Best foreign languages to learn?

TL;DR: I’ve often wondered what foreign languages might be the best to learn. This list is one attempt to answer that question. It’s a list of world languages by percentage of world GDP. See below for rationale and explanation.

Rank Language World GDP* %
1 English 29.2088%
2 Mandarin 12.6334%
3 Spanish 8.5158%
4 Japanese 5.9273%
5 German 5.6052%
6 French 4.3447%
7 Arabic 2.7520%
8 Italian 2.3042%
9 Min/Hokkien (Taiwanese) 2.1176%
10 Yue (Cantonese) 2.0787%
11 Russian 2.0513%
12 Portuguese 2.0187%
13 Korean 1.9381%
14 Wu (Shanghainese) 1.7254%
15 Hindi 1.5628%
16 Dutch 1.4433%
17 Malay/Indonesian 1.2739%
18 Bengali 0.8042%
19 Turkish 0.7284%
20 Farsi (Dari) 0.7283%
21 Polish 0.6992%
22 Swedish 0.6657%
23 Norwegian 0.4249%
24 Danish 0.4179%
25 Thai 0.3822%
26 Kurdish 0.3326%
27 Tamil 0.3312%
28 Vietnamese 0.3178%
29 Hebrew 0.3128%
30 Marathi 0.3123%
31 Telugu 0.3123%
32 Javanese 0.3101%
33 Czech 0.2875%
34 Finnish 0.2845%
35 Azerbaijani 0.2720%
36 Romanian 0.2658%
37 Greek 0.2444%
38 Hungarian 0.2241%
39 Lao/Isan 0.2204%
40 Catalan 0.1514%
41 Hausa 0.1340%
42 Ukrainian 0.1276%
43 Tagalog 0.1271%
44 Sundanese 0.1240%
45 Swahili 0.1160%
46 Slovak 0.1109%
47 Kazakh 0.1103%
48 Zulu 0.1069%
49 Cebuano 0.1059%
50 Afrikaans 0.0898%
51 Xhosa 0.0885%
52 Yoruba 0.0774%
53 Igbo 0.0756%
54 Bulgarian 0.0737%
55 Serbian 0.0732%
56 Croatian 0.0705%
57 Burmese 0.0700%
58 Sinhala 0.0662%
59 Luxembourgish 0.0645%
60 Slovene 0.0628%
61 Uzbek 0.0624%
62 Lithuanian 0.0596%
63 Pashto 0.0534%
64 Berber 0.0511%
65 Oromo 0.0509%
66 Urdu 0.0453%
67 Quechua 0.0440%
68 Hiligaynon 0.0424%
69 Ilocano 0.0424%
70 Turkmen 0.0402%
71 Amharic 0.0396%
72 Akan (Twi) 0.0361%
73 Estonian 0.0305%
74 Saraiki 0.0302%
75 Sindhi 0.0302%
76 Albanian 0.0298%
77 Khmer 0.0296%
78 Latvian 0.0277%
79 Fula (Pular) 0.0268%
80 Icelandic 0.0255%
81 Maori 0.0251%
82 Belarusian 0.0212%
83 Nepali 0.0203%
84 Ewe 0.0190%
85 Guarani 0.0186%
86 Shona 0.0182%
87 Baoule 0.0179%
88 Dyula 0.0179%
89 Kikuyu 0.0178%
90 Kikongo/Kituba 0.0173%
91 Wolof 0.0170%
92 Georgian 0.0168%
93 Tok Pisin 0.0165%
94 Maltese 0.0157%
95 Mongolian 0.0154%
96 Somali 0.0152%
97 Haitian Creole 0.0152%
98 Armenian 0.0148%
99 Umbundu 0.0146%
100 Bambara 0.0142%
101 Tswana 0.0139%
102 K’iche’ 0.0136%
103 Fang 0.0132%
104 Malagasy 0.0130%
105 Bosnian 0.0128%
106 Tigrinya 0.0127%
107 Shan 0.0124%
108 Mooré 0.0120%
109 Dholuo 0.0118%
110 Kalenjin 0.0118%
111 Kamba 0.0118%
112 Sukuma 0.0114%
113 Luganda 0.0113%
114 Kinyarwanda 0.0109%
115 Chewa 0.0104%
116 Macedonian 0.0108%
117 Lingala 0.0106%
118 Dinka 0.0093%
119 Bemba 0.0085%
120 Tajik 0.0084%
121 Moldovan 0.0084%
122 Fon 0.0080%
123 Maithili 0.0078%
124 Kimbundu 0.0073%
125 Kyrgyz 0.0068%
126 Aymara 0.0064%
127 Mauritian Creole 0.0064%
128 Ovambo 0.0063%
129 Mandinka 0.0054%
130 Luba-Kasai 0.0053%
131 Ewondo 0.0047%
132 Ngore-Kiga 0.0045%
133 Khmu 0.0045%
134 Lomwe 0.0044%
135 Makhuwa 0.0041%
136 Bhojpuri 0.0039%
137 Tamang 0.0039%
138 Tharu 0.0039%
139 Ndebele 0.0038%
140 Nuer 0.0037%
141 Susu 0.0036%
142 Kirundi 0.0036%
143 Papiamento 0.0036%
144 Dhivehi 0.0035%
145 Tumbuka 0.0035%
146 Swazi 0.0034%
147 Hmong 0.0034%
148 Songhay 0.0032%
149 Soninke 0.0032%
150 Fijian 0.0032%
151 Greenlandic 0.0031%
152 Gourmanché 0.0029%
153 Serer 0.0029%
154 Hiri Motu 0.0028%
155 Adja 0.0027%
156 Krio 0.0027%
157 Mbere 0.0027%
158 Shira 0.0027%
159 Montenegrin 0.0022%
160 Sara 0.0022%
161 Lozi 0.0021%
162 Tonga 0.0021%
163 Kabiye 0.0021%
164 Yao 0.0021%
165 Sotho 0.0020%
166 Bari 0.0019%
167 Shilluk 0.0019%
168 Kalanga 0.0018%
169 Bariba 0.0018%
170 Mbosi 0.0018%
171 Teke 0.0018%
172 Sena 0.0016%
173 Tsonga 0.0016%
174 Dzongkha 0.0016%
175 Tahitian 0.0014%
176 Herero 0.0013%
177 Khoekhoe 0.0013%
178 Kwangali 0.0013%
