Editing French language (section)

== Geographic distribution ==
{{Main|Francophonie|Geographical distribution of French speakers}}
[[File:Top 6 Native French Speaking Countries.jpg|thumb|Distribution of native French speakers in 6 countries in 2023]]

=== Europe ===
{{Main|European French}}
[[File:Knowledge French EU map.svg|thumb|Knowledge of French in the [[European Union]] and candidate countries<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf EUROPA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617020142/http://www.tns-opinion.com/ |date=17 June 2017 }}, data for EU25, published before 2007 enlargement.</ref>]]
Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second-most-widely taught language after English.<ref name="nativeLanguages" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore language knowledge in Europe |url=http://languageknowledge.eu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917153120/http://languageknowledge.eu/ |archive-date=17 September 2016 |access-date=24 November 2014 |website=languageknowledge.eu}}</ref>

Under the [[Constitution of France]], French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992,<ref name="Benet-MartínezHong2014">{{Citation |last1=Novoa |first1=Cristina |title=The Oxford Handbook of Multicultural Identity |year=2014 |page=468 |editor-last=Benet-Martínez |editor-first=Verónica |series=Oxford Library of Psychology |chapter=Applied Perspectives: Policies for Managing Cultural Diversity |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gAqKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA468 |place=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-979669-4 |lccn=2014006430 |oclc=871965715 |last2=Moghaddam |first2=Fathali M. |editor2-last=Hong |editor2-first=Ying-Yi |mode=cs1}}</ref> although the [[Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts]] made it mandatory for legal documents in 1539. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words.

In Belgium, French is an official language at the federal level along with Dutch and German. At the regional level, French is the sole official language of [[Wallonia]] (excluding a part of the [[East Cantons]], which are [[German language|German-speaking]]) and one of the two official languages—along with [[Dutch language|Dutch]]—of the [[Brussels-Capital Region]], where it is spoken by the majority of the population (approx. 80%), often as their primary language.<ref name="philippevanparijs">{{Cite journal |author-link=Philippe Van Parijs|last=Van Parijs|first=Philippe|title=Belgium's new linguistic challenge |url=http://www.statbel.fgov.be/studies/ac699_en.pdf |journal=KVS Express (Supplement to Newspaper de Morgen) March–April 2006 |pages=Article from [http://www.kvs.be/kvs_express/KVS_EXPRESS_13_WEB.pdf original source (pdf 4.9 MB)] pp. 34–36 republished by the Belgian Federal Government Service (ministry) of Economy – Directorate–general Statistics Belgium |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613234540/http://www.statbel.fgov.be/studies/ac699_en.pdf |archive-date=13 June 2007 |access-date=5 May 2007|df=dmy}}</ref>

French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Italian, and [[Romansh language|Romansh]], and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland, called [[Romandy]], of which Geneva is the largest city. The language divisions in Switzerland do not coincide with political subdivisions, and some [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantons]] have bilingual status: for example, cities such as [[Biel/Bienne]] and cantons such as [[Canton of Valais|Valais]], [[Canton of Fribourg|Fribourg]] and [[Canton of Bern|Bern]]. French is the native language of about 23% of the Swiss population, and is spoken by 50%<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abalain |first=Hervé |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abit8Yd6J-cC&pg=PA92 |title=Le français et les langues |publisher=Editions Jean-paul Gisserot |year=2007 |isbn=978-2-87747-881-6 |access-date=10 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104351/https://books.google.com/books?id=abit8Yd6J-cC&pg=PA92 |archive-date=18 September 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> of the population.

Along with Luxembourgish and German, French is one of the three official languages of [[Luxembourg]], where it is generally the preferred language of business as well as of the different public administrations. It is also the official language of [[Monaco]].

