Although the precise number of speakers is unknown, figures of between 1.6 million (from Ethnologue) and 2.5 million have been cited. The general academic consensus is that there are approximately 2 million speakers of the Macedonian language, accepting that "it is difficult to determine the total number of speakers of Macedonian due to the official policies of the neighbouring Balkan states and the fluid nature of emigration." (Friedman 1985, ப. ?).
