French Speaking Countries 2026

% French Speakers

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

5 Countries with the Most French Speakers

France

96.9%

Country	Country Status↓	French Language Status	% French Speakers
Jersey	UK crown dependency	Co-Official
New Caledonia	French territory	Sole Official	66.6%
French Polynesia	French territory	Sole Official	99.5%
Saint Martin	French territory	Sole Official	98.5%
Saint Barthelemy	French territory	Sole Official	90%
Wallis and Futuna	French territory	Sole Official	77.9%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	French territory	Sole Official	100%
Reunion	French overseas region	Sole Official	87.8%
Guadeloupe	French overseas region	Sole Official	87.5%
Mayotte	French overseas region	Sole Official	51.8%
Martinique	French overseas region	Sole Official	83.1%
French Guiana	French overseas region	Sole Official	66.2%
DR Congo	country	Sole Official	51.4%
Vietnam	country	Working
Germany	country	Not Offical	14.7%
United Kingdom	country	Not Offical	16.5%
France	country	Sole Official	96.9%
Italy	country	Not Offical	19.6%
Algeria	country	Not Offical	32.9%
Spain	country	Not Offical	11.7%
Canada	country	Co-Official	28.6%
Morocco	country	Not Offical	35.6%
Madagascar	country	Co-Official	26.5%
Ivory Coast	country	Sole Official	33.6%
Cameroon	country	Co-Official	67%
Niger	country	Sole Official	12.9%
Mali	country	Working	17.2%
Burkina Faso	country	Working	24.5%
Chad	country	Co-Official	12.9%
Senegal	country	Sole Official	26.3%
Romania	country	Not Offical	12%
Netherlands	country	Not Offical	19.2%
Cambodia	country	Not Offical
Guinea	country	Sole Official	27.2%
Benin	country	Sole Official	33.7%
Rwanda	country	Co-Official	5.8%
Burundi	country	Co-Official	8.5%
Tunisia	country	Not Offical	52.5%
Haiti	country	Co-Official	42%
Belgium	country	Co-Official	75.6%
Portugal	country	Not Offical	25.1%
Togo	country	Sole Official	40.9%
Austria	country	Not Offical	12.9%
Switzerland	country	Co-Official	67.1%
Laos	country	Not Offical
Republic of the Congo	country	Sole Official	60.7%
Lebanon	country	Not Offical	38%
Central African Republic	country	Co-Official	28.6%
Mauritania	country	Not Offical	13.4%
Ireland	country	Not Offical	12.7%
Gambia	country	Not Offical	20%
Gabon	country	Sole Official	65.1%
Equatorial Guinea	country	Co-Official	28.9%
Mauritius	country	Not Offical	72.6%
Djibouti	country	Co-Official	50%
Comoros	country	Co-Official	26.1%
Luxembourg	country	Co-Official	92.1%
Malta	country	Not Offical	13.1%
Cape Verde	country	Not Offical	10.7%
Vanuatu	country	Co-Official	31.1%
Sao Tome and Principe	country	Not Offical	20.2%
Seychelles	country	Co-Official	53.5%
Andorra	country	Not Offical	70.1%
Monaco	country	Sole Official	97.5%

In some countries, such as Burkina Faso, French is “working language” that is used on government documents and in other official capacity, but may not be widely spoken. English and French are the two most common working languages globally.

French is a spoken and written language that originated in what is now the country of France and is currently the fifth-most-spoken language in the world behind English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish. French is one of six working languages of the United Nations (along with Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, and Spanish), one of three procedural languages of the European Union (along English and German), and the sole language used during deliberations in the EU’s Court of Justice of the European Union.

Which Countries Speak French?

French is an official language in 29 countries, and is the sole official language in 13 of the 29. In the remaining 16 countries, French shares official status with one or more other languages, which may include German, Dutch, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Swahili, Creole, or additional local languages.

Countries in Which French is the Sole Official Language

Benin 🇧🇯 DR Congo 🇨🇩 France 🇫🇷 French Guiana 🇬🇫 French Polynesia 🇵🇫 Gabon 🇬🇦 Guadeloupe 🇬🇵 Guinea 🇬🇳 Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 Martinique 🇲🇶 Mayotte 🇾🇹 Monaco 🇲🇨 New Caledonia 🇳🇨 Niger 🇳🇪 Republic of the Congo 🇨🇬 Reunion 🇷🇪 Saint Barthelemy 🇧🇱 Saint Martin 🇲🇫 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 🇵🇲 Senegal 🇸🇳 Togo 🇹🇬 Wallis and Futuna 🇼🇫

Countries in Which French is a Co-Official Language

Belgium 🇧🇪 Burundi 🇧🇮 Cameroon 🇨🇲 Canada 🇨🇦 Central African Republic 🇨🇫 Chad 🇹🇩 Comoros 🇰🇲 Djibouti 🇩🇯 Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶 Haiti 🇭🇹 Jersey 🇯🇪 Luxembourg 🇱🇺 Madagascar 🇲🇬 Rwanda 🇷🇼 Seychelles 🇸🇨 Switzerland 🇨🇭 Vanuatu 🇻🇺

Ironically, the most populous country in which French is an official language is not France, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, followed by France and Canada. French is also the official language of several (mostly French) dependent territories, the most populous of which is French Polynesia (population 267,000). Finally, French is recognized as a cultural language in the US states Maine and Louisiana, where it may be used for education, commerce, and government services.

Linguistically, French is an Indo-European Romance language with roots tracing back to the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French speaking people and countries are often referred to as Francophones in both French and English. According to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Earth is home to approximately 321 million Francophones. Similar estimates indicate that French is used by at least 76 million native speakers as well as 235 million fluent daily speakers and another 77-110 users for whom French is a secondary language.