At a regional level, French is acknowledged as an official language in the [[Aosta Valley]] region of [[Italy]] (the first government authority to adopt Modern French as the official language in 1536, three years before France itself),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Caniggia |first1=Mauro |last2=Poggianti |first2=Luca |date=25 October 2012 |title=La Vallée d'Aoste: enclave francophone au sud-est du Mont Blanc |url=http://zigzag-francophonie.eu/ITALIE-Le-Val-d-Aoste |publisher=Zigzag magazine |language=fr |access-date=2013-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204062709/http://zigzag-francophonie.eu/ITALIE-Le-Val-d-Aoste |archive-date=2013-12-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in which is spoken as a first language by 1.25% of the population and as a second one by approximately 50%.<ref>''Une Vallée d'Aoste bilingue dans une Europe plurilingue / Una Valle d'Aosta bilingue in un'Europa plurilingue'', Aoste, Fondation Émile Chanoux, 2003.</ref> French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the [[Channel Islands]]; it is also spoken in [[Andorra]] and is the main language after [[Catalan language|Catalan]] in [[El Pas de la Casa]]. The language is taught as the primary second language in the German state of [[Saarland]], with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 April 2014 |title=Allemagne: le français, bientôt la deuxième langue officielle de la Sarre |url=http://www.francetvinfo.fr/allemagne-le-francais-bientot-la-deuxieme-langue-officielle-de-la-sarre_587877.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822012043/http://www.francetvinfo.fr/allemagne-le-francais-bientot-la-deuxieme-langue-officielle-de-la-sarre_587877.html |archive-date=22 August 2017 |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 January 2014 |title=German region of Saarland moves towards bilingualism |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25834960 |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014054905/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25834960 |archive-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
{{clear}}

=== Africa ===
{{clear}}
{{Main|African French}}
[[File:NativevsOfficial.png|thumb|Official status of French in Africa as of 2025:<br>{{legend|#00AAE2|Countries in which it is an official ''de jure'' language}}
{{legend|#02007F|Regions in which is spoken as a native language}}]]
[[File:Francophone Africa 2023.png|thumb|Countries of Africa by percentage of French speakers in 2023
{{legend|#c6dbef|0–10% Francophone}}
{{legend|#9ecae1|11–20% Francophone}}
{{legend|#6baed6|21–30% Francophone}}
{{legend|#4292c6|31–40% Francophone}}
{{legend|#2171b5|41–50% Francophone}}
{{legend|#084594|>50% Francophone}}]]

The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa; while it is an official language in 18 countries, it is not spoken as a first language by the majority, acting mainly as a second one or a [[lingua franca]] due to the many indigenous languages spoken in the territories.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-04-07|title=Why the future of French is African|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47790128|access-date=2021-04-24|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411215818/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47790128|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2023 estimate from the {{lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|italic=no}}, an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories{{efn|29 full members of the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] (OIF): [[Benin]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Burundi]], [[Cameroon]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Chad]], [[Comoros]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DR Congo]], [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Ivory Coast|Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Djibouti]], [[Egypt]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Madagascar]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Mauritius]], [[Morocco]], [[Niger]], [[Rwanda]], [[São Tomé and Príncipe]], [[Senegal]], [[Seychelles]], [[Togo]], and [[Tunisia]]. <br />One associate member of the OIF: [[Ghana]].<br />Two observers of the OIF: [[Gambia]] and [[Mozambique]].<br />One country not member or observer of the OIF: [[Algeria]].<br />Two French territories in Africa: [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]].}} can speak French as either a [[first language|first]] or a [[second language]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Observatoire de la langue française de l'[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] |title=Francoscope. « 327 millions de francophones dans le monde en 2023 » |url=https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf |access-date=2024-02-05 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415152637/https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="2023_speakers">{{Cite web |last=Observatoire démographique et statistique de l'espace francophone (ODSEF) |title=Estimation du pourcentage et des effectifs de francophones (2023-03-15) |url=https://www.outils-odsef-fss.ulaval.ca/francoscope/tab/tab.html |access-date=2024-02-05 |archive-date=24 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124215019/https://outils-odsef-fss.ulaval.ca/francoscope/tab/tab.html |url-status=live }}</ref> only 1,2 million of these spoke it as a first language according to [[Ethnologue]].<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=French|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/fra|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Ethnologue.com}}</ref> This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050.<ref name="2023_data_sheet">{{cite web|url=https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-World-Population-Data-Sheet-Booklet.pdf|title=2023 World Population Data Sheet|author=[[Population Reference Bureau]]|access-date=2024-02-05|archive-date=20 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220122534/https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-World-Population-Data-Sheet-Booklet.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=United Nations |author-link=United Nations |title=World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_General/WPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx |access-date=2024-02-05 |format=XLSX |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306213755/https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20%28Standard%29/EXCEL_FILES/1_General/WPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Cross |first=Tony |title=French language growing, especially in Africa |date=2010-03-19 |url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20100319-french-language-growing-especially-africa |publisher=Radio France Internationale |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325094856/http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20100319-french-language-growing-especially-africa |url-status=live |archive-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> French was the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages).<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2004 |title=Agora: La francophonie de demain |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104416/https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |archive-date=18 September 2023 |access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bulletin de liaison du réseau démographie |url=http://www.demographie.auf.org/IMG/pdf/BULLETIN_No_22.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426011333/http://www.demographie.auf.org/IMG/pdf/BULLETIN_No_22.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |access-date=2011-06-14}}</ref>

