New research has found that Hausa language, which is widely spoken in Northern Nigeria and other African nations, is the world’s 11th most spoken language.

According to Spectator Index, there are 150 million speakers of Hausa language all over the world, two million more than speakers of Punjabi (mainly in India) and 21 million more than German speakers.

Mandarin, which is spoken mainly in China, is the world’s most spoken language at 1.09 billion speakers, while English follows in second at 983 million speakers.


See full list of leading languages by number of speakers in million:
Mandarin: 1090
English: 983
Hindustani: 544
Spanish: 527
Arabic: 422
Malay: 281
Russia: 267
Bengali: 261
Portuguese: 229
French: 229
Hausa: 150
Punjabi: 148
German: 129
Japanese: 129
Persian: 121
Swahili: 107
Telugu: 92

Source: https://www.herald.ng/full-list-hausa-is-worlds-11th-most-spoken-language/

Chikwado

Abeg, which language con be mandarin again?


...btw, we use the Hausa language to rep all Nigeria language!

A language that's synonymous to violence!!!!

Anywhere Hausa is spoken, there's bound to be violence!!.... No peace.

Highest for any African indigenous language as well. I have always been skeptical about those who believed that to be Swahili and didn't want to deny because I have very little knowledge of East Africa but I'm glad this research proved what I've always suspected.

yanabasee:
A language that's synonymous to violence!!!!


Anywhere Hausa is spoken, there's bound to be violence!!.... No peace.

Do you have any idea the damage 150 million people could do if all of us were violent? Better yet Just name one Hausa speaking area in the world that's not peaceful.

DevdanSanguine:


Do you have any idea the damage 150 million people could do if all of us were violent? Better yet Just name one Hausa speaking area in the world that's not peaceful.

Borno!!!!

yanabasee:



Borno!!!!

There you go exhibiting your ignorance. So if Borno is not peaceful Hausa speakers are not peaceful?

Well jokes on you, kanuri is the main spoken language in Borno. Not that it matters.

This list is not accurate.

DevdanSanguine:


There you go exhibiting your ignorance. So if Borno is not peaceful Hausa speakers are not peaceful?

Well jokes on you, kanuri is the main spoken language in Borno. Not that it matters.

You asked me to name ONE Hausa speaking area in the world that's not peaceful....

So I mentioned Borno, which Hausa language is well spoken in most areas and wherefore isn't peaceful...


You digressed into something stupid....

yanabasee:



You asked me to name ONE Hausa speaking area in the world that's not peaceful....

So I mentioned Borno, which Hausa language is well spoken in most areas and wherefore isn't peaceful...


You digressed into something stupid....

M.oron. If kanuri is the man spoken language in Borno and Hausa is not the first language, how is borno a Hausa speaking area? It's like saying Nigeria is a French speaking country because some people speak French plonker.

RedboneSmith:
This list is not accurate.

I think it's pretty accurate. They just lumped some languages like Bahasa melayu and Bahasa Indonesia and called it Malay, Urdu and Hindi which they called Hindustan. But overall this is one of the most accurate lists I've ever seen. But if you have reservations itd be interesting to hear them.

DevdanSanguine:


M.oron. If kanuri is the man spoken language in Borno and Hausa is not the first language, how is borno a Hausa spoken area? It's like saying Nigeria is a French speaking country because some people speak French plonker.

I am not the reason why you're stupid... Will never be the reason why you'd remained stupid...


We've got Hausa as a language in Borno and it's the reason why Borno isn't peaceful... It has nothing to do with which language is the major...


Same goes to Plateau state and Kaduna state...... A little percentage of Hausas in a particular place makes that area unpeaceful.

yanabasee:



I am not the reason why you're stupid... Will never be the reason why you'd remained stupid...


We've got Hausa as a language in Borno and it's the reason why Borno isn't peaceful... It has nothing to do with which language is the major...


Same goes to Plateau state and Kaduna state...... A little percentage of Hausas in a particular place makes that area unpeaceful.

So the states that are overwhelmingly Hausa are peaceful but those with lesser Hausa populations are not peaceful because of Hausa language? Fvcktard, how does that even begin to make sense?

DevdanSanguine:


I think it's pretty accurate. They just lumped some languages like Bahasa melayu and Bahasa Indonesia and called it Malay, Urdu and Hindi which they called Hindustan. But overall this is one of the most accurate lists I've ever seen. But if you have reservations itd be interesting to hear them.

My major problem is with the fact that the blogger under-counted the population of German-speakers. There's actually 229 million of them, counting L2 speakers (since it is apparent the list is supposed to include L2 speakers of all the listed languages).

I am also somewhat skeptical about the figure assigned to the number of Hausa speakers. Major reason being the paucity of reliable sources. The blogger mentioned Spectator Index. Couldn't find a direct source/quote from Spectator Index. Meanwhile a group from ABU, Zaria put the number at 120 million. I believe upwards of 100 million would be in order. 150 million? Dunno, man.

RedboneSmith:



My major problem is with the fact that the blogger under-counted the population of German-speakers. There's actually 229 million of them, counting L2 speakers (since it is apparent the list is supposed to include L2 speakers of all the listed languages).

