210 Million People Are Now Learning Chinese Worldwide
Beijing – September 20, 2026 -- Nearly 210 million people around the world are now learning or using Chinese, according to China's Ministry of Education, as the language moves from classrooms into everyday pop culture and career paths.
Ninety countries have added Chinese to their national school curricula
The Ministry of Education reports that 90 countries have incorporated Chinese into their education systems. In the first half of this year, 564,000 candidates worldwide sat for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), a 36 percent increase year on year.
Social media is turning Chinese habits into global trends
On TikTok, Chinese American creator Sherry Zhu built a following of 740,000 in months by posting videos about drinking hot water, wearing cotton slippers and brewing goji berries. One user reportedly memorized the character "呢" by breaking it into the sounds "o-p-t."