20 percent of people different language globe and mail 2012

According to a 2012 article in The Globe and Mail, "20% of the world's population speaks a language other than their mother tongue at home" (Source: "Language diversity on the rise, study finds" by Andre Picard, published on October 25, 2012).

This statistic is based on a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The study found that in 2012, approximately 20% of the world's population, or around 1.4 billion people, spoke a language other than their mother tongue at home.

This trend is expected to continue, with the study predicting that by 2050, up to 30% of the world's population will speak a language other than their mother tongue at home.