Mapped: Top 15 Countries by Native French Speakers

Mapped: Top 15 Countries by Native French Speakers

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There are 300 million people who speak French in the world today. If they were one country, it would rank just behind the U.S., the world’s third-most populous country.

However, French, still the lingua franca in many regions, has speakers who learn it as a second (or even third) language. For native speakers only, the total numbers fall to around 100 million.

So, where are all these Francophones situated? This graphic maps and ranks the top 15 countries by number of native French speakers. Figures were sourced from Worlddata.info, last updated July 2024.

The Countries Who Speak French

At the top of the list, France has the most native French speakers at nearly 64 million people, 94% of the population.

Ranked second, the DRC has 12 million native French speakers. Unlike France, this accounts for only about 12% of its 102 million-strong population.

In the Americas, Canada has nearly 9 million native French speakers. A vast majority can be found in Quebec and Ontario. French is also one of the two official languages in the country.

Haiti and Belgium round out the top five with nearly 5 million each.

Meanwhile, glancing through the rest of the top 15, reveals a fuller extent of France’s colonization efforts in Africa. Interestingly, all the African countries in this ranking—except Tunisia—retained French as an official language even after independence.

Part of it is continuing government affairs in French for administrative ease. It also serves as a common language amongst diverse ethnic groups within the country. And of course, France is a key trading partner, making French useful for economic reasons.

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Wondering what the same breakdown looks like for other languages? Check out the Countries with the Most Native Spanish Speakers. Spoiler: Spain is not #1.