While spoken mainly as a second language, French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa among some communities in urban areas or the elite class. This is especially true in the cities of [[Abidjan]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Language and National Identity in Africa |publisher=y Oxford University Press Language and National Identity in Asia |year=2008 |isbn=9780199286751 |editor-last=Simpson |editor-first=Andrew}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ploog |first=Katja |date=25 September 2002 |title=Le français à Abidjan : Pour une approche syntaxique du non-standard Broché – 25 septembre 2002 |id={{ASIN|2271059682|country=fr}} }}</ref> [[Kinshasa]], and [[Lubumbashi]],<ref name="Carson">{{Cite journal |last=Carson |first=Ben |year=2023 |title='A Metamorphosed Language': Tracing Language Attitudes Towards Lubumbashi Swahili and French in the DRC |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/40382/1/Final_SWPL21_Carson.pdf |journal=SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics |volume=21 |pages=30–45}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Lu |first=Marcus |date=August 31, 2024 |title=Mapped: Top 15 Countries by Native French Speakers |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-top-15-countries-by-native-french-speakers/}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last=Hulstaert |first=Karen |date=2018-11-02 |title="French and the school are one" – the role of French in postcolonial Congolese education: memories of pupils |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326888188 |journal=Paedagogica Historica |language=en |volume=54 |issue=6 |pages=822–836 |doi=10.1080/00309230.2018.1494203 |issn=0030-9230}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Katabe |first1=Isidore M. |last2=Tibategeza |first2=Eustard R. |date=2023-01-17 |title=Language-in-Education Policy and Practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo |url=https://www.ej-lang.org/index.php/ejlang/article/view/58 |journal=European Journal of Language and Culture Studies |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=4–12 |doi=10.24018/ejlang.2023.2.1.58 |issn=2796-0064|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Douala]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Fonyuy |first=Kelen Ernesta |date=October 24, 2024 |title=Revitalizing Cameroon Indigenous Languages Usage in Empowering Realms |url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ab9d0f98-1724-4994-9c01-72582a009845/content}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Rosendal |first=Tove |year=2008 |title=Multilingual Cameroon Policy, Practice, Problems and Solutions |url=http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/34485/1/8.pdf }}</ref> [[Libreville]],<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Ndinga-Koumba-Binza |first=H.S. |date=2011-06-22 |title=From foreign to national: a review of the status of the French language in Gabon |url=https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/15 |journal=Literator |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=135–150 |doi=10.4102/lit.v32i2.15 |issn=2219-8237|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Ursula |first=Reutner |date=December 2023 |title=Manual of Romance Languages in Africa |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376319724 }}</ref> [[Antananarivo]],<ref name="Øyvind_2024">{{Cite web |last=Øyvind |first=Dahl |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Linguistic policy challenges in Madagascar |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/225930576.pdf |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=core.ac.uk}}</ref> Cotonou,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahrney |first=Megan |date=28 February 2025 |title=Emphasis on French and English accelerates decline of local language in Benin |url=https://globalvoices.org/2025/02/28/emphasis-on-french-and-english-accelerates-decline-of-local-language-in-benin/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and Brazzaville.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Massoumou |first=Omer |date=April 12, 2025 |title=The Republic of Congo Francophone Country |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/707596878/The-Republic-of-Congo-francophone-country |url-status=live}}</ref> However, some African countries such as [[Algeria]] intermittently attempted to remove the use of French in favor of native languages, and it was removed as an official language in [[Mali]], [[Burkina Faso]], and [[Niger]] in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively.<ref name=Africanews>{{Cite web |date= 26 July 2023|title=Mali drops French as official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/26/mali-drops-french-as-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Africanews2>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-07 |title=Burkina abandons French as an official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/07/burkina-abandons-french-as-an-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=hasual>{{cite web|url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official/xl6ldbr|title=Niger downgrades French as it distances from its colonial past with a new official language|date=8 April 2025|first=Chinedu|last=Okafor|access-date=8 April 2025|work=Business Insider}}</ref>