179 Bube 0.0012%
180 Comorian 0.0012%
181 Sangho 0.0011%
182 Afar 0.0010%
183 Tetum 0.0009%
184 Samoan 0.0008%
185 Seychellois Creole 0.0007%
186 Bislama 0.0007%
187 Gbaya 0.0007%
188 Mende 0.0007%
189 Temne 0.0007%
190 Tigre 0.0006%
191 Kpelle 0.0006%
192 Tongan 0.0005%
193 Tshangla 0.0004%
194 Bassa 0.0004%
195 Banda 0.0004%
196 Dan 0.0003%
197 Grebo 0.0003%
198 Mano 0.0003%
199 Marshallese 0.0003%
200 Balanta 0.0002%
201 Palauan 0.0002%
202 Gilbertese 0.0002%
203 Qʼeqchiʼ 0.0002%
204 Kwara’ae 0.0002%
205 Nauruan 0.0001%
206 Chuukese 0.0001%
207 Pohnpeian 0.0001%
208 Tuvaluan 0.0001%
209 Kosraean 0.0000%
210 Mortlockese 0.0000%
211 Yapese 0.0000%
*Source: UN Statistics, 2020

Firstly, in truth, there is no clearly defined measure for what the best foreign language is to learn. I tried searching the topic online, and aggregated rankings from 50 of the top Google search results for the best languages to learn. These articles discussed foreign language from an English-speaking perspective, so English was not included. The average ranking for each language is as shown:

Rank Language Average Ranking
1 Mandarin 2.14
2 Spanish 2.38
3 French 4.08
4 German 4.5
5 Arabic 4.74
6 Portuguese 5.44
7 Japanese 6.02
8 Russian 6.34
9 Hindustani 6.7
10 Korean 7.38
11 Italian 7.4
12 Swahili 8.28
13 Malay/Indonesian 8.48
14 Turkish 8.48
15 Punjabi 8.5
16 Persian/Farsi 8.52
17 Azerbaijani 8.56
18 Bengali 8.56
19 Greek 8.64
20 Dutch 8.66
21 Swedish 8.7
22 Hebrew 8.76

I contrasted this list with the list of world languages by number of speakers, both in terms of native speakers only (L1 speakers) and in terms of total speakers including second language speakers (L1+L2 speakers). The result of that comparison is shown below.

Rank Language (by ave. ranking) Average Ranking Language (by num. L1 speakers)* # native spkrs. (millions, approx.) Language (by # L1+L2 spkrs.)** total # spkrs. (mill., approx.)
1 Mandarin 2.14 Mandarin 920 English 1130
2 Spanish 2.38 Spanish 460 Mandarin 1120
3 French 4.08 Hindustani 410 Hindustani 790
4 German 4.5 English 380 Spanish 530
5 Arabic 4.74 Arabic 320 French 280
6 Portuguese 5.44 Bengali 230 Arabic 270
7 Japanese 6.02 Portuguese 220 Bengali 270
8 Russian 6.34 Russian 150 Russian 260
9 Hindustani 6.7 Japanese 130 Portuguese 230
10 Korean 7.38 W Punjabi 120 Malay/Indonesian 200
11 Italian 7.4 Marathi 80 German 130
12 Swahili 8.28 Telugu 80 Japanese 130
13 Malay/Indonesian 8.48 Wu (Shanghainese) 80 Swahili 100
14 Turkish 8.48 Malay/Indonesian 80 Marathi 100
15 Punjabi 8.5 Turkish 80 Telugu 90
16 Persian/Farsi 8.52 Korean 80 W Punjabi 90
17 Azerbaijani 8.56 French 80 Wu (Shanghainese) 80
18 Bengali 8.56 German 80 Tamil 80
19 Greek 8.64 Vietnamese 80 Turkish 80
20 Dutch 8.66 Tamil 80 Korean 80
21 Swedish 8.7 Yue (Cantonese) 70 Vietnamese 80
22 Hebrew 8.76 Javanese 70 Yue (Cantonese) 70
*Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20190312060544/https://www.ethnologue.com/statistics/size
**Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/100-most-spoken-languages/

Comparing these lists, some languages’ rankings are relatively consistent, such as Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian. It was interesting to note, however, that languages like German and Italian showed up much higher on these ranked list than might be assumed purely based on their rankings by number of native speakers.

I considered that the most obvious source for this disparity was the disproportionate economic world presence of the countries where these languages are spoken. I wondered, then, how much of the world GDP each language of the world accounted for. The chart below is the result of investigating that question. Aggregating the results for each language yielded the ranking at the top of the article.

