French is an official language in 32 independent nations which is the second most geographically widespread official language in the world after English. French is also the second most geographically widespread language in the world after English, with about 60 countries and territories having it as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language.[1] The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where French is an official or de facto language.
List of countries where French is the only official language:
In many countries, French is used as a co-official language alongside one or more other languages.List of countries where French is a co-official language:
Although a non-official minority language, French is granted certain rights in the following countries and territories:
French is an official language, mostly in conjunction with English, of 36 international organisations. These include:
This table shows the total populations of the countries, not the number of French speakers - most of these countries have a majority that do not speak French.
| No. | width=235 scope="col" | Country | Continent | width=90 scope="col" | Population[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Africa | 105,044,646 | |||
| 2. | Europe | 68,051,000 | |||
| 3. | North America | 38,653,740 | |||
| 4. | Africa | 24,235,400 | |||
| 5. | Africa | 23,345,200 | |||
| 6. | Africa | 22,701,600 | |||
| 7. | Africa | 19,899,100 | |||
| 8. | Africa | 15,129,300 | |||
| 9. | Africa | 14,037,500 | |||
| 10. | Africa | 12,608,600 | |||
| 11. | Africa | 11,607,700 | |||
| 12. | Europe | 11,358,357 | |||
| 13. | Africa | 11,178,900 | |||
| 14. | Africa | 10,879,800 | |||
| 15. | Caribbean | 10,711,100 | |||
| 16. | Europe | 8,510,000 | |||
| 17. | Africa | 7,304,600 | |||
| 18. | Africa | 4,900,300 | |||
| 19. | Africa | 4,620,300 | |||
| 20. | Africa | 1,725,300 | |||
| 21. | Africa | 1,221,490 | |||
| 22. | Africa | 887,861 | |||
| 23. | Africa | 795,601 | |||
| 24. | Europe | 602,900 | |||
| 25. | Oceania | 264,652 | |||
| 26. | Africa | 92,900 | |||
| 27. | Europe | 38,731 | |||
| Total | All countries | World | 430,406,578 |
| Nr. | Entity | Continent | Population | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oceania | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 2. | Oceania | Collectivity of France with special status | |||
| 3. | Europe | ||||
| 4. | North America | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 5. | Oceania | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 6. | North America | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 7. | North America | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 8. | Africa, Antarctica | Overseas collectivity of France | |||
| 9. | North America | Overseas collectivity of France |
Note: Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Mayotte are classified as overseas departments and regions of France and are thus not a part of this list. While not de jure official, the U.S. states of Louisiana and Maine recognize the usage of French in law, governance, and commerce and allow state services and publicly funded education in the language, rendering it de facto official alongside English.[7]
While French is not an official language in these countries, it is widely used in administration and many professional sectors, as well as being highly influential as a cultural language in the local society and has certain privileges in the education system.
| Country | Continent | Population (2023)[8] | Usage of French | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 44,758,398 | Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[9] | ||
| Africa | 22,489,126 | Administrative, educational[10] [11] | ||
| Asia | 16,891,245 | Administrative (particularly judicial and diplomacy), cultural, some educational[12] [13] | ||
| Asia | 7,852,377 | Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational[14] [15] | ||
| Asia | 5,331,203 | De jure second language | ||
| Africa | 21,359,722 | Administrative (de facto official), educational[16] [17] | ||
| Africa | 4,244,878 | De facto second official language, educational[18] | ||
| Africa | 1,309,448 | Administrative (de facto official), cultural, educational | ||
| Africa | 37,067,420 | Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[19] [20] | ||
| Africa | 11,976,182 | Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[21] | ||
| Asia | 99,460,000 | Administrative (diplomatic), cultural, some educational, working language in medicine, science, and law[22] [23] |