How many people speak English at all?

It's impossible to give an exact number for how many people speak English, as there are various definitions of "speak English."

Here's why:

* Different levels of proficiency: Some people might understand basic English but can't hold a conversation, while others are fluent and use it daily.

* Native vs. non-native speakers: There's a distinction between those who grew up speaking English and those who learned it later.

* Data limitations: Accurate data on language usage is difficult to gather, especially in developing countries.

However, we can look at some estimates:

* The British Council estimates around 1.5 billion people worldwide speak English as a second language.

* Ethnologue, a comprehensive language resource, estimates around 1.35 billion people worldwide speak English as a first language.

Adding these two together, you get a rough estimate of 2.85 billion people who speak English in some capacity.

It's important to note that these are just estimates, and the real number could be higher or lower.