(A note on methods: I used 2020 UN statistics for countries’ GDP values. For each country, I used approximate estimates for the proportion of nationals using each language, and only included languages that a majority or significant minority spoke. Specifically, all estimates are given in 5% intervals with 10% minimum speakership within the country. This method is admittedly and intentionally granular and imprecise, but provided needed simplification without significantly compromising accuracy by avoiding accounting for numerous minorities within each considered country.)

Country GDP (2020, millions of USD) World GDP % Languages Approx. % within country Language GDP estimate World GDP %
United States 20893746 24.4860% English 85% 17759684.1 20.8131%
Spanish 15% 3134061.9 3.6729%
China 14722801 17.2541% Mandarin 70% 10305960.7 12.0779%
Wu (Shanghainese) 10% 1472280.1 1.7254%
Min/Hokkien (Taiwanese) 10% 1472280.1 1.7254%
Yue (Cantonese) 10% 1472280.1 1.7254%
Japan 5057759 5.9273% Japanese 100% 5057759 5.9273%
Germany 3846414 4.5077% German 100% 3846414 4.5077%
United Kingdom 2764198 3.2395% English 100% 2764198 3.2395%
India 2664749 3.1229% Hindi 50% 1332374.5 1.5615%
English 10% 266474.9 0.3123%
Bengali 10% 266474.9 0.3123%
Marathi 10% 266474.9 0.3123%
Telugu 10% 266474.9 0.3123%
Tamil 10% 266474.9 0.3123%
France 2630318 3.0826% French 100% 2630318 3.0826%
Italy 1888709 2.2134% Italian 100% 1888709 2.2134%
Canada 1644037 1.9267% English 70% 1150825.9 1.3487%
French 30% 493211.1 0.5780%
South Korea 1637896 1.9195% Korean 100% 1637896 1.9195%
Russia 1483498 1.7386% Russian 100% 1483498 1.7386%
Brazil 1444733 1.6931% Portuguese 100% 1444733 1.6931%
Australia 1423473 1.6682% English 100% 1423473 1.6682%
Spain 1281485 1.5018% Spanish 90% 1153336.5 1.3516%
Catalan 10% 128148.5 0.1502%
Mexico 1073439 1.2580% Spanish 100% 1073439 1.2580%
Indonesia 1058424 1.2404% Malay/Indonesian 65% 687975.6 0.8063%
Javanese 25% 264606 0.3101%
Sundanese 10% 105842.4 0.1240%
Iran 939316 1.1008% Farsi (Dari) 65% 610555.4 0.7155%
Azerbaijani 20% 187863.2 0.2202%
Kurdish 15% 140897.4 0.1651%
Netherlands 913865 1.0710% Dutch 100% 913865 1.0710%
Switzerland 752248 0.8816% German 65% 488961.2 0.5730%
French 25% 188062 0.2204%
Italian 10% 75224.8 0.0882%
Turkey 720098 0.8439% Turkish 85% 612083.3 0.7173%
Kurdish 15% 108014.7 0.1266%
Saudi Arabia 700118 0.8205% Arabic 100% 700118 0.8205%
Taiwan 669324 0.7844% Mandarin 50% 334662 0.3922%
Min/Hokkien (Taiwanese) 50% 334662 0.3922%
Poland 596618 0.6992% Polish 100% 596618 0.6992%
Sweden 541064 0.6341% Swedish 100% 541064 0.6341%
Belgium 521861 0.6116% Dutch 60% 313116.6 0.3670%
French 40% 208744.4 0.2446%
Thailand 501795 0.5881% Thai 65% 326166.75 0.3822%
Lao/Isan 35% 175628.25 0.2058%
Austria 433258 0.5077% German 100% 433258 0.5077%
Nigeria 429899 0.5038% English 45% 193454.55 0.2267%
Hausa 25% 107474.75 0.1260%
Yoruba 15% 64484.85 0.0756%
Igbo 15% 64484.85 0.0756%
Ireland 425889 0.4991% English 100% 425889 0.4991%
Israel 407101 0.4771% Hebrew 65% 264615.65 0.3101%
Arabic 20% 81420.2 0.0954%
Russian 15% 61065.15 0.0716%
Argentina 383067 0.4489% Spanish 100% 383067 0.4489%
Egypt 369309 0.4328% Arabic 100% 369309 0.4328%
Norway 362522 0.4249% Norwegian 100% 362522 0.4249%
Philippines 361489 0.4236% Tagalog 30% 108446.7 0.1271%
Cebuano 25% 90372.25 0.1059%
English 25% 90372.25 0.1059%
Ilocano 10% 36148.9 0.0424%
Hiligaynon 10% 36148.9 0.0424%
United Arab Emirates 358869 0.4206% Arabic 70% 251208.3 0.2944%
