The importance of learning English in a globalized world

By Beeblio · March 19, 2021

Pick any international airport, any scientific journal, any multiplayer video game lobby, or any major corporate boardroom, and you will almost certainly find one common thread: English. That is not an accident, and it is not going away. But "English is important" is not a useful argument on its own — parents and learners deserve to know why it matters, how much it matters, and what the research actually says about the benefits of learning it. This article lays all of that out, without the hype.

How dominant is English, really?

Worldwide, English has roughly 1.53 billion speakers (Ethnologue, 2025), including over 390 million native speakers. That means the vast majority of the world's English users are people who learned it as a second or foreign language — people exactly like your students or like you. David Crystal calculates that non-native speakers outnumber native speakers by a ratio of 3:1. The practical consequence is enormous: when a Japanese engineer talks to a Brazilian supplier or a Kenyan researcher presents at a European conference, they are almost certainly doing it in English.

Through all types of printed and electronic media, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional contexts such as science, navigation, and law. As of early 2024, 54% of websites worldwide are in English, far ahead of Spanish at 5.6%. English is recognised as an official language in 55 countries, or 28.5% of the world's nations.

It is also worth being honest about what this dominance reflects. English dominance is not the inevitable outcome of intrinsic linguistic properties but rather the accumulated product of geopolitical power asymmetries, institutional entrenchment, and network effects. That history matters — but it does not change the practical reality that learning English today unlocks access that few other single investments can match.

Five concrete reasons to learn English

1. Access to science, knowledge, and the internet

If you want to read the latest climate research, follow a software tutorial, or take a free online course from a leading university, you will find the overwhelming majority of that material in English. English is the current lingua franca of science, as Latin and Greek were in their time. Over half of all websites are in English, and the gap between English-language content and any other language remains vast. A learner who reaches genuine reading proficiency in English does not just add one language — they gain access to an enormous proportion of human knowledge production.

2. Career advancement and higher earnings

The labour-market data here is striking. Across countries studied by Preply, bilingual workers earn on average $9,353 more a year — a 14.3% increase — compared with those who speak only one language. In the United States specifically, bilingual professionals could earn an average of $14,050 more annually than their monolingual peers — an 18.8% pay increase. The demand side of the equation is equally clear: a 2019 ACTFL survey found that 9 out of 10 employers rely on having bilingual employees, with 56% reporting that they will have an increased need for bilingual speakers.

A note of honesty: some research studies have found no statistically significant effects of multilingualism on earnings. The premium tends to be largest in roles that require cross-cultural client interaction, translation, or managing international teams. Still, the weight of evidence points clearly in one direction: English proficiency is, for most workers in most industries, a genuine competitive advantage.

3. Cognitive benefits — with caveats

Language learning does appear to reshape the brain in measurable ways. Research indicates that bilingualism can positively impact brain structure, with studies showing increased grey-matter volume in areas related to language processing. Second language learners appear to make gains in working memory, concentration, and creativity, and people who speak two or more languages show a delayed onset of dementia compared to monolinguals. There is strong evidence for a positive effect of language learning on creativity in language use — fluency, originality, and creative flexibility are improved in one's first language when learning a second.

The honest caveat: while many studies support these advantages, there is ongoing debate regarding the extent of cognitive benefits, with some research suggesting publication bias in favour of positive outcomes. There is a substantial body of research supporting a link between bilingualism and cognitive flexibility, but the evidence for the relationship between mental control abilities and language learning is complex and inconsistent. In short: the cognitive benefits are real and meaningful, but they are not magic. Learning English will not turn anyone into a super-brain overnight.

4. Cultural understanding and empathy

Language is not just a tool for transmitting information — it is a frame through which we see the world. It has been shown that people who speak other languages often exhibit more empathy and a global mindset, and researchers have recorded the sensation felt by some of being a 'different person' when speaking their second language. Learning English specifically means gaining access to an enormous variety of cultures — not a monolithic "Anglo" one, but the Englishes of Nigeria, India, Jamaica, Singapore, and dozens of other societies with their own literatures, music, film, and ways of thinking. This breadth of cultural exposure is one of the most underrated benefits of the language.

5. Travel, mobility, and social connection

English is the world's most commonly studied foreign language, helping millions of learners communicate with people from different countries even when they don't share the same native language. Whether you are navigating an unfamiliar city, making friends at an international hostel, or joining a global online community, English removes friction. It is the closest thing the world currently has to a universal bridge language — imperfect and freighted with history, but genuinely useful.

Is English the only language worth learning?

No — and this is worth saying plainly. While English continues to dominate global communication and online content, demographic trends show rapid growth in South Asia and Africa, with languages such as Hindi and Bengali expanding due to population growth. Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, and French all carry enormous global weight in specific regions and industries. If your goals are specifically tied to one region or sector, a different language might serve you better. That said, for a learner who wants the broadest possible access to global opportunity with a single investment, English remains the pragmatic first choice.

What level of English do you actually need?

This is a question most explainers skip, but it matters. Research in vocabulary acquisition — particularly work by Paul Nation and Batia Laufer — shows that reading unsimplified authentic texts requires recognising about 98% of the running words on the page, which corresponds to knowing roughly 8,000–9,000 word families. Functional spoken communication in everyday situations is achievable earlier, around the 2,000–3,000 most frequent word level. The implication is that the journey from zero to full English proficiency is a long one, and learners benefit enormously from graded materials that meet them where they are — neither dumbed-down to the point of boredom nor so difficult that comprehension collapses.

FAQ

How many people in the world speak English?

Worldwide, English has roughly 1.53 billion speakers (Ethnologue, 2025), including over 390 million native speakers. Estimates vary depending on how "speaker" is defined — whether it includes learners at basic functional levels — but all major sources agree English is the world's most widely spoken language by total speaker count.

Is it too late to learn English as an adult?

No. Adults who acquire a second language gain significant cognitive benefits, and research shows the brain continues to benefit from bilingualism even when a second language is learned in adulthood. Adults typically progress faster in grammar and vocabulary than children in the early stages, even if achieving a native-like accent becomes harder with age.

Does learning English really help your career?

Generally, yes — particularly if your work involves international clients, travel, or knowledge work. Studies show bilingual employees on average earn 5%–20% more than their monolingual peers, and this pay advantage is attributed to the added value bilingual individuals bring to a company's ability to expand and serve larger audiences. Results vary by industry and role.

Will AI translation tools make learning English unnecessary?

This is a legitimate question. With today's technological advances, AI-powered translation could potentially reduce the need to learn English for some forms of international communication and create fairer access to science. However, AI translation still struggles with nuance, tone, humour, and high-stakes spoken interaction. For negotiation, relationship-building, and deep comprehension of texts, genuine language proficiency remains valuable in ways that machine translation currently cannot fully replicate.

How is English dominance a concern, not just a benefit?

It is worth acknowledging the other side honestly. The status of English as the global lingua franca perpetuates inequities in research and education, disproportionately affecting many low- and middle-income countries, and creates barriers to accessing information for minoritised populations. The goal should not be to replace other languages but to add English as a tool — one that should be accessible to everyone, not just those with the resources to study it intensively.

Sources

One of the quietest problems in English learning is the mismatch between a learner's actual level and the difficulty of what they are trying to read. Beeblio measures which frequency band you can already read comfortably, then serves short readings pitched just above that point — adding new vocabulary in context rather than in isolation, and converting unfamiliar words into spaced-repetition cards the moment you tap them. If the arguments above have convinced you that English is worth your time, the next question is how to build it efficiently; that is exactly the problem Beeblio is designed to solve.