1.5 Billion Speakers Worldwide

In the centuries that followed, the emergence of English as the lingua franca was supported by a number of key developments. The presence of the British Empire meant that the language was being exported around the world. Meanwhile, famous authors like William Shakespeare played a key role in making English more appealing to read, and his famous works of literature helped build its status whilst also showcasing English culture.
English vocabulary was also growing at a very quick rate. Hundreds of thousands of new words entered dictionaries as the language was quick to respond to developments in science and industry for which many new nouns, verbs and adjectives were required.
Though Britain still has a number of regional dialects in use today, such as Welsh and gaelic, it is English that remains the national language. It is also the official or semi-official language of around sixty other countries, and with 1.5 billion speakers worldwide (around 17% of its population) it is no surprise that it remains the lingua franca.