There is not a single [[African French]], but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous [[African languages]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annonces import export Francophone |url=http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |archive-date=17 January 2013 |access-date=2 March 2007 |website=cecif.com}}</ref>

[[Sub-Saharan Africa]] is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth.<ref>[http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/France-priorities_1/francophony-french-language_1113/french-language_1934/french-language-in-the-world_3441/the-french-language-in-the-world-an-expanding-community_4289.html France-Diplomatie] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727195522/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/France-priorities_1/francophony-french-language_1113/french-language_1934/french-language-in-the-world_3441/the-french-language-in-the-world-an-expanding-community_4289.html |date=27 July 2009 }} "Furthermore, the demographic growth of Southern hemisphere countries leads us to anticipate a new increase in the overall number of French speakers."</ref> It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie "Le français, langue en évolution. Dans beaucoup de pays francophones, surtout sur le continent africain, une proportion importante de la population ne parle pas couramment le français (même s'il est souvent la langue officielle du pays). Ce qui signifie qu'au fur et à mesure que les nouvelles générations vont à l'école, le nombre de francophones augmente : on estime qu'en 2015, ceux-ci seront deux fois plus nombreux qu'aujourd'hui.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie |date=17 January 2013 }}"</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique c) Le sabir franco-africain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |date=17 January 2013 }}: {{lang|fr|"C'est la variété du français la plus fluctuante. Le sabir franco-africain est instable et hétérogène sous toutes ses formes. Il existe des énoncés où les mots sont français mais leur ordre reste celui de la langue africaine. En somme, autant les langues africaines sont envahies par les structures et les mots français, autant la langue française se métamorphose en Afrique, donnant naissance à plusieurs variétés."}}</ref> Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries,<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/centrafrique.htm République centrafricaine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405113112/http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/centrafrique.htm |date=5 April 2007 }}: {{lang|fr|Il existe une autre variété de français, beaucoup plus répandue et plus permissive : le français local. C'est un français très influencé par les langues centrafricaines, surtout par le sango. Cette variété est parlée par les classes non-instruites, qui n'ont pu terminer leur scolarité. Ils usent ce qu'ils connaissent du français avec des emprunts massifs aux langues locales. Cette variété peut causer des problèmes de compréhension avec les francophones des autres pays, car les interférences linguistiques, d'ordre lexical et sémantique, sont très importantes.}} (''One example of a variety of African French that is difficult to understand for European French speakers'').</ref> but written forms of the language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world.

=== Americas ===
{{Further|Languages of North America|Languages of South America|Languages of the Caribbean|French language in Canada}}

