While it's difficult to get precise figures, estimates suggest that around 1.5 billion people worldwide speak English as a second language. This is significantly more than the number of native English speakers, which is estimated to be around 370 million.
English's widespread use is due to factors like:
* Historical dominance: British colonialism and the subsequent rise of the United States have spread English to many parts of the world.
* Global influence: English is the primary language of international business, science, technology, and media.
* Education: English is widely taught as a foreign language in schools around the world.
While other languages like Mandarin Chinese have a large number of native speakers, English remains the clear leader in terms of non-native speakers.