Editing Portuguese language (section)

== Geographic distribution ==
{{Main|List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language|Geographical distribution of Portuguese speakers}}
[[File:Portuguese Language Map - Darker Blue - Mother Language of More than 50%.png|thumb|Portuguese Language Map - World Geographical Distribution
{{legend|#002375|Native/Mother language of the majority of the population - > 50%}}
{{legend|#080891|Official and administrative language, but minority native language - < 50%}}
{{legend|#02ADFD|Cultural or secondary language - not official but spoken as the main native language - uruguayan portuguese - bayano, fronteiriço or riverense}}
{{legend|#CCF4FA|Cultural or secondary language - not official but spoken as a minority native or second language}}
{{legend|#17E1DE|Galician is an official language - seen by some organizations as the same language as portuguese}}
]]
[[File:Portuguese - Native Language Gradient 2.svg|thumb|Portuguese - Native Language Gradient 
{{legend|#24334b|Prevalence of Native Speakers: 90-100%}}
{{legend|#000099|Prevalence of Native Speakers: 40-70%}}
{{legend|#1ab2ff|Prevalence of Native Speakers: 10-20%}}
{{legend|#99ceff|Prevalence of Native Speakers: 1-5%}}
{{legend|#e6f3ff|Prevalence of Native Speakers: Less Than 1%}}
]]
[[File:Multilingual Emergency Assembly Area Sign in Oizumi.JPG|thumb|Sign in Japanese, Portuguese, and English in [[Oizumi]], Japan, which has a large [[lusophone]] community due to the return immigration of [[Japanese Brazilians]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7nlxybOVae8C&q=oizumi+brazilians&pg=PT150 |title=Migrants and Identity in Japan and Brazil: The Nikkeijin |isbn=978-1-135-78765-3 |last1=Carvalho |first1=Daniela de |date=1 February 2013|publisher=Routledge }}</ref>]]

