Here's why:
* No global census: There's no globally standardized census tracking language speakers.
* Language distribution: Malayalam is primarily spoken in the state of Kerala, India. Its presence outside Kerala is limited.
* Regional variations: Even within Kerala, there might be regional variations in the number of native Malayalam speakers.
However, we can provide some estimates:
* Kerala's population: Kerala has a population of approximately 35 million people.
* Malayalam as an official language: Malayalam is the official language of Kerala.
* Estimated Malayalam speakers: Estimates suggest that a large majority of Kerala's population speaks Malayalam as their native language.
Therefore, while we can't give a specific percentage for the global population, a significant portion of Kerala's population speaks Malayalam.