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    Number of English speakers in different countries/percent of population that speaks English [oc]
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    Number of English speakers in different countries/percent of population that speaks English [oc]

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    1. ChocolateBunny on

      technically anglosphere countries are also countries that were controlled by the British Empire.

    3. stubbywoods on

      Either the French are overestimating their English abilities or the Germans are underrating them there’s no way they’re that close.

    4. communist_autist on

      Great content. I’d also be interested to see the differences in the countries that speak English the worst—the bottom 10% isn’t included, nor is the distinction between no data and under 1m speakers.

    6. KuriousKhemicals on

      Hilarious that Norway outranks the US for percentage. English is a first language of the vast majority here yet Norway is absolutely *killing it* as a second language. 

    7. iamnearlysmart on

      The data about Pakistan is totally sus. Their literacy rate is 60%. Let’s discount the exceptional illiterate English speakers, if they are significant in numbers let me know, then we are invited to believe that roughly two thirds of all people that receive education (less than 10% graduate college) can speak English?

      Edit : actually it’s closer to four out of five literate people of Pakistan looking at the number in first chart.

    8. kodex1717 on

      I was shocked that about half the people spoke great English when I went to Warsaw. It seemed like there was an English school on every corner and two on every block in between.

      I also found it interesting that the other half of people spoke absolutely zero English. I would have figured maybe a couple words here and there, but nope. It was my first experience trying to talk to people where our respective languages shared no common root. Compare that to Western Europe where English is mutually intelligible with every other language about 1/3 of the time if you use your imagination.

    10. chundricles on

      Where’s China (not Hong Kong).

      Also, shouldn’t China – Hong Kong be in the “once controlled by the British empire” block

    12. Letter_Effective on

      Mexico is lower than what you would expect for a country right next to the US, my guess is that the Mexicans who speak good English tend to immigrate to the US and there is enough Spanish-language media available that they don’t have to turn to English-language content for music, movies etc.

    14. arkofjoy on

      A few years ago we we visiting our daughter who lived in a small village in Italy. My wife made the effort to learn enough Italian to get directions and things but I just couldn’t hang onto the words.

      Then I discovered a work around. The majority of the locals spoke no English, but in the area there were a lot of recent African migrants. Half came from former French colonies and half came from former English colonies. So if I saw an African person, I had a 50 /50 chance of being understood, but with the ltalians about a 5 percent chance of being understood.

      I thought it was hilarious.