English 30% 107660.7 0.1262%
Denmark 356085 0.4173% Danish 100% 356085 0.4173%
Hong Kong 349445 0.4095% Yue (Cantonese) 80% 279556 0.3276%
English 10% 34944.5 0.0410%
Mandarin 10% 34944.5 0.0410%
Singapore 339988 0.3984% English 55% 186993.4 0.2191%
Mandarin 30% 101996.4 0.1195%
Malay/Indonesian 15% 50998.2 0.0598%
Malaysia 336664 0.3945% Malay/Indonesian 100% 336664 0.3945%
Bangladesh 329484 0.3861% Bengali 100% 329484 0.3861%
South Africa 302141 0.3541% Zulu 30% 90642.3 0.1062%
Xhosa 25% 75535.25 0.0885%
Afrikaans 25% 75535.25 0.0885%
English 20% 60428.2 0.0708%
Colombia 271347 0.3180% Spanish 100% 271347 0.3180%
Vietnam 271158 0.3178% Vietnamese 100% 271158 0.3178%
Finland 269751 0.3161% Finnish 90% 242775.9 0.2845%
Swedish 10% 26975.1 0.0316%
Pakistan 257829 0.3022% Bengali 35% 90240.15 0.1058%
Pashto 15% 38674.35 0.0453%
Urdu 15% 38674.35 0.0453%
English 15% 38674.35 0.0453%
Sindhi 10% 25782.9 0.0302%
Saraiki 10% 25782.9 0.0302%
Chile 252940 0.2964% Spanish 100% 252940 0.2964%
Romania 248716 0.2915% Romanian 90% 223844.4 0.2623%
Hungarian 10% 24871.6 0.0291%
Czech Republic 245349 0.2875% Czech 100% 245349 0.2875%
Portugal 228539 0.2678% Portuguese 100% 228539 0.2678%
New Zealand 212044 0.2485% English 90% 190839.6 0.2237%
Maori 10% 21204.4 0.0249%
Peru 203196 0.2381% Spanish 90% 182876.4 0.2143%
Quechua 10% 20319.6 0.0238%
Greece 188835 0.2213% Greek 100% 188835 0.2213%
Kazakhstan 171082 0.2005% Kazakh 55% 94095.1 0.1103%
Russian 45% 76986.9 0.0902%
Iraq 166757 0.1954% Arabic 80% 133405.6 0.1563%
Kurdish 20% 33351.4 0.0391%
Hungary 155808 0.1826% Hungarian 100% 155808 0.1826%
Ukraine 155582 0.1823% Ukrainian 70% 108907.4 0.1276%
Russian 30% 46674.6 0.0547%
Algeria 147689 0.1731% Arabic 80% 118151.2 0.1385%
Berber 10% 14768.9 0.0173%
French 10% 14768.9 0.0173%
Qatar 146401 0.1716% Arabic 85% 124440.85 0.1458%
English 15% 21960.15 0.0257%
Morocco 114724 0.1344% Arabic 70% 80306.8 0.0941%
Berber 20% 22944.8 0.0269%
French 10% 11472.4 0.0134%
Cuba 107352 0.1258% Spanish 100% 107352 0.1258%
Venezuela 106359 0.1246% Spanish 100% 106359 0.1246%
Kuwait 105949 0.1242% Arabic 100% 105949 0.1242%
Slovakia 105173 0.1233% Slovak 90% 94655.7 0.1109%
Hungarian 10% 10517.3 0.0123%
Puerto Rico 103138 0.1209% Spanish 90% 92824.2 0.1088%
English 10% 10313.8 0.0121%
Kenya 101014 0.1184% Swahili 30% 30304.2 0.0355%
English 25% 25253.5 0.0296%
Kikuyu 15% 15152.1 0.0178%
Dholuo 10% 10101.4 0.0118%
Kamba 10% 10101.4 0.0118%
Kalenjin 10% 10101.4 0.0118%
Ecuador 98808 0.1158% Spanish 90% 88927.2 0.1042%
Quechua 10% 9880.8 0.0116%
Ethiopia 96611 0.1132% Oromo 45% 43474.95 0.0509%
Amharic 35% 33813.85 0.0396%
Somali 10% 9661.1 0.0113%
Tigrinya 10% 9661.1 0.0113%
Sri Lanka 80677 0.0945% Sinhala 70% 56473.9 0.0662%
Tamil 20% 16135.4 0.0189%
English 10% 8067.7 0.0095%
Dominican Republic 78845 0.0924% Spanish 100% 78845 0.0924%
Guatemala 77605 0.0909% Spanish 85% 65964.25 0.0773%
K’iche’ 15% 11640.75 0.0136%
Luxembourg 73353 0.0860% Luxembourgish 75% 55014.75 0.0645%
French 15% 11002.95 0.0129%
German 10% 7335.3 0.0086%
Myanmar 70284 0.0824% Burmese 85% 59741.4 0.0700%
Shan 15% 10542.6 0.0124%
Bulgaria 69888 0.0819% Bulgarian 90% 62899.2 0.0737%
Turkish 10% 6988.8 0.0082%
Ghana 68532 0.0803% Akan (Twi) 45% 30839.4 0.0361%
English 35% 23986.2 0.0281%
Ewe 20% 13706.4 0.0161%
Tanzania 64740 0.0759% Swahili 75% 48555 0.0569%
Sukuma 15% 9711 0.0114%
English 10% 6474 0.0076%
Lebanon 63546 0.0745% Arabic 85% 54014.1 0.0633%