I am also somewhat skeptical about the figure assigned to the number of Hausa speakers. Major reason being the paucity of reliable sources. The blogger mentioned Spectator Index. Couldn't find a direct source/quote from Spectator Index. Meanwhile a group from ABU, Zaria put the number at 120 million. I believe upwards of 100 million would be in order. 150 million? Dunno, man.

Listen, what do you think about the population census? You reckon Hausas are really at the top and Igbos at number 3?

Probz:


Listen, what do you think about the population census? You reckon Hausas are really at the top and Igbos at number 3?

I think most population censuses that have been organised in this country have been controversial. It may well be true that we do not know how many we are in this country, but I do think Hausas really are the most numerous.

Don't ask me who is two and who is three, lol.

RedboneSmith:


I think most population censuses that have been organised in this country have been controversial. It may well be true that we do not know how many we are in this country, but I do think Hausas really are the most numerous.

Don't ask me who is two and who is three, lol.

Lool @ 2 vs. 3. You knew that’s what I was getting to innit.

Probz:


Lool @ 2 vs. 3. You knew that’s what I was getting to innit.

Yep.

RedboneSmith:



My major problem is with the fact that the blogger under-counted the population of German-speakers. There's actually 229 million of them, counting L2 speakers (since it is apparent the list is supposed to include L2 speakers of all the listed languages).

I am also somewhat skeptical about the figure assigned to the number of Hausa speakers. Major reason being the paucity of reliable sources. The blogger mentioned Spectator Index. Couldn't find a direct source/quote from Spectator Index. Meanwhile a group from ABU, Zaria put the number at 120 million. I believe upwards of 100 million would be in order. 150 million? Dunno, man.

https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/960173602200064000

Here's the original source. How did you arrive at your figure for German?

Nigeria 100m minimum plus Niger 20m plus Sudan Mali Ghana Togo Chad Ethiopia Djibouti Saudi etc. Seems accurate. Population doesn't stay put especially given our lifestyle. I'm sure that ABU estimate was done a few years back.

DevdanSanguine:


https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/960173602200064000

Here's the original source. How did you arrive at your figure for German?

Nigeria 100m minimum plus Niger 20m plus Sudan Mali Ghana Togo Chad Ethiopia Djibouti Saudi etc. Seems accurate. Population doesn't stay put especially given our lifestyle. I'm sure that ABU estimate was done a few years back.

I've seen German listed as between 175 and 229 on various lists of most widely spoken languages in the world. This particular list (which apparently didn't consider African languages at all, otherwise they would have had Hausa and Swahili in there somewhere) puts it at 229 mil.

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm

I think the problem most people will have with that Spectator Index tweet is that it lists Ethnologue as its source; meanwhile Ethnologue didn't assign a figure of 150 mil to Hausa. Ethnologue isn't nice to Hausa speakers; it says they are only 47 million strong (I rounded up to the nearest milli.) Ethnologue's figures are outdated (1991). Yet the tweet used it as a source anyway, only changing the figures. Weird. Makes me doubt their integrity.

https://www.ethnologue.com/language/hau

The ABU, Zaria figure is actually not that old. December, 2016.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/hausa-speakers-nigeria-now-120m-communique/


PS: 100 million Hausa speakers in Nigeria alone would mean more than half the population of Nigeria are Hausa speakers. Are you sure you want to make that claim?

RedboneSmith:


I've seen German listed as between 175 and 229 on various lists of most widely spoken languages in the world. This particular list (which apparently didn't consider African languages at all, otherwise they would have had Hausa and Swahili in there somewhere) puts it at 229 mil.

http://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htm

That's interesting. That figure personally seems like a lot for German speakers given Germany is the only country with significant population that speaks it as a majority. (80m). The rest are around below 10m with some in the thousands.

The overall numbers in that link of yours seem very inaccurate.

I think the problem most people will have with that Spectator Index tweet is that it lists Ethnologue as its source; meanwhile Ethnologue didn't assign a figure of 150 mil to Hausa. Ethnologue isn't nice to Hausa speakers; it says they are only 47 million strong (I rounded up to the nearest milli.) Ethnologue's figures are outdated (1991). Yet the tweet used it as a source anyway, only changing the figures. Weird. Makes me doubt their integrity.

I think what they did is factor Nigeria's population increase and that of other countries where it's spoken. (Nigeria's population then was less than a 100m)

The ABU, Zaria figure is actually not that old. December, 2016.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/hausa-speakers-nigeria-now-120m-communique/


PS: 100 million Hausa speakers in Nigeria alone would mean more than half the population of Nigeria are Hausa speakers. Are you sure you want to make that claim?

That's interesting. Maybe they weren't thorough enough but anywhere between 130 - 140 seems accurate in my books.

I reckon 90+ percent of Northerners speak Hausa. The rest of that figure can be accounted for elsewhere. If you put the population of northern states together it accounts for more than half of the countrys population. 90 percent of that should be about half of Nigerias population and like I said, the remaining figures can be accounted for elsewhere.