Portuguese is spoken by approximately 200 million people in South America, 30 million in Africa, 15 million in Europe, 5 million in North America and 0.33 million in Asia and Oceania. It is the native language of the vast majority of the people in Portugal,<ref name="Special Eurobarometer 243">{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf|title=Special Eurobarometer 243 "Europeans and their Languages"|year=2006|page=6|publisher=European Commission|access-date=11 May 2011|archive-date=21 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221061227/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Brazil<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/brazil/39.htm |title=Portuguese language in Brazil |publisher=Country Studies US |access-date=23 July 2012 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629083546/http://countrystudies.us/brazil/39.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and São Tomé and Príncipe (95%).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hagemeijer |first=Tjerk |title=As Línguas de S. Tomé e Príncipe |url=https://www.um.edu.mo/fah/ciela/old_ciela/rcblpe/doc/As%20Linguas%20de%20S%20Tome%20e%20Principe.pdf |journal=Revista de Crioulos de Base Lexical Portuguesa e Espanhola |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=1–27 |year=2009 |access-date=17 November 2019 |archive-date=24 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224144743/https://www.um.edu.mo/fah/ciela/old_ciela/rcblpe/doc/As%20Linguas%20de%20S%20Tome%20e%20Principe.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Around 75% of the population of urban Angola speaks Portuguese natively,<ref>{{ELL2|Angola: Language Situation}}</ref><!--reports that 85% or more speak it natively are based on rates in the cities, and a little exaggerated for the country as a whole. See ELL for a ref.--> with approximately 85% fluent; these rates are lower in the countryside.<ref>Medeiros, Adelardo. ''[[Portuguese in Africa]]'' – Angola</ref> Just over 50% (and rapidly increasing) of the population of [[Mozambique]] are native speakers of Portuguese, and 70% are fluent, according to the 2007 census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br/pt_3.4.d.php|title=Portuguese in Africa – Mozambique|last=A. D. Medeiros|first=Adelardo|access-date=12 June 2015|archive-date=28 April 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428022423/http://www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br/pt_3.4.d.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Portuguese is also spoken natively by 30% of the population in Guinea-Bissau, and a Portuguese-based creole is understood by all.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br/pt_3.4.c.php|title=Portuguese in Africa – Guinea-Bissau|last=A. D. Medeiros|first=Adelardo|access-date=12 June 2015|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003558/http://www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br/pt_3.4.c.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Almost 50% of the East Timorese are fluent in Portuguese. No data is available for Cape Verde, but almost all the population is bilingual, and the monolingual population speaks the Portuguese-based [[Cape Verdean Creole]]. Portuguese is mentioned in the [[Constitution of South Africa]] as one of the languages spoken by communities within the country for which the [[Pan South African Language Board]] was charged with promoting and ensuring respect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#6|title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, Chapter 1: Founding Provisions|website=www.gov.za|access-date=2019-06-20|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518042037/https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#6|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are also significant Portuguese-speaking immigrant communities in many territories including [[Andorra]] (17.1%),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://static1.ara.cat/ara/public/content/file/original/2019/1216/13/principals-dades-de-l-estudi-sobre-coneixements-i-usos-lingueistics-d0807a0.pdf |title=Coneixements i usos lingüístics de la població d'Andorra: Situació actual i evolució 1995–2018 |date=2019 |language=Portuguese |publisher=Government of Andorra |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322022207/https://static1.ara.cat/ara/public/content/file/original/2019/1216/13/principals-dades-de-l-estudi-sobre-coneixements-i-usos-lingueistics-d0807a0.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bermuda]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Bermuda |title=Bermuda |publisher=World InfoZone |access-date=21 April 2010 |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507021514/https://www.worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Bermuda |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Canada]] (400,275 people in the 2006 census),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo11a-eng.htm |title=Population by mother tongue, by province and territory (2006 Census) |publisher=Statistics Canada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313161228/https://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo11a-eng.htm |archive-date=13 March 2012 }}</ref> [[France]] (1,625,000 people),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://languageknowledge.eu/languages/portuguese |title=Portuguese in Europe · Portuguese-speaking countries & Portuguese language knowledge in Europe |publisher=Languageknowledge.eu |access-date=2022-03-19 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326201622/https://languageknowledge.eu/languages/portuguese |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Japan]] (400,000 people),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.correiodoestado.com.br/noticias/japao-imigrantes-brasileiros-popularizam-lingua-portuguesa_43355/ |title=Japão: imigrantes brasileiros popularizam língua portuguesa |language=pt |year=2008 |access-date=13 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152346/http://www.correiodoestado.com.br/noticias/japao-imigrantes-brasileiros-popularizam-lingua-portuguesa_43355/ |archive-date=6 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Jersey]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/jersey/ |title=4.6% according to the 2001 census, see |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=23 July 2012 |archive-date=13 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113013826/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/jersey |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Luxembourg]] (about 25% of the population as of 2021), [[Namibia]] (about 4–5% of the population, mainly refugees from Angola in the north of the country),<ref name="www.namibian.com.na">{{cite web|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=85817&no_cache=1|title=The Namibian|author=Carin Pretorius – Developed CEIT Development CC|access-date=16 March 2012|archive-date=22 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222082932/http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=85817&no_cache=1|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Paraguay]] (10.7% or 636,000 people),<ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PY Paraguay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231185530/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PY |date=31 December 2022 }} in {{e25}}</ref> [[Switzerland]] (550,000 in 2019, learning + mother tongue),<ref>{{cite report |year=2019 |title=Lingue della Svizzera |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/it/home/statistiche/popolazione/rilevazioni/esrk.assetdetail.15324911.html |work=Pratiche linguistiche in Svizzera: Primi risultati dell'Indagine sulla lingua, la religione e la cultura 2019 |language=it |access-date=18 March 2022 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326201622/https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/it/home/statistiche/popolazione/rilevazioni/esrk.assetdetail.15324911.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Venezuela]] (554,000),<ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PY Venezuela] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231185530/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/PY |date=31 December 2022 }} in {{e25}}</ref> and the United States (0.35% of the population or 1,228,126 speakers according to the 2007 [[American Community Survey]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Carvalho |first=Ana Maria |contribution=Portuguese in the USA |year=2010 |editor-last=Potowski |editor-first=Kim |title=Language Diversity in the USA |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-74533-8 |page =346 }}</ref>