French 15% 9531.9 0.0112%
Oman 63368 0.0743% Arabic 100% 63368 0.0743%
Angola 62307 0.0730% Portuguese 60% 37384.2 0.0438%
Umbundu 20% 12461.4 0.0146%
Kikongo/Kituba 10% 6230.7 0.0073%
Kimbundu 10% 6230.7 0.0073%
Sudan 62057 0.0727% Arabic 100% 62057 0.0727%
Costa Rica 61521 0.0721% Spanish 100% 61521 0.0721%
Ivory Coast 61143 0.0717% French 50% 30571.5 0.0358%
Dyula 25% 15285.75 0.0179%
Baoule 25% 15285.75 0.0179%
Belarus 60259 0.0706% Russian 70% 42181.3 0.0494%
Belarusian 30% 18077.7 0.0212%
Uzbekistan 57707 0.0676% Uzbek 80% 46165.6 0.0541%
Russian 20% 11541.4 0.0135%
Croatia 57204 0.0670% Croatian 100% 57204 0.0670%
Lithuania 56547 0.0663% Lithuanian 90% 50892.3 0.0596%
Russian 10% 5654.7 0.0066%
Uruguay 53629 0.0628% Spanish 100% 53629 0.0628%
Slovenia 53590 0.0628% Slovene 100% 53590 0.0628%
Serbia 53335 0.0625% Serbian 100% 53335 0.0625%
Panama 52938 0.0620% Spanish 100% 52938 0.0620%
DR Congo 45308 0.0531% French 40% 18123.2 0.0212%
Lingala 20% 9061.6 0.0106%
Swahili 20% 9061.6 0.0106%
Kikongo/Kituba 10% 4530.8 0.0053%
Luba-Kasai 10% 4530.8 0.0053%
Jordan 43697 0.0512% Arabic 100% 43697 0.0512%
Turkmenistan 42845 0.0502% Turkmen 80% 34276 0.0402%
Russian 10% 4284.5 0.0050%
Uzbek 10% 4284.5 0.0050%
Azerbaijan 42607 0.0499% Azerbaijani 100% 42607 0.0499%
Cameroon 39881 0.0467% French 60% 23928.6 0.0280%
Fula (Pular) 10% 3988.1 0.0047%
Ewondo 10% 3988.1 0.0047%
Arabic 10% 3988.1 0.0047%
English 10% 3988.1 0.0047%
Tunisia 39218 0.0460% Arabic 85% 33335.3 0.0391%
French 15% 5882.7 0.0069%
Uganda 38702 0.0454% English 40% 15480.8 0.0181%
Luganda 25% 9675.5 0.0113%
Swahili 25% 9675.5 0.0113%
Ngore-Kiga 10% 3870.2 0.0045%
Bolivia 36573 0.0429% Spanish 65% 23772.45 0.0279%
Quechua 20% 7314.6 0.0086%
Aymara 15% 5485.95 0.0064%
Paraguay 35304 0.0414% Guarani 45% 15886.8 0.0186%
Spanish 45% 15886.8 0.0186%
Portuguese 10% 3530.4 0.0041%
Bahrain 33904 0.0397% Arabic 85% 28818.4 0.0338%
English 15% 5085.6 0.0060%
Latvia 33707 0.0395% Latvian 70% 23594.9 0.0277%
Russian 30% 10112.1 0.0119%
Nepal 33079 0.0388% Nepali 50% 16539.5 0.0194%
Maithili 20% 6615.8 0.0078%
Bhojpuri 10% 3307.9 0.0039%
Tharu 10% 3307.9 0.0039%
Tamang 10% 3307.9 0.0039%
Estonia 30650 0.0359% Estonian 85% 26052.5 0.0305%
Russian 15% 4597.5 0.0054%
Libya 29153 0.0342% Arabic 90% 26237.7 0.0307%
Berber 10% 2915.3 0.0034%
Yemen 27958 0.0328% Arabic 100% 27958 0.0328%
Cambodia 25291 0.0296% Khmer 100% 25291 0.0296%
El Salvador 24639 0.0289% Spanish 100% 24639 0.0289%
Cyprus 24612 0.0288% Greek 80% 19689.6 0.0231%
English 10% 2461.2 0.0029%
Turkish 10% 2461.2 0.0029%
Senegal 24412 0.0286% Wolof 55% 13426.6 0.0157%
Fula (Pular) 20% 4882.4 0.0057%
Serer 10% 2441.2 0.0029%
French 15% 3661.8 0.0043%
Macau 24333 0.0285% Yue (Cantonese) 90% 21899.7 0.0257%
Mandarin 10% 2433.3 0.0029%
Honduras 23828 0.0279% Spanish 100% 23828 0.0279%
Papua New Guinea 23619 0.0277% Tok Pisin 55% 12990.45 0.0152%
English 35% 8266.65 0.0097%
Hiri Motu 10% 2361.9 0.0028%
Zimbabwe 21787 0.0255% Shona 65% 14161.55 0.0166%
English 20% 4357.4 0.0051%
Ndebele 15% 3268.05 0.0038%
Iceland 21718 0.0255% Icelandic 100% 21718 0.0255%
Trinidad and Tobago 21393 0.0251% English 90% 19253.7 0.0226%
Spanish 10% 2139.3 0.0025%
Bosnia and Herzegovina 19801 0.0232% Bosnian 55% 10890.55 0.0128%
Serbian 30% 5940.3 0.0070%
Croatian 15% 2970.15 0.0035%
Afghanistan 19793 0.0232% Farsi (Dari) 55% 10886.15 0.0128%
Pashto 35% 6927.55 0.0081%
Uzbek 10% 1979.3 0.0023%
Laos 19082 0.0224% Lao/Isan 65% 12403.3 0.0145%
