Yoruba language recognition as one of the world’s top 40 spoken tongues marks a proud milestone for Yoruba speakers worldwide

The milestone places Yoruba alongside global giants such as English, Mandarin, Hindi and Spanish.

Also read: Students Shine as Ooni Champions Yoruba language

For many across Nigeria and the diaspora, this recognition is a powerful affirmation of cultural pride and identity.

Experts say the ranking demonstrates the resilience of Yoruba traditions and the growing influence of African languages on the global stage.

Unlike many indigenous tongues facing decline, Yoruba has retained a strong intergenerational presence, supported by literature, media, and vibrant community use.

The Yoruba language recognition is not just symbolic but a reminder of the role language plays in shaping identity and unity.

Also read: Yoruba Culture Preservation Award Honours Olowu in Unforgettable Ceremony

With over 51 million speakers, Yoruba now stands proudly among the world’s linguistic powerhouses.

Here is the list below: 

1 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺English — 1.53 billion
2 🇨🇳🇹🇼🇸🇬Mandarin Chinese — 1.18 billion
3 🇮🇳Hindi — 609 million
4 🇲🇽🇪🇸🇦🇷🇨🇴Spanish — 558 million
5 🇸🇦🇮🇶🇯🇴🇱🇧Standard Arabic — 335 million
6 🇫🇷🇨🇦🇧🇪French — 312 million
7 🇧🇩🇮🇳Bengali — 284 million
8 🇧🇷🇵🇹🇦🇴🇲🇿Portuguese — 267 million
9 🇷🇺🇰🇿🇧🇾🇰🇬Russian — 253 million
10 🇮🇩Indonesian — 252 million
11 🇵🇰🇮🇳Urdu — 246 million
12 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇭German — 134 million
13 🇯🇵Japanese — 126 million
14 🇪🇬Egyptian Arabic — 119 million
15 🇮🇳Marathi — 99 million
16 🇻🇳Vietnamese — 97 million
17 🇮🇳Telugu — 96 million
18 🇳🇬Hausa — 94 million
19 🇹🇷Turkish — 91 million
20 🇵🇰Western Punjabi — 90 million
21 🇹🇿🇰🇪Swahili — 87 million
22 🇵🇭Tagalog — 87 million
23 🇮🇳🇱🇰Tamil — 86 million
24 🇨🇳🇭🇰Yue Chinese — 86 million
25 🇨🇳Wu Chinese — 83 million
26 🇮🇷🇦🇫🇹🇯Persian (Farsi) — 83 million
27 🇰🇷🇰🇵Korean — 82 million
28 🇹🇭Thai — 71 million
29 🇮🇩Javanese — 69 million
30 🇮🇹Italian — 66 million
31 🇮🇳Gujarati — 62 million
32 🇸🇾🇱🇧🇯🇴🇵🇸Levantine Arabic — 60 million
33 🇪🇹Amharic — 60 million
34 🇮🇳Kannada — 59 million
35 🇮🇳Bhojpuri — 53 million
36 🇸🇩Sudanese Arabic — 52 million
37 🇳🇬Yoruba — 51 million
38 🇮🇳Odia (Oriya) — 42 million
39 🇺🇦Ukrainian — 41 million
40 🇲🇲Burmese — 33 million