==== Canada ====
{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = French language distribution in Canada.png
| caption1          = French language distribution in Canada
{{legend|#0049a2|Regions where French is the main language and an official language at both the federal and provincial level}}
{{legend|#006aFF|Regions where French is an official language at the federal level but not a majority native language or an official language at the provincial level}}
| image2            = Arret.jpg
| caption2          = The [[Stop sign|"arrêt" signs]] (French for "stop") are used in the Canadian province of Québec, while the English ''stop'', which is also a valid French word, is used in France and other French-speaking countries and regions.
}}
French is the second most commonly spoken language in Canada and one of two federal official languages alongside English. As of the [[2021 Canadian census]], it was the native language of 7.7&nbsp;million people (21% of the population) and the second language of 2.9&nbsp;million (8% of the population).<ref name="2021-census">{{cite web |title=Profile table |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Quebec&DGUIDlist=2021A000011124,2021A000224&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=15,13,18,12,16,14,17,45,46,47 |website=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population | date=9 February 2022 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |access-date=2024-11-13}}</ref><ref name="Qu'est-ce que la Francophonie">{{Cite web |title=Francophonie ("Qu'est-ce que la Francophonie?") |url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/francophonie.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713040533/http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/francophonie.htm |archive-date=13 July 2015 |access-date=6 July 2015 |website=axl.cefan.ulaval.ca}}</ref> French is the sole official language in the province of [[Quebec]], where some 80% of the population speak it as a native language and 95% are capable of conducting a conversation in it.<ref name="2021-census"/> Quebec is also home to the city of [[Montreal]], which is the world's fourth-largest French-speaking city, by number of first language speakers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Montreal |url=https://www.olympiccities.org/montreal/ |website=World Union of Olympic Cities |access-date=2024-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007092422/https://www.olympiccities.org/montreal/ |archive-date=2024-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Péladeau |first1=Pierrot |title=Montréal n'est pas la deuxième ville française du monde |url=https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2014/09/13/montreal-nest-pas-la-deuxieme-ville-francaise-du-monde |access-date=2024-11-13 |work=Journal de Montréal |date=2014-09-13 |language=fr-ca}}</ref> [[New Brunswick]] and [[Manitoba]] are the only officially bilingual provinces, though full bilingualism is enacted only in New Brunswick, where about one third of the population is Francophone. French is also an official language of all of the territories ([[Northwest Territories]], [[Nunavut]], and [[Yukon]]). Out of the three, Yukon has the most French speakers, making up just under 4% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 December 2010 |title=Detailed Mother Tongue (186), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) (2006 Census) |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89201&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=701&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=838089 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202091813/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89201&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=701&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=838089 |archive-date=2 February 2009 |access-date=22 February 2011 |publisher=2.statcan.ca}}</ref> Furthermore, while French is not an official language in [[Ontario]], the [[French Language Services Act (Ontario)|French Language Services Act]] ensures that provincial services are available in the language. The Act applies to areas of the province where there are significant Francophone communities, namely [[Eastern Ontario]] and [[Northern Ontario]]. Elsewhere, sizable French-speaking minorities are found in southern Manitoba, [[Nova Scotia]], Prince Edward Island and the [[Port au Port Peninsula]] in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the unique [[Newfoundland French]] dialect was historically spoken. Smaller pockets of French speakers exist in all other provinces. The Ontarian city of [[Ottawa]], the Canadian capital, is also effectively bilingual, as it has a large population of federal government workers, who are required to offer services in both French and English,<ref>{{cite web |title=Services and communications from federal institutions |url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/language-rights/services-communications-federal-institutions |website=Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=2024-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114030845/https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/language-rights/services-communications-federal-institutions |archive-date=2024-11-14}}</ref> and is just across the river from the Quebecois city of [[Gatineau]].

==== United States ====
[[File:French in the United States.png|thumb|French language spread in the United States. Counties marked in lighter pink are those where 6–12% of the population speaks French at home; medium pink, 12–18%; darker pink, over 18%. [[French-based creole languages]] are not included.]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]] (2011), French is the fourth<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Use in the United States: 2011, American Community Survey Reports, Camille Ryan, Issued August 2013 |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205101044/http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-22.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2016 |access-date=18 February 2018}}</ref> most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese, when all forms of French are considered together and all dialects of Chinese are similarly combined. French is the second-most spoken language (after English) in the states of [[Maine]] and [[New Hampshire]]. In [[Louisiana]], it is tied with Spanish for second-most spoken if Louisiana French and all creoles such as Haitian are included. French is the third most spoken language (after English and Spanish) in the states of [[Connecticut]], [[Rhode Island]], and [[New Hampshire]].<ref name="factfinder2.census.gov">{{Cite web |title=Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over : Universe: Population 5 years and over: 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates?? |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_B16001&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212054904/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_B16001&prodType=table |archive-date=2020-02-12 |access-date=2015-03-14 |publisher=Factfinder2.census.gov}}</ref> Louisiana is home to many distinct French dialects, collectively known as [[Louisiana French]]. [[New England French]], essentially a variant of [[Canadian French]], is spoken in parts of [[New England]]. [[Missouri French]] was historically spoken in [[Missouri]] and [[Illinois]] (formerly known as [[Upper Louisiana]]), but is nearly extinct today.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ammon |first1=Ulrich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geh261xgI8sC |title=Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties |last2=International Sociological Association |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-89925-356-5 |pages=306–08 |access-date=14 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104854/https://books.google.com/books?id=geh261xgI8sC |archive-date=18 September 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> French also survived in isolated pockets along the [[Gulf Coast]] of what was previously French [[Lower Louisiana]], such as [[Mon Louis Island]], Alabama and [[DeLisle, Mississippi]] (the latter only being discovered by linguists in the 1990s) but these varieties are severely endangered or presumed extinct.

