Previously I shared a map of the most common second languages (excluding Spanish) in each of the 50 US states. Since publishing that map I’ve been looking for something like it for Europe. Until recently, the best I could do was a map of the EU identifying the percentage of natives who could carry on a conversation in English. I’m happy to say that thanks to MoveHub.com I can now share a more comparable set of maps. Using data from the CIA World Fact Book and wikipedia, MoveHub created a world map for the most spoken second languages in most countries. Among the odd countries missing are Cuba, Columbia, Haiti, and Myanmar as well as several West African nations and North Korea.
Today’s Map
I’ve only included the detailed map for Europe with this post. If you’d like to see the detailed maps for the rest of the continents please follow this link business insider’s page to see them.
In looking at this map a few things immediately jump out at me. Nearly 100 years after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire Hungarian remains the second most spoken language in the Slovak republic, Romania, and Serbia. The next thing that caught my attention was the strength of Turkish. I wasn’t surprised by Bulgaria, but I was by Germany and Austria. Germany houses a significant number of Turkish guest workers (~3 million). Still I really thought English would be the second language in Germany. I suppose that’s just my own English speaking bias showing.
Other oddities included Belerussian being the second language in Belarus, Polish taking second in the UK, and Kurdish in Armenia. How about you? Which of the second languages struck you as odd or interesting?
As always thanks for reading.
Armen