The following are estimates of the numbers of people who speak French around the world. Some countries may have French as an official or second language, although not all people in the country will speak the language. All numbers are approximate.
110+ million people use French as their first language
60 million people speak French as a second language
An estimated 100 million people have learned French to a standard which enables them to communicate in the language.
Some of the countries where French is an official language include:
- (in Europe) Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco
- Canada
- several African nations including Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Niger, Burundi and others
- Madagascar and Haiti
Belgium, Canada and Switzerland each have approximately 25% of the population who can speak french
French is widely spoken in Algeria, and also used in Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia