60.4% is the percentage of the top 10 million websites that use the English language. This is followed by Russian (8.5%) in second place and Spanish (4.0%) in third. Chinese comes in at tenth place with 1.4%, even though China has the highest number of internet users. English is the most commonly used language online, and is also the most spoken language worldwide with over 1.13 billion speakers. But it’s interesting to note that the online use of a language doesn’t always reflect how many people speak it. For example, Hindi is the third most spoken language worldwide, but it isn’t one of the top languages used on the internet.
One reason for English being so dominant online is that it is considered a ‘universal language’, often chosen by people of different nationalities as a common way to communicate. Unlike Chinese, which until relatively recently was little spoken outside its homeland, English has long been a common international language in areas such as business and scientific research. This gives it a natural advantage online and helps account for its widespread use.
English accounts for 55% of all online content today yet less than 20 years ago it was more than 80%. During that time, we’ve gone from being passive consumers of content to active creators of it, while online retailers have increasingly offered personalised content to attract customers.
People are more likely to favour their native language online when discussing local issues or sharing with friends and they prefer to shop in their own language. As we continue to create our own content and look for even more tailored content from others, the amount of non-English pages online will only keep growing.
Picture Credit : Google
