English has official or special status in at least seventy-five countries with a total population of over two billion.
as a first language by around 375 million.
English is spoken as a second language by around 375 million speakers in the world.
Speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first language. Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language.
One out of four of the world's population speaks English to some level of competence. Demand from the other three-quarters is increasing. British Council
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