The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France: '"... until the end of the fifteenth century, the French of the chancellery spread as a political and literary language because the French court was the model of chivalric culture". Consequently, it was less as a centralising monarch than as a "gentle courtly prince" that the king unwittingly spread his language" and "the methods of expansion were not political"'.Léonard Dauphant, Le Royaume des quatre rivières. L'espace politique français (1380-1515). Paris, Champ-Vallon, 2012, p. 217, quoted in Thierry Dutour, La France hors la France. L’identité avant la nation, Editions Véndémiaire, 2022, p. 62 This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the language of European diplomacy and international relations.

The terms Francophonie or Francophone world refer the whole body of people and organizations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. French is an official de jure language in 26 independent nations and 10 territories, the second most number of countries after English. It is the 22nd most natively spoken language in the world,Statistics, in the 6th most spoken by total number of speakers, and the third most geographically widespread language, with about 50 countries and territories having it as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language. In 2017 it was the second most studied language in the world with about 120 million learners. Although it is an official language in more than two dozen countries, its role as a native or majority language is limited to only five states and territories; in most other Francophone countries it serves primarily as a second language or lingua franca.

According to the 2022 report of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), 321 million people speak French. The OIF states that despite a decline in the number of learners of French in Europe, the overall number of speakers is rising, largely because of its presence in African countries: of the 212 million who use French daily, 54.7% are living in Africa. The OIF figures have been contested as being underestimated due to the methodology used and its strict definition of the word francophone. The French Conseil économique, social et environnemental estimate that were they included, the total number of French speakers passed 500 million in the year 2020. In the 21st century, its use, geography, and sociopolitical context continues to shift with declines in some areas (including academia) and growth in others.

Statistics OIF figures

The following figures are from a 2022 report of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). No distinctions are made between native speakers of French and those who learnt it as a foreign language, between different levels of mastery or how often the language is used in daily life. For African countries where French is the main language of education, the number of French speakers is derived from the average number of schooling years.

Country French speakers % Basis of projection 29,731 1.04% Adult Education Survey 14,903,789 32.86% 2008 census 54,315 70.12% 2009 national survey 10,105 0.34% 2011 census 1,166,035 12.86% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 8,814,948 75.55% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 4,306,099 33.68% 2013 census 25,523 0.79% Adult Education Survey 157,440 2.30% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 5,403,610 24.45% Demographic and Health Survey 1,073,506 8.50% 2008 census 463,248 2.70% 2010 OIF report + 2010 observations 11,490,652 41.17% 2005 census 11,060,585 28.58% 2016 census 61,000 10.8% OIF survey 1,435,061 28.61% Demographic and Health Survey 2,249,023 12.92% 2009 census 4,636 0.01% French embassy in Colombia 2016 237,140 35.69% 2003 census 3,518,464 60.69% Demographic and Health Survey 5,231 0.10% Rivard (2016) 95,650 2.36% 2005 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 339 0.003% French embassy in Cuba 2019 80,711 6.60% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 233,351 2.17% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 442,142 7.51% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 508,049 50% OIF survey 6,936 9.59% 2010 OIF report + 2006-2007 OIF survey 158,808 1.44% 2014 OIF report 48,924,702 51.37% Demographic and Health Survey 3,204,706 3.02% OIF survey 432,705 28.91% OIF survey 19,200 1.45% 2011 census 437,772 7.88% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey (Metropolitan) 63,958,684 97.52% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 1,865,225 80% World Atlas 511,699 20.00% 2018 OIF observer application 16,594 0.42% 2002 census 12,242,129 14.88% Adult Education Survey 273,795 0.85% 2010 census 754,215 7.31% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 3,776,680 27.24% Demographic and Health Survey 317,351 15.38% OIF survey 4,906,073 42.00% 2010 OIF report 113,216 1.18% 2011 census 635,876 12.67% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 527,804 5.92% OIF survey 11,796,508 19.58% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 9,324,605 33.61% 2014 census 25,517 1.41% 2011 census 204,188 2.73% OIF survey 20,220 1.09% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 2,539,554 37.99% 2010 OIF report + 2012 observations 62,492 2.35% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 590,896 91.99% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 7,729,277 26.49% 2018 census 3,702,660 17.24% 2009 census 58,158 13.10% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 655,948 13.38% 2013 census 926,053 72.65% OIF survey 30,184 0.02% Rivard (2016) 54,579 1.36% 2014 census 38,549 96.91% OIF survey 12,897 2.05% 2011 census 13,456,845 35.63% 2014 census 98,822 0.30% OIF survey 3,306,754 19.21% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 3,362,988 12.89% 2012 census 42,544 2.04% Adult Education Survey 167,905 3.05% Adult Education Survey 14,612 0.20% 2002 census 371 0.001% Alliances françaises in Peru 2018 947,243 2.51% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 2,546,977 25.12% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 126,751 4.25% 2012 OIF associate application 2,281,829 11.99% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 628,723 0.43% 2010 census 792,815 5.83% 2012 census 3,002 1.62% 2010 OIF report + 2003 OIF survey 45,984 20.20% OIF survey 4,640,365 26.29% 2013 census (excl. Kosovo) 244,973 3.58% Adult Education Survey 52,699 53.00% OIF survey 113,621 2.08% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 50,042 2.41% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 5,471,670 11.71% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 537 0.09% 2017 census 844,989 8.27% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 5,889,496 67.13% Adult Education Survey 578,085 0.82% 2010 OIF report + 2010 observations 3,554,266 40.94% 2010 census 6,321,391 52.47% 2014 census 52,822 0.12% 2001 census 264,153 2.62% 2018 OIF application for a status change 11,281,136 16.47% 2012 Eurobarometer + Adult Education Survey 2,179,246 0.65% 2017 American Community Survey 5,096 0.15% Rivard (2016) 100,153 31.12% 2009 census 692,983 0.70% 2010 OIF report + pre-2010 observations

