What is the most widely spoken language in the world?

The most widely spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese, primarily due to the population of China, where Mandarin is the official language. Mandarin has the highest number of native speakers, estimated to be over a billion. While English is often regarded as a global lingua franca, especially in international business and diplomacy, it is predominantly spoken as a second language.

Spanish comes next in terms of native speakers, primarily due to the number of countries where it is the official language, especially in Latin America. Arabic has numerous dialects and is widely spoken across the Middle East and North Africa. However, the total number of speakers for each language can vary significantly based on whether we consider native speakers or total speakers, including second-language speakers.

In summary, while English is an important and widely used language, the question specifically focuses on the number of speakers, where Mandarin leads due to its vast number of native speakers.