Khmu 20% 3816.4 0.0045%
Hmong 15% 2862.3 0.0034%
Zambia 18111 0.0212% Bemba 40% 7244.4 0.0085%
Chewa 20% 3622.2 0.0042%
Tonga 10% 1811.1 0.0021%
Tumbuka 10% 1811.1 0.0021%
Lozi 10% 1811.1 0.0021%
English 10% 1811.1 0.0021%
Burkina Faso 17369 0.0204% Mooré 55% 9552.95 0.0112%
French 20% 3473.8 0.0041%
Fula (Pular) 15% 2605.35 0.0031%
Gourmanché 10% 1736.9 0.0020%
Mali 17332 0.0203% Bambara 70% 12132.4 0.0142%
Fula (Pular) 10% 1733.2 0.0020%
Soninke 10% 1733.2 0.0020%
French 10% 1733.2 0.0020%
South Sudan 15903 0.0186% Dinka 50% 7951.5 0.0093%
Nuer 20% 3180.6 0.0037%
Shilluk 10% 1590.3 0.0019%
Bari 10% 1590.3 0.0019%
English 10% 1590.3 0.0019%
Georgia 15892 0.0186% Georgian 90% 14302.8 0.0168%
Azerbaijani 10% 1589.2 0.0019%
North Korea 15847 0.0186% Korean 100% 15847 0.0186%
Botswana 15782 0.0185% Tswana 75% 11836.5 0.0139%
English 15% 2367.3 0.0028%
Kalanga 10% 1578.2 0.0018%
Syria 15572 0.0182% Arabic 90% 14014.8 0.0164%
Kurdish 10% 1557.2 0.0018%
Palestine 15561 0.0182% Arabic 85% 13226.85 0.0155%
Hebrew 15% 2334.15 0.0027%
Haiti 15505 0.0182% Haitian Creole 70% 10853.5 0.0127%
French 30% 4651.5 0.0055%
Guinea 15490 0.0182% Fula (Pular) 40% 6196 0.0073%
Mandinka 25% 3872.5 0.0045%
Susu 20% 3098 0.0036%
French 15% 2323.5 0.0027%
Benin 15205 0.0178% Fon 45% 6842.25 0.0080%
Adja 15% 2280.75 0.0027%
Yoruba 10% 1520.5 0.0018%
Bariba 10% 1520.5 0.0018%
Fula (Pular) 10% 1520.5 0.0018%
French 10% 1520.5 0.0018%
Gabon 15111 0.0177% French 45% 6799.95 0.0080%
Fang 25% 3777.75 0.0044%
Mbere 15% 2266.65 0.0027%
Shira 15% 2266.65 0.0027%
Malta 14911 0.0175% Maltese 90% 13419.9 0.0157%
English 10% 1491.1 0.0017%
Albania 14910 0.0175% Albanian 100% 14910 0.0175%
Mozambique 14029 0.0164% Portuguese 35% 4910.15 0.0058%
Makhuwa 25% 3507.25 0.0041%
Sena 10% 1402.9 0.0016%
Tsonga 10% 1402.9 0.0016%
Lomwe 10% 1402.9 0.0016%
Shona 10% 1402.9 0.0016%
Jamaica 13812 0.0162% English 100% 13812 0.0162%
Niger 13741 0.0161% Hausa 50% 6870.5 0.0081%
Songhay 20% 2748.2 0.0032%
Berber 10% 1374.1 0.0016%
Fula (Pular) 10% 1374.1 0.0016%
French 10% 1374.1 0.0016%
Mongolia 13137 0.0154% Mongolian 100% 13137 0.0154%
Madagascar 13008 0.0152% Malagasy 85% 11056.8 0.0130%
French 15% 1951.2 0.0023%
Armenia 12641 0.0148% Armenian 100% 12641 0.0148%
Nicaragua 12621 0.0148% Spanish 100% 12621 0.0148%
North Macedonia 12264 0.0144% Macedonian 75% 9198 0.0108%
Albanian 25% 3066 0.0036%
Brunei 12003 0.0141% Malay/Indonesian 90% 10802.7 0.0127%
English 10% 1200.3 0.0014%
Moldova 11914 0.0140% Moldovan 60% 7148.4 0.0084%
Romanian 25% 2978.5 0.0035%
Russian 15% 1787.1 0.0021%
Malawi 11762 0.0138% Chewa 45% 5292.9 0.0062%
Lomwe 20% 2352.4 0.0028%
Yao 15% 1764.3 0.0021%
Tumbuka 10% 1176.2 0.0014%
English 10% 1176.2 0.0014%
Chad 11154 0.0131% Arabic 70% 7807.8 0.0092%
Sara 15% 1673.1 0.0020%
French 15% 1673.1 0.0020%
Mauritius 10921 0.0128% Mauritian Creole 50% 5460.5 0.0064%
French 40% 4368.4 0.0051%
English 10% 1092.1 0.0013%
Namibia 10710 0.0126% Ovambo 50% 5355 0.0063%
Khoekhoe 10% 1071 0.0013%
Afrikaans 10% 1071 0.0013%
Herero 10% 1071 0.0013%
Kwangali 10% 1071 0.0013%
English 10% 1071 0.0013%
Rwanda 10332 0.0121% Kinyarwanda 90% 9298.8 0.0109%
English 10% 1033.2 0.0012%
Republic of the Congo 10100 0.0118% Kikongo/Kituba 40% 4040 0.0047%
French 30% 3030 0.0036%
Teke 15% 1515 0.0018%
Mbosi 15% 1515 0.0018%
Equatorial Guinea 10022 0.0117% Fang 75% 7516.5 0.0088%
Spanish 15% 1503.3 0.0018%
Bube 10% 1002.2 0.0012%
Bahamas 9908 0.0116% English 80% 7926.4 0.0093%