In some parts of former [[Portuguese India]], namely [[Goa]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colaco.net/1/port.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010529163919/http://www.colaco.net/1/port.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 May 2001 |title=Portuguese Language in Goa |publisher=Colaco.net |access-date=21 April 2010 }}</ref> and [[Daman and Diu]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rjmacau.com/english/rjm1996n3/ac-mary/portuguese.html |title=The Portuguese Experience: The Case of Goa, Daman and Diu |publisher=Rjmacau.com |access-date=21 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721135904/http://www.rjmacau.com/english/rjm1996n3/ac-mary/portuguese.html |archive-date=21 July 2006 }}</ref> the language is still spoken by about 10,000 people. In 2014, an estimated 1,500 students were learning Portuguese in Goa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.revistamacau.com/2014/06/02/1-500-pessoas-estudam-portugues-em-goa/|title=1.500 pessoas estudam português em Goa|publisher=Revistamacau.com|date=2 June 2014|access-date=10 July 2015|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003451/http://www.revistamacau.com/2014/06/02/1-500-pessoas-estudam-portugues-em-goa/|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 2% of the people of Macau, China are fluent speakers of Portuguese. Additionally, the language is being very actively studied in the Chinese school system right up to the doctorate level. The [[Kristang people]] in [[Malaysia]] speak [[Kristang language|Kristang]], a Portuguese-Malay creole; however, the Portuguese language itself is not widely spoken in the country.

=== Official status ===
{{Main|List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language}}
[[File:Detailed SVG map of the Lusophone world.svg|thumb|right|upright=2|[[List of countries and territories where Portuguese is an official language|Countries and regions where Portuguese has official status]]]]

The [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]]<ref name=CPLP />
(in Portuguese ''Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa'', with the Portuguese acronym CPLP) consists of the nine independent countries that have Portuguese as an [[official language]]: [[Angola]], [[Brazil]], [[Cape Verde]], [[East Timor]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Mozambique]], [[Portugal]] and [[São Tomé and Príncipe]].<ref name="CPLP" />

[[Equatorial Guinea]] made a formal application for full membership to the CPLP in June 2010, a status given only to states with Portuguese as an official language.<ref>{{cite web |author=Factoria Audiovisual S.R.L. |url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 |title=El portugués será el tercer idioma oficial de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial – Página Oficial del Gobierno de la República de Guinea Ecuatorial |publisher=Guineaecuatorialpress.com |date=20 July 2010 |access-date=23 July 2012 |archive-date=4 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104083320/http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=703 |url-status=live }}</ref> Portuguese became its third official language (besides [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[French language|French]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equatorial-guinea-adds-portuguese-as-the-countrys-third-official-language-131882808.html|title=Equatorial Guinea Adds Portuguese as the Country's Third Official Language|website=PR Newswire|access-date=7 February 2017|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163747/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equatorial-guinea-adds-portuguese-as-the-countrys-third-official-language-131882808.html|url-status=live}}</ref> in 2011, and in July 2014, the country was accepted as a member of the CPLP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=5434|title=Equatorial Guinea, member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries|author=Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea|access-date=1 November 2016|archive-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227223516/https://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com/noticia.php?id=5434|url-status=live}}</ref>

