* Defining "English speaker" is tricky: Do we mean native speakers, fluent speakers, people who understand English but don't speak it well, or people who know a few basic phrases?
* Data is constantly changing: Population growth, language learning, and migration all impact language use.
* Reliable data is hard to find: There's no single, universally accepted source for this information.
However, here are some estimates:
* Native speakers: Roughly 375 million people are native English speakers, which represents about 5% of the world's population.
* Fluent speakers: Estimates range from 1.5 to 2 billion people, which would be around 20-25% of the world's population.
* People with some understanding of English: This number is much higher and harder to quantify.
So, while we can't give a precise fraction, it's clear that English is a widely spoken language, especially in terms of fluency or understanding.