Haitian Creole 20% 1981.6 0.0023%
New Caledonia 9709 0.0114% French 100% 9709 0.0114%
Tajikistan 7997 0.0094% Tajik 90% 7197.3 0.0084%
Russian 10% 799.7 0.0009%
Mauritania 7916 0.0093% Arabic 50% 3958 0.0046%
Berber 20% 1583.2 0.0019%
Wolof 10% 791.6 0.0009%
Soninke 10% 791.6 0.0009%
French 10% 791.6 0.0009%
Kyrgyzstan 7736 0.0091% Kyrgyz 75% 5802 0.0068%
Russian 15% 1160.4 0.0014%
Uzbek 10% 773.6 0.0009%
Kosovo 7734 0.0091% Albanian 90% 6960.6 0.0082%
Serbian 10% 773.4 0.0009%
Bermuda 7719 0.0090% English 100% 7719 0.0090%
Togo 7146 0.0084% Ewe 35% 2501.1 0.0029%
Kabiye 25% 1786.5 0.0021%
French 20% 1429.2 0.0017%
Mooré 10% 714.6 0.0008%
Gourmanché 10% 714.6 0.0008%
Liechtenstein 6872 0.0081% German 100% 6872 0.0081%
Monaco 6816 0.0080% French 90% 6134.4 0.0072%
Italian 10% 681.6 0.0008%
Cayman Islands 6256 0.0073% English 90% 5630.4 0.0066%
Spanish 10% 625.6 0.0007%
French Polynesia 5817 0.0068% French 80% 4653.6 0.0055%
Tahitian 20% 1163.4 0.0014%
Guyana 5471 0.0064% English 100% 5471 0.0064%
Montenegro 4789 0.0056% Serbian 50% 2394.5 0.0028%
Montenegrin 40% 1915.6 0.0022%
Albanian 10% 478.9 0.0006%
Fiji 4494 0.0053% Fijian 60% 2696.4 0.0032%
Hindi 25% 1123.5 0.0013%
English 15% 674.1 0.0008%
Barbados 4440 0.0052% English 100% 4440 0.0052%
Suriname 4120 0.0048% Dutch 75% 3090 0.0036%
English 25% 1030 0.0012%
Eswatini 3835 0.0045% Swazi 75% 2876.25 0.0034%
English 15% 575.25 0.0007%
Zulu 10% 383.5 0.0004%
Sierra Leone 3787 0.0044% Krio 60% 2272.2 0.0027%
Temne 15% 568.05 0.0007%
Mende 15% 568.05 0.0007%
English 10% 378.7 0.0004%
Maldives 3743 0.0044% Dhivehi 80% 2994.4 0.0035%
English 20% 748.6 0.0009%
Djibouti 3423 0.0040% Somali 50% 1711.5 0.0020%
Afar 25% 855.75 0.0010%
French 15% 513.45 0.0006%
Arabic 10% 342.3 0.0004%
Burundi 3399 0.0040% Kirundi 90% 3059.1 0.0036%
French 10% 339.9 0.0004%
Greenland 3130 0.0037% Greenlandic 85% 2660.5 0.0031%
Danish 15% 469.5 0.0006%
Andorra 2864 0.0034% Catalan 35% 1002.4 0.0012%
Spanish 35% 1002.4 0.0012%
Portuguese 20% 572.8 0.0007%
French 10% 286.4 0.0003%
Curaçao 2596 0.0030% Papiamento 60% 1557.6 0.0018%
Dutch 40% 1038.4 0.0012%
Aruba 2497 0.0029% Papiamento 60% 1498.2 0.0018%
Dutch 15% 374.55 0.0004%
Spanish 15% 374.55 0.0004%
English 10% 249.7 0.0003%
Bhutan 2483 0.0029% Dzongkha 55% 1365.65 0.0016%
Nepali 30% 744.9 0.0009%
Tshangla 15% 372.45 0.0004%
Liberia 2481 0.0029% English 35% 868.35 0.0010%
Kpelle 20% 496.2 0.0006%
Bassa 15% 372.15 0.0004%
Grebo 10% 248.1 0.0003%
Dan 10% 248.1 0.0003%
Mano 10% 248.1 0.0003%
Central African Republic 2323 0.0027% Sangho 40% 929.2 0.0011%
Gbaya 25% 580.75 0.0007%
Banda 15% 348.45 0.0004%
Sara 10% 232.3 0.0003%
French 10% 232.3 0.0003%
Lesotho 2273 0.0027% Sotho 75% 1704.75 0.0020%
English 15% 340.95 0.0004%
Zulu 10% 227.3 0.0003%
Eritrea 2084 0.0024% Tigrinya 55% 1146.2 0.0013%
Tigre 25% 521 0.0006%
Arabic 10% 208.4 0.0002%
English 10% 208.4 0.0002%
East Timor 1902 0.0022% Tetum 40% 760.8 0.0009%
Malay/Indonesian 30% 570.6 0.0007%
Arabic 20% 380.4 0.0004%
English 10% 190.2 0.0002%
Somalia 1873 0.0022% Somali 85% 1592.05 0.0019%
Arabic 15% 280.95 0.0003%
Gambia 1830 0.0021% Mandinka 35% 640.5 0.0008%
Fula (Pular) 20% 366 0.0004%
Wolof 15% 274.5 0.0003%
Soninke 10% 183 0.0002%
French 10% 183 0.0002%
English 10% 183 0.0002%
Zanzibar 1724 0.0020% Swahili 80% 1379.2 0.0016%
Arabic 10% 172.4 0.0002%
English 10% 172.4 0.0002%
Cape Verde 1704 0.0020% Portuguese 100% 1704 0.0020%
Saint Lucia 1617 0.0019% English 100% 1617 0.0019%