Portuguese is also one of the official languages of the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China of Macau (alongside [[Chinese language|Chinese]]) and of several international organizations, including [[Mercosul]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/blokit/mercopro.htm#Chapter%20VIII |title=Official languages of Mercosul as agreed in the ''Protocol of Ouro Preto'' |publisher=Actrav.itcilo.org |access-date=23 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722053855/http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/blokit/mercopro.htm#Chapter%20VIII |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Organization of Ibero-American States]],<ref>Statutes, Article 1{{cite web |url=http://www.oei.es/estatutos.htm |title=Official statute of the organization |publisher=Oei.es |access-date=23 July 2012 |archive-date=28 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628144938/http://www.oei.es/estatutos.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Union of South American Nations]],<ref>Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations, Article 23 {{Cite web |title=Tratado Constitutivo de la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas |url=https://www.unasursg.org/images/descargas/DOCUMENTOS%20CONSTITUTIVOS%20DE%20UNASUR/Tratado-UNASUR-solo.pdf |access-date=4 October 2018 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715170723/http://www.unasursg.org/images/descargas/DOCUMENTOS%20CONSTITUTIVOS%20DE%20UNASUR/Tratado-UNASUR-solo.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Organization of American States]],<ref>General Assembly of the OAS, [http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/agres_1737_xxxo00.htm Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515221257/http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/agres_1737_xxxo00.htm |date=15 May 2011 }}, 5 June 2000</ref> the [[African Union]],<ref name="africa-union.org">Article 11, Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union {{cite web |url=http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Documents/Treaties/Text/Protocol%20on%20Amendments%20to%20the%20Constitutive%20Act.pdf |title=Protocol on the Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208183015/http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Documents/Treaties/Text/Protocol%20on%20Amendments%20to%20the%20Constitutive%20Act.pdf |archive-date=8 December 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 February 2016}}</ref> the [[Economic Community of West African States]],<ref name="africa-union.org" /> the [[Southern African Development Community]]<ref name="africa-union.org" /> and the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages in Europe&nbsp;– Official EU Languages |publisher=EUROPA web portal |url=http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/doc135_en.htm |access-date=12 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202112407/http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/doc135_en.htm |archive-date=2 February 2009 }}</ref>

=== Lusophone countries ===
According to ''[[The World Factbook]]''{{'}}s country population estimates for 2018, the population of each of the ten jurisdictions is as follows (by descending order):
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! Country
! Population of country<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_main|title=Statistics Portugal - Web Portal|website=www.ine.pt|access-date=18 March 2022|archive-date=12 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712165513/https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpgid=ine_main&xpid=INE|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibge.gov.br/apps/populacao/projecao/index.html|title=IBGE &#124; Projeção da população|website=www.ibge.gov.br|access-date=18 March 2022|archive-date=16 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116063907/http://www.ibge.gov.br/apps/populacao/projecao/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/|title=Population by Country (2022) - Worldometer|website=www.worldometers.info|access-date=18 March 2022|archive-date=5 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105162622/http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/|url-status=live}}</ref>
! More information
! Native language<br />of the majority
! Spoken by
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Brazil}} [[Brazil]] ||style="text-align:right;"| 203,062,512 || [[Brazilian Portuguese|Portuguese in Brazil]]||{{ya}}||95% as a native language<ref name="Ethn.ST">{{e26|por}}, 2022</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Angola}} [[Angola]] ||  style="text-align:right;"| 35,981,281 || [[Angolan Portuguese|Portuguese in Angola]]||{{na}}||40% as a native language, 60% total<ref name="Ethn.AO">{{e26|por}}, 2021</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Mozambique}} [[Mozambique]] || style="text-align:right;"| 32,513,805 || [[Mozambican Portuguese|Portuguese in Mozambique]]||{{na}}||17% as a native language, 44% total<ref name="Ethn.ST"/>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Portugal}} [[Portugal]] || style="text-align:right;"| 10,467,366 || [[European Portuguese|Portuguese in Portugal]]||{{ya}}||95% as a native language<ref name="Ethn.PT">{{e26|por}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Guinea-Bissau}} [[Guinea-Bissau]] ||style="text-align:right;"| 2,078,820 || [[Guinean Portuguese|Portuguese in Guinea-Bissau]]||{{na}}||0.3% as a native language, 20% total<ref name="Ethn.TL">{{e26|por}}, 2015</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flagdeco|Equatorial Guinea}} [[Equatorial Guinea]]<sup>2</sup>|| style="text-align:right;" | 1,679,172 || [[Languages of Equatorial Guinea|Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flagdeco|East Timor}} [[East Timor]]|| style="text-align:right;" | 1,340,513 || [[East Timorese Portuguese|Portuguese in East Timor]]||{{na}}||0.1% as a native language; 50% total<ref name="Ethn.TL"/>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Macau}} [[Macau]]<sup>1</sup>||style="text-align:right;"| 682,300 || [[Macanese Portuguese|Portuguese in Macau]]||{{na}}||0.5% as a native language, 3% total<ref name="Ethn.MO">{{e26|por}}, 2017 (L1), 2021 census (L2)</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagdeco|Cape Verde}} [[Cape Verde]] || style="text-align:right;"| 561,901 || [[Cape Verdean Portuguese|Portuguese in Cape Verde]]||{{na}}|| 2% as a native language, 48% total<ref name="Ethn.CV">{{e26|por}}, 2010 census</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{flagdeco|São Tomé and Príncipe}} [[São Tomé and Príncipe]]|| style="text-align:right;"| 220,372 || [[São Tomean Portuguese|Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe]]||{{ya}}||65% as a native language, 99% total<ref name="Ethn.ST"/>
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:left;"| '''Total''' || style="text-align:right;"| 288,588,042 ||colspan=3|[[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]]
|}
{{smalldiv|1=
Notes:
#[[Macau]] is one of the two autonomous [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China]] (the other being [[English language|Anglophone]] [[Hong Kong]], a former British colony).
# [[Equatorial Guinea]] adopted Portuguese as one of its official languages in 2007, being admitted to CPLP in 2014. The use of the Portuguese language in this country is limited.
}}

