* Official Language: Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu in India and Sri Lanka. It is also spoken in parts of Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, and South Africa.
* Diaspora: There are large Tamil diaspora communities across the globe, making it hard to count every speaker.
* Language Varieties: There are multiple dialects of Tamil, and some may be considered distinct languages by their speakers.
However, we can estimate:
* India: Tamil Nadu alone has over 72 million speakers, making it the largest concentration of Tamil speakers.
* Sri Lanka: Over 3 million people in Sri Lanka speak Tamil as their native language.
* Worldwide: Estimates suggest over 80 million people speak Tamil globally.
It's important to note that these are rough estimates and may not capture all speakers, particularly those in the diaspora.