Guess Which Country Has 2nd-Most Spanish Speakers

Not speaking or studying Spanish yet? Then this might inspire you: The US now has the second-largest Spanish-speaking population outside of Mexico, according to a new study reported in the Guardian. According to Instituto Cervantes, a non-profit that promotes Spanish language and culture, the US now has 41 million native Spanish speakers along with 11.6 million more who are bilingual. That sum total tops Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million); only Mexico beats it, with 121 million. The US also leads the world with 7.8 million people studying Spanish, the study says. Back in 2013, NBC Latino reported on a US Census interactive map showing which languages are spoken to what extent in each state: check it out here. (More Spanish stories.)