The combined population of the entire [[Lusophone]] area was estimated at 300 million in January 2022.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpgid=ine_main&xpid=INE|title=Statistics Portugal - Web Portal|website=www.ine.pt|access-date=18 March 2022|archive-date=9 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109182931/https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpgid=ine_main&xpid=INE|url-status=live}}</ref> This number does not include the Lusophone [[diaspora]], estimated at 10 million people (including 4.5 million Portuguese, 3 million Brazilians), although there are no official accurate figures for diasporic Portuguese speakers because a significant portion of these citizens are naturalized citizens born outside of Lusophone territory or are children of immigrants, and may have only a basic command of the language. Additionally, a large part of the diaspora is a part of the already-counted population of the Portuguese-speaking countries and territories, such as the high number of Brazilian and [[Portuguese-speaking African countries|PALOP]] emigrant citizens in Portugal or the high number of Portuguese emigrant citizens in the PALOP and Brazil.

The Portuguese language therefore serves more than 250 million people daily, who have direct or indirect legal, juridical and social contact with it, varying from the only language used in any contact, to only education, contact with local or international administration, commerce and services or the simple sight of road signs, public information and advertising in Portuguese.

=== Portuguese as a foreign language ===
Portuguese is a mandatory subject in the school curriculum in [[Uruguay]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultnot/lusa/2007/11/05/ult611u75523.jhtm |title=Governo uruguaio torna obrigatório ensino do português |date=5 November 2007 |website=UOL Notícias |language=pt |trans-title=Uruguayan government makes Portuguese mandatory |access-date=13 July 2010 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003353/https://noticias.uol.com.br/ultnot/lusa/2007/11/05/ult611u75523.jhtm |url-status=live }}</ref> Other countries where Portuguese is commonly taught in schools or where it has been introduced as an option include [[Venezuela]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.letras.etc.br/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:lingua-portuguesa-sera-opcao-no-ensino-oficial-venezuelano&catid=6:noticia&Itemid=13/ |title=Portuguese language will be option in the official Venezuelan teachings |language=pt |date=24 May 2009 |access-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522092756/https://www.letras.etc.br/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93%3Alingua-portuguesa-sera-opcao-no-ensino-oficial-venezuelano&catid=6%3Anoticia&Itemid=13%2F |archive-date=22 May 2011 }}</ref> [[Zambia]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movv.org/2009/05/26/a-zambia-vai-adotar-a-lingua-portuguesa-no-seu-ensino-basico/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528221719/http://movv.org/2009/05/26/a-zambia-vai-adotar-a-lingua-portuguesa-no-seu-ensino-basico/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=28 May 2009 |title=Zambia will adopt the Portuguese language in their Basic school |language=pt |date=26 May 2009 |access-date=13 July 2010 }}</ref> the [[Republic of the Congo]],<ref name="estadao">{{cite web|url=http://cultura.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,congo-passara-a-ensinar-portugues-nas-escolas,561666 |title=Congo will start to teach Portuguese in schools |language=pt |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807021226/http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer%2Ccongo-passara-a-ensinar-portugues-nas-escolas%2C561666%2C0.htm |archive-date=7 August 2010 }}</ref> [[Senegal]],<ref name="estadao" /> [[Namibia]],<ref name="www.namibian.com.na" /> [[Eswatini]],<ref name="estadao" /> [[South Africa]],<ref name="estadao" /> [[Ivory Coast]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc21/comunicacao/noticia?i=20160623-mne-costa-marfim |title=Português entra no currículo escolar da Costa do Marfim no próximo ano letivo |date=23 June 2016 |website=www.portugal.gov.pt |language=pt |trans-title=Portuguese enters the Ivory Coast school curriculum next school year |access-date=19 July 2019 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003345/https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc21/comunicacao/noticia?i=20160623-mne-costa-marfim |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Mauritius]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cplp.org/id-4440.aspx|title=República da Maurícia|website=www.cplp.org|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003439/https://www.cplp.org/id-4440.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2017, a project was launched to introduce Portuguese as a school subject in [[Zimbabwe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://24.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/portugues-vai-ser-introduzido-no-ensino-secundario-no-zimbabue |title=Português vai ser introduzido no ensino secundário no Zimbabué |date=18 January 2017 |website=SAPO 24 |language=pt |trans-title=Portuguese to be introduced to secondary education in Zimbabwe |access-date=23 July 2019 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414133303/https://24.