Hindi is spoken as a mother tongue by about 40 percent of the Indian population, mainly in the area known as the Hindi belt.
In addition to being the official language of the Indian Union, it is also the official language of the Union Territory of Delhi and the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Outside of India, Hindi is spoken in Nepal, South Africa, Mauritius, U.K., U.S., Yemen, Uganda, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. Such a wide distribution makes Hindi among the 10 (some sources claim 5) most spoken languages in the world.