List of territorial entities where French is an official language

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

As of 2015, there are 29 independent nations where French is an official language. The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where French is an official or de facto language.

Countries with French as an official language[edit]

Nr Country Continent Population[1]
1. DR Congo Africa 84,004,989
2. France Europe 67,401,000
3. Canada North America 36,879,800
4. Madagascar Africa 24,235,400
5. Cameroon Africa 23,345,200
6. Ivory Coast Africa 22,701,600
7. Niger Africa 19,899,100
8. Burkina Faso Africa 18,105,600
9. Mali Africa 17,599,700
10. Senegal Africa 15,129,300
11. Chad Africa 14,037,500
12. Guinea Africa 12,608,600
13. Rwanda Africa 11,607,700
14. Belgium Europe 11,358,357
15. Burundi Africa 11,178,900
16. Benin Africa 10,879,800
17. Haiti North America 10,711,100
18. Switzerland Europe 8,510,000
19. Togo Africa 7,304,600
20. Central African Republic Africa 4,900,300
21. Congo Africa 4,620,300
22. Gabon Africa 1,725,300
24. Equatorial Guinea Africa 1,221,490
25. Djibouti Africa 887,861
23. Comoros Africa 795,601
26. Luxembourg Europe 602,900
27. Vanuatu Oceania 264,652
28. Seychelles Africa 92,900
29. Monaco Europe 38,731
Total All countries World c. 443 million

Dependent entities where French is an official language[edit]

Nr. Entity Continent Population Status
1. French Polynesia Oceania 267,000 Overseas Collectivity of France
2. New Caledonia Oceania 224,824 Overseas Collectivity of France
3. Aosta Valley Europe 128,000 Autonomous Region of Italy
4. Jersey Europe 91,533 British Crown dependency
5. Saint-Martin North America 29,376 Overseas Collectivity of France
6. Wallis and Futuna Oceania 16,448 Overseas Collectivity of France
7. Saint-Barthélemy North America 7,492 Overseas Collectivity of France
8. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon North America 7,044 Overseas Collectivity of France
9. French Guiana South America 288,458 Overseas Department and Region of France
10. Martinique North America 385,034 Overseas Region of France
11. Guadeloupe North America 449,246 Overseas Region of France

French is recognized as a cultural language in the American states of Louisiana and Maine, in which the state governments officially promote and support French-language education and its use in government services and commerce and is a de facto official language, but it is not de jure official.[2] [3] French is also a de jure official language in the Indian union territory of Puduchery.

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ "Google Public Data Explorer". World Bank. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. ^ Louisiana Official Site on Languages, accessed August 22, 2016
  3. ^ Worldometers pages on the population of French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe, accessed April 24, 2018
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