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/portugues-vai-ser-introduzido-no-ensino-secundario-no-zimbabue |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.angop.ao/angola/pt_pt/noticias/africa/2017/0/3/Zimbabwe-Portugues-vai-ser-introduzido-ensino-secundario-pais,7e5aad04-47b2-4b4f-aee8-c8351c5ae23f.html |title=Zimbabwe: Português vai ser introduzido no ensino secundário do país |date=19 January 2017 |agency=Angola Press – ANGOP |language=pt |trans-title=Zimbabwe: Portuguese to be introduced into the country's secondary education |access-date=22 January 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806105712/http://www.angop.ao/angola/pt_pt/noticias/africa/2017/0/3/Zimbabwe-Portugues-vai-ser-introduzido-ensino-secundario-pais,7e5aad04-47b2-4b4f-aee8-c8351c5ae23f.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Also, according to Portugal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the language will be part of the school curriculum of a total of 32 countries by 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://24.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/portugues-sera-lingua-curricular-em-32-paises-no-proximo-ano-letivo |title=Português será língua curricular em 32 países no próximo ano letivo |date=22 July 2019 |website=SAPO 24 |language=pt |trans-title=Portuguese will be curricular language in 32 countries next school year |access-date=23 July 2019 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501003350/https://24.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/portugues-sera-lingua-curricular-em-32-paises-no-proximo-ano-letivo |url-status=live }}</ref> In such countries, Portuguese is spoken either as a native language by vast majorities due to their Portuguese colonial past or as a ''[[lingua franca]]'' in bordering and multilingual regions, such as on the Brazilian borders of Uruguay and Paraguay and in regions of Angola and Namibia. In many other countries, Portuguese is spoken by majorities as a second language. There remain communities of thousands of Portuguese (or [[Creole language|Creole]]) first language speakers in [[Goa]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Daman and Diu]], and other areas due to [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese colonization]]. In East Timor, the number of Portuguese speakers is quickly increasing as Portuguese and Brazilian teachers are making great strides in teaching Portuguese in the schools all over the island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://repositorio.ul.pt/bitstream/10451/479/1/17753_Disserta00E700E3odeMestradoLCP.pdf|title=Portuguese language in Timor Leste|access-date=10 April 2022|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616050638/https://repositorio.ul.pt/bitstream/10451/479/1/17753_Disserta00E700E3odeMestradoLCP.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, there are many large Portuguese-speaking immigrant communities all over the world.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! Country
! Population<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html|title=The World Factbook – Field Listing – Population – CIA|access-date=2015-03-07|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|archive-date=4 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004113653/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />(July 2017 est.)
! More information
! Mandatory taught
! Spoken by
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Uruguay}} ||style="text-align: right"| 3,444,006 || [[Uruguayan Portuguese|Portuguese in Uruguay]]||{{ya}}||Significant minority as a native language; significant minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Argentina}} || style="text-align: right"|43,847,430 || [[Portuguese in Argentina]]||{{ya}}||Minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Paraguay}} || style="text-align: right"| 7,052,984 || [[Portuguese in Paraguay]]||{{na}}||Significant minority as a native language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Venezuela}} ||  style="text-align: right"|31,568,179 || [[Portuguese in Venezuela]]||{{ya}}||Minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|South Africa}} || style="text-align: right"| 57,725,600 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in South Africa]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a native language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Namibia}} ||  style="text-align: right"|2,606,971 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in Namibia]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a native language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Congo}} ||  style="text-align: right"|5,125,821 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in Congo]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Zambia}} ||  style="text-align: right"|16,591,390 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in Zambia]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Senegal}} || style="text-align: right"| 15,411,614 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in Senegal]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a second language
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{flag|Eswatini}} || style="text-align: right"| 1,343,098 || [[Portuguese language in Africa|Portuguese in Eswatini]]||{{na}}||Small minority as a second language
|}