Belize 1586 0.0019% English 70% 1110.2 0.0013%
Spanish 20% 317.2 0.0004%
Qʼeqchiʼ 10% 158.6 0.0002%
San Marino 1555 0.0018% Italian 100% 1555 0.0018%
Solomon Islands 1546 0.0018% Tok Pisin 70% 1082.2 0.0013%
English 20% 309.2 0.0004%
Kwara’ae 10% 154.6 0.0002%
British Virgin Islands 1492 0.0017% English 100% 1492 0.0017%
Antigua and Barbuda 1370 0.0016% English 90% 1233 0.0014%
Spanish 10% 137 0.0002%
Guinea-Bissau 1315 0.0015% Portuguese 50% 657.5 0.0008%
Fula (Pular) 15% 197.25 0.0002%
Balanta 15% 197.25 0.0002%
Mandinka 10% 131.5 0.0002%
French 10% 131.5 0.0002%
Comoros 1235 0.0014% Comorian 80% 988 0.0012%
French 10% 123.5 0.0001%
Arabic 10% 123.5 0.0001%
Seychelles 1059 0.0012% Seychellois Creole 60% 635.4 0.0007%
French 25% 264.75 0.0003%
English 15% 158.85 0.0002%
Grenada 1043 0.0012% English 90% 938.7 0.0011%
French 10% 104.3 0.0001%
Saint Kitts and Nevis 927 0.0011% English 100% 927 0.0011%
Turks and Caicos Islands 925 0.0011% English 80% 740 0.0009%
Haitian Creole 10% 92.5 0.0001%
Spanish 10% 92.5 0.0001%
Sint Maarten 857 0.0010% English 65% 557.05 0.0007%
Spanish 15% 128.55 0.0002%
French 10% 85.7 0.0001%
Dutch 10% 85.7 0.0001%
Vanuatu 855 0.0010% Bislama 70% 598.5 0.0007%
English 20% 171 0.0002%
French 10% 85.5 0.0001%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 810 0.0009% English 100% 810 0.0009%
Samoa 772 0.0009% Samoan 85% 656.2 0.0008%
English 15% 115.8 0.0001%
Dominica 507 0.0006% English 90% 456.3 0.0005%
French 10% 50.7 0.0001%
Tonga 491 0.0006% Tongan 90% 441.9 0.0005%
English 10% 49.1 0.0001%
São Tomé and Príncipe 476 0.0006% Portuguese 100% 476 0.0006%
Micronesia 403 0.0005% English 30% 120.9 0.0001%
Chuukese 25% 100.75 0.0001%
Pohnpeian 15% 60.45 0.0001%
Kosraean 10% 40.3 0.0000%
Mortlockese 10% 40.3 0.0000%
Yapese 10% 40.3 0.0000%
Cook Islands 283 0.0003% Maori 80% 226.4 0.0003%
English 20% 56.6 0.0001%
Palau 264 0.0003% Palauan 65% 171.6 0.0002%
English 25% 66 0.0001%
Tagalog 10% 26.4 0.0000%
Anguilla 258 0.0003% English 100% 258 0.0003%
Marshall Islands 244 0.0003% Marshallese 90% 219.6 0.0003%
English 10% 24.4 0.0000%
Kiribati 181 0.0002% Gilbertese 90% 162.9 0.0002%
English 10% 18.1 0.0000%
Nauru 135 0.0002% Nauruan 90% 121.5 0.0001%
English 10% 13.5 0.0000%
Montserrat 68 0.0001% English 100% 68 0.0001%
Tuvalu 55 0.0001% Tuvaluan 90% 49.5 0.0001%
English 10% 5.5 0.0000%
TOTAL 85329208 100.0000% 100.0000%

To compare this ranking analytically with the aggregated online ranking, as well as contrast that comparison to the L1 and L1+L2 speakership rankings, I calculated the rank-biased overlap (RBO) versus the online aggregated ordering for each ranking system. At every tested value for the probability p input for this measure, the GDP ranking yielded a higher result, indicating a higher correlation with the observed online ranking patterns.

Comparison method L1 ranking L1+L2 ranking GDP ranking
RBO, p=0.3 0.166 0.973 0.994
p=0.6 0.366 0.902 0.955
p=0.75 0.480 0.856 0.913
p=0.9 0.609 0.803 0.838
p=0.95 0.655 0.769 0.796
p=0.99 0.689 0.716 0.752
Kendall τ 0.067 0.178 0.075
Spearman ρ 0.148 0.209 0.105

It’s admittedly observed that using more old-fashioned measures like the Kendall tau and Spearman rho, the L1+L2 ranking actually performs better than the GDP ranking. Nevertheless, as can be surmised from its RBO score, this GDP ranking does appear to give interesting additional insight to the question of which foreign languages might be useful to learn in the modern age.