List of countries and territories where French is an official language

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  Regions where French is the main language
  Regions where French is an official language but not a majority native language
  Regions where French is a second language
  Regions where French is a minority language

French is an official language in 29 independent nations. The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where French is an official or de facto language.

Only official language[edit]

Sovereign states[edit]

List of countries where French is the only official language :

Non-sovereign entities[edit]

Co-official use[edit]

Sovereign states[edit]

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 :

Countries in the world with French as an official language.

Non-sovereign entities[edit]

Officially recognized status[edit]

List of countries and dependency that grant certain constitutional rights to the French language :

Intergovernmental organizations[edit]

The Francophonie flag flying at the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa.

French is the official language, mostly in conjunction with English, of 36 international organisations. These include :

Countries[edit]

This table shows the populations of the countries, not the number of French speakers.

No. Country Continent Population[1]
1.  DR Congo Africa 105,044,646
2.  France Europe 68,051,000
3.  Canada North America 38,279,800
4.  Morocco Africa 36,470,000
5.  Madagascar Africa 24,235,400
6.  Cameroon Africa 23,345,200
7.  Côte d'Ivoire Africa 22,701,600
8.  Niger Africa 19,899,100
9.  Burkina Faso Africa 18,105,600
10.  Mali Africa 17,599,700
11.  Senegal Africa 15,129,300
12.  Chad Africa 14,037,500
13.  Tunisia Africa 11,690,000
14.  Guinea Africa 12,608,600
15.  Rwanda Africa 11,607,700
16.  Belgium Europe 11,358,357
17.  Burundi Africa 11,178,900
18.  Benin Africa 10,879,800
19.  Haiti Caribbean 10,711,100
20.  Switzerland Europe 8,510,000
21.  Togo Africa 7,304,600
22.  Central African Republic Africa 4,900,300
23.  Congo Africa 4,620,300
24.  Gabon Africa 1,725,300
25.  Equatorial Guinea Africa 1,221,490
26.  Djibouti Africa 887,861
27.  Comoros Africa 795,601
28.  Luxembourg Europe 602,900
29.  Vanuatu Oceania 264,652
30.  Seychelles Africa 92,900
31.  Monaco Europe 38,731
Total All countries World c. 507160000

Dependent entities[edit]

Nr. Entity Continent Population Status
1.  French Polynesia Oceania 284,060 Overseas collectivity of France
2.  New Caledonia Oceania 267,000 Collectivity of France with special status
3.  Aosta Valley Europe 128,000 Autonomous region of Italy
4.  Saint-Martin North America 37,264 Overseas collectivity of France
5.  Wallis and Futuna Oceania 15,289 Overseas collectivity of France
6.  Saint-Barthélemy North America 9,131 Overseas collectivity of France
7.  Saint-Pierre and Miquelon North America 5,888 Overseas collectivity of France
8.  Clipperton North America 0 Minor territory of France directly held by the government
10.  French Southern and Antarctic Lands Africa and Antarctica 0 Overseas collectivity of France

Note: Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Mayotte are classified as overseas regions of France and are thus not a part of this list.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Google Public Data Explorer". World Bank. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
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