=== Future ===
[[File:MC 澳門 Macau 港珠澳大橋 HK-Zhu-Macau Bridge port building Jan 2019 IX2 63.jpg|thumb|Multilingual signage in Chinese, Portuguese and English at the [[Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge]] port building in [[Macau]]. Portuguese is a co-official language in Macau.]]
According to estimates by [[UNESCO]], Portuguese is the fastest-growing [[European language]] after [[English language|English]] and the language has, according to the newspaper ''The Portugal News'' publishing data given from UNESCO, the highest potential for growth as an international language in [[southern Africa]] and [[South America]].<ref name="The Portugal News">{{cite web|url=http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=906-9|title=Portuguese language gaining popularity|publisher=Anglopress Edicões e Publicidade Lda|date=5 May 2007|access-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318152307/http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=906-9|archive-date=18 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Portuguese is a globalized language spoken officially on five continents, and as a second language by millions worldwide.

Since 1991, when Brazil signed into the economic community of [[Mercosul]] with other South American nations, namely [[Argentina]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Paraguay]], Portuguese is either mandatory, or taught, in the schools of those South American countries.

Although early in the 21st century, after [[Macau]] was returned to [[China]] and immigration of Brazilians of [[Japanese Brazilian|Japanese descent]] to [[Japan]] slowed down, the use of Portuguese was in decline in [[Asia]], it is once again becoming a language of opportunity there, mostly because of increased diplomatic and financial ties with economically powerful Portuguese-speaking countries in the world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leach |first=Michael |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6469/is_92/ai_n29406744/ |title=talking Portuguese; China and East Timor |access-date=18 May 2011 |website=Arena Magazine |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105033001/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6469/is_92/ai_n29406744/ |archive-date=5 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.macaomagazine.net/china/promising-future-portuguese-language-china |title=Promising future for Portuguese language in China |last=Bilrero |first=António |date=15 March 2018 |website=Macao Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702230400/https://www.macaomagazine.net/china/promising-future-portuguese-language-china |archive-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>

===Current status and importance===
Portuguese, being a language spread on all continents, has official status in several international organizations. It is one of twenty official languages of the [[European Union]], an official language of NATO, the [[Organization of American States]] (alongside Spanish, French and English), and one of eighteen official languages of the [[European Space Agency]].

Portuguese is a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] (alongside English, German, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian), [[Amnesty International]] (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, French, German, and Italian), and [[Médecins sans Frontières]] (used alongside English, Spanish, French and Arabic), in addition to being the official legal language in the [[African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights]], also in [[Community of Portuguese Language Countries]], an international organization formed essentially by [[Lusophone|lusophone countries]].