Other territories

Territory Country French speakers Percentage Year Reference French Community of Belgium 4,658,000 98% 2014 320,000 42% 2014 1,530,440 11.38% 2016 7,666,000 93% 2014 33,375 84% 2022 162,000 62% 2015 276,000 98% 2015 395,000 84% 2015 329,000 81% 2015 147,000 63% 2015 260,000 99% 2015 788,000 88% 2015 8,355 84% 2022 6,000 100% 2015 11,000 83% 2015 72,000 60% 2001 117 0.11% 2022 84,163 1.84% 2022 849 0.03% 2022 8,941 8.60% 2022

Native speakers

It is estimated that 80 million people worldwide speak French as a main or first language. The following table gathers data from different sources in order to estimate the number of French native speakers by country. The total sum of speakers from this data is around 78 million people.

Country L1 speakers Percentage Year Reference Region The percentage is calculated from the World Bank population estimate for the given year. 10,200 0.03% 2012 Africa 7,970 10.0% 2022 Europe14,4970.04%2024Africa 57,739 0.3% 2011 Australasia 10,190 0.1% 2001 Europe Based on a 2023 population of 11,697,557 (StatBel) 4,211,000 36% 2023 Europe 16,700 0.3% 1993 Africa 261,000 1.2% 2021 Africa 2,200 0.03% 2004 Africa 873 0.01% 2008 Asia 7,651,360 20.8% 2021 North America 9,000 0.3% 1996 Africa 3,000 0.05% 1993 Africa 1,700 0.4% 1993 Africa 28,000 1.1% 1993 Africa 17,500 0.2% 1988 Africa 2,546 0.3% 2021 Asia/Europe 2,056 or 0.02% of the total population of 10,436,560 2,056 0.02% 2011 Europe 10,200 1.3% 2006 Africa 124 0.01% 2011 Europe 4,402 0.1% 2018 Europe Based on a 2023 population of 68,143,433 (INSEE) 60,647,000 89% 2023 Europe 320,000 15.1% 2018 Africa Based on a 2002 population of 4,371,535 (Geostat ) 28 0.001% 2002 Asia/Europe194,0000.2%2024Europe 117,121 – 98,178 = 18,943 (total speakers less non-native speakers), or 0.2% of the total population of 9,937,628 18,943 0.2% 2011 Europe 150,000 0.02% 2008 Asia Based on number of "total population usually present in the state", which was 5,084,879 during 2021 census51,5681.0%2021Europe116,2870.21%2012Europe 16,600 0.4% 2004 Asia 79 0.2% 2020 Europe 95 0.003% 2011 Europe 83,802 14.9% 2021 Europe 101,004 0.57% 2003 Africa 7,000 0.09% 1998 Africa4,5210.91%2021Europe 51,000 4% 2018 Africa 16,500 45% 2014 Europe 80,000 0.3% 2007 Africa55,1161.2%2018Australasia 6,000 0.1% 1993 Africa 3,488 or 0.01% of the total population of 38,511,824 3,488 0.01% 2011 Europe 2,300 0.03% 2004 Africa 59,605 0.6% 2002 Africa432,2090.94%2021Europe The figures are calculated on the population of 15 years of age or more 650 0.7% 2010 Africa 9,268 0.02% 1996 Africa 1,977,826 22.6% 2023 Europe 136,623 1.9% 2022 Africa 11,000 0.1% 1993 Africa (England and Wales) 120,259 0.2% 2021 Europe 1,194,555 0.4% 2023 North America 0.6% of a 2009 population of 239,839 (VNSO ) 1,942 0.8% 2020 Melanesia

Subnational territories Territory Country L1 speakers Percentage Year Reference 367,000 5.9% 2009 240,455 32.5% 2011 31,110 3.4% 2011 597,000 4.3% 2016 6,540,735 77.7% 2021 51,280 4.3% 2011 68 435 2.1% 2011 63 625 1.4% 2011 2,823 0.17% 2018 Based on a 2012 population of 212,600 (INSEE ) 21,000 10% 2014 Based on a 2010 population of 821,136 (INSEE ) 65,700 8% 2010 Based on a 1981 population of 604,471 (Planning and Research Department of Puducherry ) 10,600 0.26% 1982 Based on a 2003 population of 120,909 (ISTAT ) 1,500 1.3% 2003 Romandy 1,606,029 83.6% 2013 119,931 2.8% 2013 47,066 3.73% 2012 65,874 1.06% 2012 35,565 1.05% 2012 24,697 1.98% 2012 9,543 1.61% 2012 11,477 1.15% 2012

Africa

French is an official language in 18 African countries, though it is not spoken as a first language by the majority, acting mainly as a second one or a lingua franca due to the many indigenous languages spoken in the territories. Despite this, it is increasingly being spoken as a native language among some communities in urban areas or the elite class. In contrast to Central Africa and most of West Africa, where French had been entrenched, countries in North Africa and the Sahel have generally distanced themselves from the language due to colonial connections; for example, Algeria intermittently attempted to remove the use of French in favor of a strong native language (see Arabization), and French has recently also been removed as an official language in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. Despite these changes and the emergence of English as a global lingua franca, French remains a major language in the societies of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, where it is a first language among the upper classes along with Arabic (many people in the upper classes are simultaneous bilinguals), but a second language among the general population.

Northern Africa Algeria