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C o n t r i b u t e
● H e l p ● L e a r n t o e d i t ● C o m m u n i t y p o r t a l ● R e c e n t c h a n g e s ● U p l o a d f i l e
S e a r c h
Search
A p p e a r a n c e
● C r e a t e a c c o u n t ● L o g i n
P e r s o n a l t o o l s
● C r e a t e a c c o u n t ● L o g i n
P a g e s f o r l o g g e d o u t e d i t o r s l e a r n m o r e ● C o n t r i b u t i o n s ● T a l k
( T o p )
1 S o l e o f f i c i a l l a n g u a g e
T o g g l e S o l e o f f i c i a l l a n g u a g e s u b s e c t i o n
1 . 1 C o u n t r i e s
1 . 2 N o n - s o v e r e i g n e n t i t i e s
2 C o - o f f i c i a l u s e
T o g g l e C o - o f f i c i a l u s e s u b s e c t i o n
2 . 1 S o v e r e i g n s t a t e s
2 . 2 N a t i o n a l s u b d i v i s i o n s
3 O f f i c i a l l y r e c o g n i z e d s t a t u s
4 I n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s
5 C o u n t r i e s
6 D e p e n d e n t e n t i t i e s
7 N o n - o f f i c i a l b u t s i g n i f i c a n t l a n g u a g e
8 S e e a l s o
9 R e f e r e n c e s
T o g g l e t h e t a b l e o f c o n t e n t s
L i s t o f c o u n t r i e s a n d t e r r i t o r i e s w h e r e F r e n c h i s a n o f f i c i a l l a n g u a g e
2 8 l a n g u a g e s
● ا ل ع ر ب ي ة ● B i k o l C e n t r a l ● Ε λ λ η ν ι κ ά ● E s p a ñ o l ● ف ا ر س ی ● F r a n ç a i s ● G a l e g o ● Հ ա յ ե ր ե ն ● B a h a s a I n d o n e s i a ● ქ ა რ თ უ ლ ი ● L a d i n ● L a t v i e š u ● M a g y a r ● М а к е д о н с к и ● م ص ر ى ● N e d e r l a n d s ● 日 本 語 ● R o m â n ă ● Р у с с к и й ● S i m p l e E n g l i s h ● С р п с к и / s r p s k i ● T a g a l o g ● த ம ி ழ ் ● Т а т а р ч а / t a t a r ç a ● T ü r k ç e ● У к р а ї н с ь к а ● ا ر د و ● 中 文
E d i t l i n k s
● A r t i c l e ● T a l k
E n g l i s h
● R e a d ● E d i t ● V i e w h i s t o r y
T o o l s
T o o l s
A c t i o n s
● R e a d ● E d i t ● V i e w h i s t o r y
G e n e r a l
● W h a t l i n k s h e r e ● R e l a t e d c h a n g e s ● U p l o a d f i l e ● S p e c i a l p a g e s ● P e r m a n e n t l i n k ● P a g e i n f o r m a t i o n ● C i t e t h i s p a g e ● G e t s h o r t e n e d U R L ● D o w n l o a d Q R c o d e ● W i k i d a t a i t e m
P r i n t / e x p o r t
● D o w n l o a d a s P D F ● P r i n t a b l e v e r s i o n
A p p e a r a n c e
F r o m W i k i p e d i a , t h e f r e e e n c y c l o p e d i a
Regions where French is a majority native language
Regions where French is an official or administrative language but not a majority native language
Regions where French is an unofficial secondary language
French is an official language in 28 independent nations. The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where French is an official or de facto language.
Sole official language [ edit ]
Countries [ edit ]
List of countries where French is the only official language:
Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ivory Coast
France (Metropolitan & Overseas France )
Gabon
Guinea
Monaco
Niger
Senegal
Togo
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.
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Central African Republic
Comoros
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Haiti
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Mauritania
Rwanda
Seychelles
Switzerland
Vanuatu
National subdivisions [ edit ]
Bern , Switzerland
Brussels , Belgium
Fribourg , Switzerland
New Brunswick , Canada
Northwest Territories , Canada
Nunavut , Canada
Valais , Switzerland
Wallonia , Belgium
Yukon , Canada
Officially recognized status [ edit ]
Although a non-official minority language, French is granted certain rights in the following countries and territories:
Intergovernmental organizations [ edit ]
The Francophonie flag flying at the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa
French is an official language, mostly in conjunction with English, of 36 international organisations. These include:
Countries [ edit ]
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.
Country
Continent
Population[5]
1.
Democratic Republic of Congo Africa
105,044,646
2.
France Europe
68,051,000
3.
Canada North America
38,653,740
4.
Madagascar Africa
24,235,400
5.
Cameroon Africa
23,345,200
6.
Côte d'Ivoire Africa
22,701,600
7.
Niger Africa
19,899,100
8.
Senegal Africa
15,129,300
9.
Chad Africa
14,037,500
10.
Guinea Africa
12,608,600
11.
Rwanda Africa
11,607,700
12.
Belgium Europe
11,358,357
13.
Burundi Africa
11,178,900
14.
Benin Africa
10,879,800
15.
Haiti Caribbean
10,711,100
16.
Switzerland Europe
8,510,000
17.
Togo Africa
7,304,600
18.
Central African Republic Africa
4,900,300
19.
Congo Africa
4,620,300
20.
Gabon Africa
1,725,300
21.
Equatorial Guinea Africa
1,221,490
22.
