I`ve always wondered about the growing numbers of manufactured items in the world (specifically with regard to Sofa Retail Outlets), and I`d like to turn the question to violins.

On a Chinese site I recently read that their factory turns out 50,000 new instruments a year.

Can anybody estimate:
a) How many people play the violin worldwide, at any level
b) How many new violins, of any quality, are created annually
c) How many violins existed in the world on 1st Jan 2000
d) How many violins "die" beyond repair every year worldwide
e) how many violins are played for a few months and then put in the attic
f) How may violins are owned on average by one player