Which Countries Speak French in the World?

When people think of the French language, their minds often jump straight to Paris and France. However, there are many other countries in the world where French is spoken! This is largely due to French colonization; during the 19th and 20th centuries, France managed to take control of numerous countries on almost every continent, from Africa to the Americas and even Oceania.

How Many People Speak French?

Today, there are more than 30 countries where French is spoken. There are over 93 million native French speakers, and about 227 million more speak it as a second language. This makes French one of the most important and widely studied languages in the world!

Where is French Spoken Exactly?

French-Speaking Countries in Europe

France

The main French-speaking country in Europe is, of course, France, where French was born and later spread around the world. The variety spoken here is considered the standard and is based on the French spoken in and around the capital city of Paris. This is the version most foreign students learn when they start studying French. Today, over 66 million people in France speak French, alongside numerous regional languages, some of which have little to no connection with standard French, such as Corse (similar to Italian), Breton (a Celtic language), and Alsatian (a Germanic language similar to German).

Belgium

French is spoken by around 5 million people in the southern part of Belgium, a small country located between France and the Netherlands. This region is called Wallonia, named after Wallon, a local language historically connected with French but now in decline. The French spoken in Belgium has its own characteristics, especially in vocabulary, pronunciation, and accent.

Switzerland

With about 2 million native speakers (and 7 million total speakers), Switzerland is the second most important French-speaking country in Europe. Located in central Europe and mostly mountainous, French is spoken in the western region known as Suisse Romande. Like Belgium, the Swiss variety of French has its own features and is influenced by other national languages such as German and Italian.

Luxembourg

French is one of Luxembourg’s three national languages, alongside Luxembourgish and German. While French is used in schools and official institutions, it is widely used in everyday life as a lingua franca, though locals also hold their national languages dear, especially Luxembourgish.

Vallée d’Aosta (Italy)

French is also spoken in the Italian province of Vallée d’Aoste (Valle d’Aosta in Italian), historically connected with France. However, most people tend to use the local dialect, known as Franco-Provençal, which can be difficult for French speakers to understand.

Monaco

The principality of Monaco is a tiny country, roughly the size of Central Park, located on the French Riviera. While its official language is French (though Monegasque is the traditional language), almost everyone speaks French in daily life, so communicating in French is easy.

Andorra

Andorra, another small country located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, maintains strong connections with both neighbors. About 13% of the population has French origins, and French is a common language used alongside Catalan and Spanish.

Channel Islands

French dialects called Jersiais and Guernésiais are spoken by very few people in the British islands of Jersey and Guernsey. These varieties are disappearing, with fewer people using them daily.

French in Oceania

In Oceania, French is spoken in territories with historical ties to France. The main ones include French Polynesia (over 100 islands in the South Pacific), Vanuatu (where French is one of the official languages alongside Bislama and English), New Caledonia (where French coexists with Kanak languages like Drehu, Nengone, and Paicî), and the small archipelago of Wallis and Futuna (where French is the language of administration and education). While French dominates official contexts, indigenous languages remain common in local communities.

French in South America & the Caribbean

Haiti

In Haiti, French is an official language alongside Haitian Creole, a French-based creole widely spoken in everyday life. French is used in government, education, media, and legal contexts, while Haitian Creole serves as the main language of communication for most people and is not intelligible with standard French.

French Guiana

French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America next to Brazil and Suriname, is an overseas department of France. French is the official language of administration and education, but local languages such as Guianese Creole and indigenous languages like Kali’na and Wayana are widely spoken in communities and rural areas.

French Antilles

The French Antilles, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Barthélemy, also have French as the official language. Here, French coexists with Antillean Creole, which developed from French, African languages, and indigenous influences.

French in North America

In North America, French is most important in Canada, especially in the province of Quebec, but also in surrounding areas like New Brunswick and parts of Ontario. The variety spoken here is unique, with a strong accent and distinctive vocabulary. In the United States, French is spoken in small communities, particularly in Louisiana, a region once part of France (named after King Louis XIV).

The small French island of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, off the east coast of Newfoundland, is home to about 6,000 people and is an overseas territory of France.

French in Africa

Africa is the continent where French is most widely spoken outside Europe, with more than 20 countries recognizing it as an official language or using it extensively in administration, education, and media. Important countries include Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali. While French holds official status, it is often not spoken daily by the entire population. In many nations, French is mainly used by urban elites, professionals, and in formal contexts, while rural populations continue to communicate in local languages such as Wolof, Lingala, Bambara, Swahili, or Berber dialects.

Despite this, French acts as a lingua franca, bridging diverse ethnic, linguistic, and cultural communities. It facilitates interregional communication, diplomacy, and international trade, and is associated with prestige, modernity, and access to educational and economic opportunities. French also influences literature, media, and the arts, with African authors, journalists, and filmmakers contributing to the global Francophone cultural scene.

French in Asia and the Middle East

French colonies in Asia included Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in Southeast Asia, as well as the Tamil cities of Puducherry and Chandannagar in South India. Unlike other regions, French did not become dominant, and today only about 1% of the population can communicate fluently in French. In the Middle East, the situation is different: in Lebanon, around 38% of people have some knowledge of French, whereas in neighboring Syria, which was also a French mandate, the language is far less common.