Spanish is spoken in Spain, Central and South America, Equatorial Guinea, the Sahara, and parts of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Philippines. The cultural wealth and vibrancy of the Spanish-speaking world is increasingly acknowledged for its diversity and unique contribution to civilization. In 2019, 7.6% of the world population was Spanish-speaking. Forecasts estimate that the number of Spanish-speaking people in 2050 will be higher than that. Of the over 400 million native speakers of Spanish in the world, over 38 million live in the United States. In fact, according to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States is the world's fourth-largest 'Spanish-speaking country, with over one person in ten who speaks Spanish as his or her native language. In 2060, the United States is forecast to be the second Spanish-speaking country in the world after Mexico: almost one in three Americans will be Hispanic.