Instituto Cervantes marks 20 years in China with Spanish language symposium

The Instituto Cervantes in Beijing is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an international symposium titled ‘Spanish in China: Evolution and Dynamics’. Held from October 23 to 25, the event serves as a strategic forum to analyze the expansion and consolidation of the Spanish language within the Asian market.

During the proceedings, the institution presented its yearbook, ‘El español en el mundo 2026’. The report highlights that Spanish is the third most spoken language globally, with 640 million people possessing some level of proficiency, including 520 million native speakers. The study notes a significant increase in learners, with 10 million more speakers added this year.

The yearbook also identifies key growth areas, noting over 70 million potential speakers in the United States and 50 million in Europe. In Africa, there is appreciable growth in Spanish-speaking communities, particularly in sub-Saharan countries such as Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Benin, as well as in Morocco and Tunisia.