* Definitions of "English speaker" vary. Do we mean native speakers, fluent speakers, or anyone who can understand some English?
* Language use is dynamic. The number of English speakers is constantly changing as people learn and use the language.
* Accurate data is hard to collect. There's no global census that tracks language proficiency.
However, here are some estimations:
* Native speakers: Roughly 375-400 million people are estimated to be native English speakers, mainly in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some Caribbean islands.
* Total speakers: Some estimates suggest there are over 1.5 billion people who speak English as a first, second, or foreign language. This would make it the most spoken language in the world.
It's important to note that these are just estimations. The real number could be higher or lower depending on how we define "English speaker."