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Spanish-Speaking Countries

There are 20 Spanish-Speaking Countries.

Spanish is the official or national language of twenty sovereign countries, spread across Europe, the Americas and one nation in Africa. It is the second-most spoken native language on the planet after Mandarin Chinese. The list below covers only countries where Spanish holds official status, so places with large Spanish-speaking minorities but no official recognition (such as the United States or Belize) are noted separately below the table.

20 countriesIncludes only countries where Spanish is an official or de-facto national language.

No.CountryCapitalCurrencyPopulation
011Flag of ArgentinaArgentinaBuenos AiresARS $45,851,378
027Flag of BoliviaBoliviaSucreBOB Bs.12,581,843
046Flag of ChileChileSantiagoCLP $19,859,921
050Flag of ColombiaColombiaBogotáCOP $53,425,635
054Flag of Costa RicaCosta RicaSan JoséCRC ₡5,152,950
056Flag of CubaCubaHavanaCUP $10,937,203
063Flag of Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicSanto DomingoDOP $11,520,487
065Flag of EcuadorEcuadorQuitoUSD $18,289,896
067Flag of El SalvadorEl SalvadorSan SalvadorUSD $6,365,503
068Flag of Equatorial GuineaEquatorial GuineaCiudad de la PazXAF Fr1,938,431
092Flag of GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala CityGTQ Q18,687,881
099Flag of HondurasHondurasTegucigalpaHNL L11,005,850
143Flag of MexicoMexicoMexico CityMXN $131,946,900
159Flag of NicaraguaNicaraguaManaguaNIO C$7,007,502
172Flag of PanamaPanamaPanama CityPAB B/.4,571,189
174Flag of ParaguayParaguayAsunciónPYG ₲7,013,078
175Flag of PeruPeruLimaPEN S/.34,576,665
211Flag of SpainSpainMadridEUR €49,355,143
240Flag of UruguayUruguayMontevideoUYU $3,384,688
244Flag of VenezuelaVenezuelaCaracasVES Bs.S.28,516,896

How this list is defined

Includes only countries where Spanish is an official or de-facto national language.

Membership of a cultural or political grouping is not always settled, and different sources draw the line in different places. Stating the rule up front is the point: it lets you judge whether this list answers your question, instead of wondering why a country you expected is missing. Every figure in the table comes from the dataset described on the data page.

Frequently asked questions

How many countries speak Spanish?
Spanish is the official language of 20 countries. Twenty is the figure used for sovereign states where Spanish holds official status. If you count territories and regions with large Spanish-speaking populations, such as Puerto Rico and parts of the United States, the number is higher.
Which country has the most Spanish speakers?
Mexico has by far the largest population of Spanish speakers of any country, well ahead of Colombia, Argentina and Spain itself.
Is Spanish spoken in Africa?
Yes. Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa where Spanish is an official language, a legacy of its history as a Spanish colony.

Related lists

Latin American CountriesSouth American CountriesCountries in North AmericaAfrican CountriesSlavic CountriesMiddle East Countries

Populations from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL); other fields from open datasets. Membership of cultural regions can vary between sources; this list uses the definition stated above. Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.