Djibouti Africa
887,861
23.
Comoros Africa
795,601
24.
Luxembourg Europe
602,900
25.
Vanuatu Oceania
264,652
26.
Seychelles Africa
92,900
27.
Monaco Europe
38,731
Total All countries World c.
Dependent entities [ edit ]
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.[6] [4]
Non-official but significant language [ edit ]
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)[7]
Usage of French
Algeria Africa
44,758,398
Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[8]
Burkina Faso Africa
22,489,126
Administrative, educational[9] [10]
Cambodia Asia
16,891,245
Administrative (particularly judicial and diplomacy), cultural, some educational[11] [12]
Laos Asia
7,852,377
Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational[13] [14]
Lebanon Asia
5,331,203
De jure second language[1]
Mali Africa
21,359,722
Administrative (de facto official), educational[15] [16]
Mauritania Africa
4,244,878
De facto second official language, educational[17]
Mauritius Africa
1,309,448
Administrative (de facto official), cultural, educational[2]
Morocco Africa
37,067,420
Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[18] [19]
Tunisia Africa
11,976,182
Administrative, commercial, cultural, educational, de facto official language[20]
Vietnam Asia
99,460,000
Administrative (diplomatic), cultural, some educational, working language in medicine, science, and law[21] [22]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
^ French's Legal Status In Louisiana , Conseil pour le développement du Français en Louisiane (CODOFIL)
^ a b "Ici on parle français", Report of the Commission to Study the Development of Maine's Franco-American Resources , Maine State Legislature Law and Legislative Reference Library, December 1997
^ "Google Public Data Explorer" . World Bank. Retrieved 16 November 2016 .
^ Ward, Roger K. The French Language in Louisiana Law and Legal Education: A Requiem , Louisiana Law Review, 1997
^ World Population 2023 , The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency
^ "Le dénombrement des francophones" (PDF) . Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013.1
^
"Burkina Faso - Ibrahim Traoré promulgue la loi révisant la Constitution" . LibreExpress. 27 January 2024.
^ "DÉCRET N° 2024-0040/PRES-TRANS promulguant la loi constitutionnelle n° 045-2023/ALT du 30 décembre 2023 portant révision de la Constitution" (PDF) . minute.bf . 22 January 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024 .
^ Aménagement linguistique dans le monde - Cambodge , Université Laval (in French)
^ Richardson, Michael (16 October 1993). "French Declines in Indochina, as English Booms" . International Herald Tribune . Retrieved 2018-11-18 .
^ Aménagement linguistique dans le monde - Laos , Université Laval (in French)
^ Richardson, Michael (16 October 1993). "French Declines in Indochina, as English Booms" . International Herald Tribune . Retrieved 2018-11-18 .
^ Mali's new constitution adopted after court validation , Radio France Internationale , 22 July 2023.
^ "Journal Officiel de la République du Mali Secretariat du Général du Governement - Decret DECRET N°2023-0401/PT-RM du 22 Juillet 2023 pourtant promulgation de la Constitution" (PDF) . sgg-mali.ml . 22 July 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023 .
^ "Mauritania" . Ethnologue.
^ "Morocco" . World Factbook . Central Intelligence Agency. 14 July 2023.
^ "Présentation du Maroc" . Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (in French).
^ Samy Ghorbal, «Le français a-t-il encore un avenir ? », Jeune Afrique
^ Duc Tri-Quê Anh. Promouvoir l’enseignement du français au Vietnam , Le Courrier du Vietnam , 7 March 2022. (in French)
^ Kirkpatrick, Andy and Anthony J. Liddicoat, The Routledge International Handbook of Language Education Policy in Asia. , Routledge , 2019, p. 192
R e t r i e v e d f r o m " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_and_territories_where_French_is_an_official_language&oldid=1230495428 " C a t e g o r y : ● F r e n c h - s p e a k i n g c o u n t r i e s a n d t e r r i t o r i e s H i d d e n c a t e g o r i e s : ● C S 1 F r e n c h - l a n g u a g e s o u r c e s ( fr ) ● A r t i c l e s w i t h s h o r t d e s c r i p t i o n ● S h o r t d e s c r i p t i o n i s d i f f e r e n t f r o m W i k i d a t a ● A r t i c l e s n e e d i n g a d d i t i o n a l r e f e r e n c e s f r o m M a y 2 0 2 3 ● A l l a r t i c l e s n e e d i n g a d d i t i o n a l r e f e r e n c e s
● T h i s p a g e w a s l a s t e d i t e d o n 2 3 J u n e 2 0 2 4 , a t 0 1 : 5 8 ( U T C ) . ● T e x t i s a v a i l a b l e u n d e r t h e C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s A t t r i b u t i o n - S h a r e A l i k e L i c e n s e 4 . 0 ;
a d d i t i o n a l t e r m s m a y a p p l y . B y u s i n g t h i s s i t e , y o u a g r e e t o t h e T e r m s o f U s e a n d P r i v a c y P o l i c y . W i k i p e d i a ® i s a r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k o f t h e W i k i m e d i a F o u n d a t i o n , I n c . , a n o n - p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n . ● P r i v a c y p o l i c y ● A b o u t W i k i p e d i a ● D i s c l a i m e r s ● C o n t a c t W i k i p e d i a ● C o d e o f C o n d u c t ● D e v e l o p e r s ● S t a t i s t i c s ● C o o k i e s t a t e m e n t ● M o b i l e v i e w
