What is the most widely spoken language in the world?

The most widely spoken language in the world by the number of speakers is English. It has over 1.5 billion speakers, including both native and non-native speakers. English is the primary language in many countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and serves as a global lingua franca in business, science, and entertainment. Mandarin Chinese, however, has the most native speakers, with over 1.1 billion people. The widespread use of English is largely due to historical factors such as British colonial expansion and the global influence of the United States in modern times.