diaspora regions |
Source: Duolingo 2025 Language Report
English leads by country count with a wide gap: 154 countries versus 33 for Spanish and 16 for French. For how these learner rankings stack against raw speaker totals, see the most common languages in the world by speaker count.
How Many People Are Learning Each Language?
Apps capture self-directed demand. The largest learner pools still sit inside school systems and universities, and national language bodies report those numbers directly.
| Language | Formal Learners Worldwide | Reporting Body | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | ~1.5 billion learners and speakers combined | Kent State University summary | 2024 |
| French (institutional, incl. as language of instruction) | 170 million | OIF | 2024 |
| French (as a foreign language) | 51 million | OIF Observatory | 2024 |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | ~30 million abroad | Chinese Ministry of Education via Statista | 2024 |
| Spanish (active students) | 24.6 million | Instituto Cervantes | 2025 |
| Japanese (official overseas learners) | ~4 million | Japan Foundation Survey | 2024 |
Source: Kent State University, OIF, Instituto Cervantes, Statista, Japan Foundation
Spanish grew its foreign-learner base 79% over the past decade, the fastest rate among the six major taught languages, per the November 2025 Instituto Cervantes report. The US, EU-27, UK and Brazil hold 78% of all Spanish learners.
English sits in its own category at roughly 1.5 billion learners and speakers combined. A full breakdown of that figure is in these English language statistics.
Which of the Most Learned Languages Are Growing Fastest?
Berlitz tracks year-over-year change among students taking online instructor-led lessons. This measures paying adults choosing a language on their own, so it reads as momentum rather than total scale.
| Language | 2025 YoY Growth | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese (global) | +140% | Small base, sharpest rise |
| German (US market) | +65.4% | Near-tied with Spanish in the US |
| Spanish (US market) | +56.4% | US demand rebounded across the board |
| Japanese (global) | +53.8% | Rising toward the Berlitz top 5 |
| Hindi (global) | +14.3% | Small but climbing |
| French (global) | -26.4% | 3.7% market share |
| Hebrew (global) | -80% | Sharpest decline of any language |
Source: Berlitz Global Language Trends 2025
The French decline on Berlitz looks contradictory next to the OIF’s 170 million. It isn’t. The OIF counts children in francophone African school systems where French is the language of instruction; Berlitz counts adults paying for lessons by choice. Both figures are correct and measure different things.
German’s 65.4% US surge stands out because the language slipped a spot on the global Duolingo ranking the same year. Learners drawn to it can start with free German stories for beginners, and Italian, despite dropping to #7, still grew 2.8% in European enrolments, with similar Italian story-based lessons available.
Most Learned Languages by Country: Study Behavior Standouts
Duolingo’s polyglot ranking tracks users studying three or more languages at once. The 2025 leaderboard reshuffled.
| Rank | Country | Notable Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Japan | #1 | Most polyglot users and most study time per day, second year running |
| 2. Australia | #2 | New entrant to the top 2 |
| 3. Finland | #3 | Multi-year top-5 regular |
| 4. Germany | #4 | Steady |
| 5. United Kingdom | #5 | Steady |
Source: Duolingo 2025 Language Report
Japan’s #1 slot lines up with separate Berlitz data showing Korean study inside Japan grew 65.9% post-pandemic, alongside a 30%+ rise in Korean content consumption there.
India is another standout. Korean study on Duolingo grew 75% year over year in India, making it the top Asian language choice for Indian learners, ahead of Japanese.
English Certification and Market Data
Learner counts are one measure; test demand is another. The Duolingo English Test drew candidates from 219 countries and 148 first languages in 2025, with Asia at 55% of test-takers and Africa’s share rising from 7% to 8.3%.
India ranks #1 for total test-takers, followed by China, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia, based on Duolingo report data.
The digital English language learning market reached $15.98 billion in 2026, up from $13.94 billion in 2025, and is forecast at $31.62 billion by 2031. How that spend splits across Duolingo, Babbel and Speak is covered in this language learning apps market and user data breakdown.
What the 2026 Data Shows
Three patterns hold across every dataset. English keeps adding countries rather than losing them. Spanish and French trade the #2 and #3 spots depending on whether you count app users or school enrolments.
And East Asian languages moved from niche picks to mainstream choices. Japanese passed German on Duolingo, Korean gained faster than any other Asian language in India, Brazil and much of Europe, and Portuguese, Chinese and Hindi keep growing wherever economic ties with their home regions deepen.
FAQs
What is the most learned foreign language in the world in 2026?
English. It ranks #1 in 154 countries, 79% of all countries Duolingo tracks, and roughly 1.5 billion people are learning or speaking it worldwide, per the Duolingo 2025 Language Report and Kent State University data.
How many people are learning French worldwide?
51 million people study French as a foreign language, per the OIF Observatory. Counting institutional settings where French is the language of instruction, the total reaches 170 million.
Which language is growing fastest among learners?
Vietnamese, up 140% year over year on Berlitz in 2025, though from a small base. Among major languages, Spanish grew its global learner pool 79% over the past decade, per Instituto Cervantes.
Did Japanese really overtake German?
Yes. Japanese became the #4 most studied language on Duolingo in 2025, passing German for the first time, after courses opened to speakers of more than 20 base languages.
How many people study Spanish as a foreign language?
24.6 million active students worldwide, per the November 2025 Instituto Cervantes report. The US, EU-27, UK and Brazil account for 78% of them.
Sources
https://blog.duolingo.com/2025-duolingo-language-report/
https://www.berlitz.com/blog/global-language-trends-2025
https://www.cervantes.es
https://www.francophonie.org