This is just my point of view. I'd love to hear yours.

DevdanSanguine:

That's interesting. That figure personally seems like a lot for German speakers given Germany is the only country with significant population that speaks it as a majority. (80m). The rest are around below 10m with some in the thousands.

The overall numbers in that link of yours seem very inaccurate.



I think what they did is factor Nigeria's population increase and that of other countries where it's spoken. (Nigeria's population then was less than a 100m)




That's interesting. Maybe they weren't thorough enough but anywhere between 130 - 140 seems accurate in my books.

I reckon 90+ percent of Northerners speak Hausa. The rest of that figure can be accounted for elsewhere. If you put the population of northern states together it accounts for more than half of the countrys population. 90 percent of that should be about half of Nigerias population and like I said, the remaining figures can be accounted for elsewhere.

This is just my point of view. I'd love to hear yours.

Hm. Well, I do not know enough about the distribution of population across Nigeria or the preponderance of Hausa language in the North [I know it isn't that well-spoken in three Middle Belt states] to make informed speculation about your last paragraph.

It seems to me that outside the North of Nigeria and Niger, the population of Hausa speakers are small indeed (even the number in Niger appears small when compared with the teeming mass from Nigeria), making me doubt that the 'make-up' population would contribute that significantly to the numbers from the two countries.

All in all, I agree that the figure for Hausa speakers is in 9 digits. However, from I am quite skeptical about a figure as high as 150 mil.

Where is Pulloh in the list?

RedboneSmith:


Hm. Well, I do not know enough about the distribution of population across Nigeria or the preponderance of Hausa language in the North [I know it isn't that well-spoken in three Middle Belt states] to make informed speculation about your last paragraph.

It seems to me that outside the North of Nigeria and Niger, the population of Hausa speakers are small indeed (even the number in Niger appears small when compared with the teeming mass from Nigeria), making me doubt that the 'make-up' population would contribute that significantly to the numbers from the two countries.

All in all, I agree that the figure for Hausa speakers is in 9 digits. However, from I am quite skeptical about a figure as high as 150 mil.

The only states in the north central where I can definitively say less than 50% of the population speak Hausa is Benue and maybe kogi. That's why I didn't give a more optimistic figure like others would and gave a modest 90%.

Well Sudan has anywhere between 5 - 10 million according to the hausas in Sudan I have spoken to and articles I have read. See we are already approaching that figure? Saudi of all places has about a million Hausa speakers. My best guess still remains in the 130-140 million range.

Of course it's in the 9 digit but I'd love for you to put a number to it.

MiyettiAllah:
Where is Pulloh in the list?

It is called Fulfulde, not Pullo. A pullo is a Fulani person

A lot of you here are Naive. No German does not have 229 million speakers. Germany as a country is much smaller than Nigeria population wise. The only 3 German speaking countries in the world with significant German speaking populations are Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Fulaman198:
A lot of you here are Naive. No German does not have 229 million speakers. Germany as a country is much smaller than Nigeria population wise. The only 3 German speaking countries in the world with significant German speaking populations are Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

I was also skeptical of the 229m figure for German he stipulated. What would be your best guess for hausa, I put it at 130 - 140m. Fair enough?

DevdanSanguine:


I was also skeptical of the 229m figure for German he stipulated. What would be your best guess for hausa, I put it at 130 - 140m. Fair enough?

The number of Hausa speakers are hard to gauge. I would say about 85 million in Nigeria, if we use the figure that half the country can speak Hausa, possibly more, then another 20 million from Niger Republic, 750,000 in Ghana, 500,000 in Ivory Coast, 500,000 in Cameroon, 400,000 in Chad. The other countries have an insignificant Hausa speaking population.

I would say and estimate no more than 110 million. That is a rough estimate. Correct me if I'm wrong, thanks!

yanabasee:



I am not the reason why you're stupid... Will never be the reason why you'd remained stupid...


We've got Hausa as a language in Borno and it's the reason why Borno isn't peaceful... It has nothing to do with which language is the major...


Same goes to Plateau state and Kaduna state...... A little percentage of Hausas in a particular place makes that area unpeaceful.

Lmao

The bolder doesn't make one iota of sense

This is very very inaccurate.
Hausa is not the 11th most spoken language in the world. Lies.

Fulaman198:
The number of Hausa speakers are hard to gauge. I would say about 85 million in Nigeria, if we use the figure that half the country can speak Hausa, possibly more, then another 20 million from Niger Republic, 750,000 in Ghana, 500,000 in Ivory Coast, 500,000 in Cameroon, 400,000 in Chad. The other countries have an insignificant Hausa speaking population.

I would say and estimate no more than 110 million. That is a rough estimate. Correct me if I'm wrong, thanks!

So you think All of Niger belongs to Hausa by assigning all the population to them?

So where would you put Zarma-Songhai (25%), Arabic, Tamasheq, Fulfulde? ohh and Kanuri.

Mind you,, There is no way there are 85 million Hausa speakers in Nigeria.

Hausa, 150. Is this a joke?