Table shows the number of first-language speakers (in millions) of the seven most widely spoken languages. Note: there are 3800 known languages worldwide; one-seventh are expected to die out over the next 40 years and 72.5 percent over the next 100 years; three-sevenths of the world's population speak these seven as a first language and a further 1.7 billion speak one as a second language.
| Language | First-language Speakers (millions) |
|---|---|
| English | 1386 |
| Chinese | 1000 |
| Spanish | 280 |
| Russian | 270 |
| French | 220 |
| Portuguese | 160 |
| Arabic | 140 |
Which suggested answer is the closest estimate of the proportion of the world's population who speak Chinese as a first language?
The proportion is about 1 in 8, so the answer is 1 in 8.
Three-sevenths of the world's population are the 3456 million first-language speakers.
So the world's population is 3456 times 7 over 3, which is 8064 million.
Chinese has 1000 million first-language speakers.
So the proportion is 1000 over 8064.
That is about 1 in 8.
So the answer is 1 in 8.
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