==== Caribbean ====
French is one of two official languages in [[Haiti]] alongside [[Haitian Creole]]. It is the principal language of education, administration, business, and public signage and is spoken by all educated Haitians. It is also used for ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations, and church masses. The vast majority of the population speaks Haitian Creole as their first language; the rest largely speak French as a first language.<ref name="DeGraff2015">{{Cite web |last1=DeGraff |first1=Michel |last2=Ruggles |first2=Molly |date=1 August 2014 |title=A Creole Solution for Haiti's Woes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/opinion/a-creole-solution-for-haitis-woes.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906084134/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/opinion/a-creole-solution-for-haitis-woes.html |archive-date=6 September 2015 |website=The New York Times |page=A17 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=Under the 1987 Constitution, adopted after the overthrow of Jean‑Claude&nbsp;Duvalier's dictatorship, {{bracket|Haitian}}&nbsp;Creole and French have been the two official languages, but most of the population speaks only Creole fluently.}}</ref> As a [[French-based creole languages|French Creole language]], Haitian Creole draws the large majority of its vocabulary from French, with influences from West African languages, as well as several European languages. It is closely related to Louisiana Creole and the creole from the [[Lesser Antilles]].<ref>Ministère de l'Éducation nationale</ref>

French is the sole official language of all the overseas territories of France in the Caribbean that are collectively referred to as the [[French West Indies]], namely [[Guadeloupe]], [[Saint Barthélemy]], [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]], and [[Martinique]].

==== Other territories ====
French is the official language of both [[French Guiana]] on the South American continent,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guyana – World Travel Guide |url=http://www.worldtravelguide.net/french-guiana/history-language-culture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018224639/http://www.worldtravelguide.net/french-guiana/history-language-culture |archive-date=18 October 2016 |access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> and of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 October 2021 |title=Saint Pierre and Miquelon |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-pierre-and-miquelon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202195959/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-pierre-and-miquelon/ |archive-date=2 February 2021 |access-date=28 January 2021 |website=The World Factbook}}</ref> an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland in North America.

=== Asia ===
==== Southeast Asia ====
{{See also|French language in Vietnam|French language in Laos|French language in Cambodia}}
French was the official language of the colony of [[French Indochina]], comprising modern-day [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], and [[Cambodia]]. It continues to be an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia, although its influence has waned in recent decades.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Richardson |first=Michael |date=16 October 1993 |title=French Declines in Indochina, as English Booms |language=en |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/16/style/IHT-french-declines-in-indochina-as-english-booms.html |url-status=live |access-date=2018-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009172258/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/16/style/IHT-french-declines-in-indochina-as-english-booms.html |archive-date=9 October 2018}}</ref> In colonial Vietnam, the elites primarily spoke French, while many servants who worked in French households spoke a French pidgin known as "[[Tây Bồi Pidgin French|Tây Bồi]]" (now extinct). After French rule ended, [[South Vietnam]] continued to use French in administration, education, and trade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chiman |first=Aly |date=1 February 2007 |title=The Role of English in Vietnam's Foreign Language Policy: A Brief History |url=https://www.worldwide.rs/en/role-english-vietnams-foreign-language-policy-brief-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225034415/https://www.worldwide.rs/en/role-english-vietnams-foreign-language-policy-brief-history/ |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=26 February 2021 |website=worldwide.rs}}</ref> However, since the [[Fall of Saigon]] and the opening of a unified Vietnam's economy, French has gradually been effectively displaced as the first foreign language of choice by English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it continues to be taught as the other main foreign language in the Vietnamese educational system and is regarded as a cultural language.<ref>Kirkpatrick, Andy and Anthony J. Liddicoat, ''The Routledge International Handbook of Language Education Policy in Asia.'', [[Routledge]], 2019, p. 192</ref>
All three countries are full members of La Francophonie (OIF).

==== India ====
{{See also|Indian French}}
French was the official language of [[French India]], consisting of the geographically separate enclaves referred to as [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]. It continued to be an [[official languages of Puducherry|official language of the territory]] even after its cession to India in 1956 until 1965.<ref name="timesofindia.indiatimes.com">{{Cite news |date=14 September 2014 |title=English to continue as link language in Puducherry: Court |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/English-to-continue-as-link-language-in-Puducherry-Court/articleshow/42400463.cms |url-status=live |access-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021143645/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/English-to-continue-as-link-language-in-Puducherry-Court/articleshow/42400463.cms |archive-date=21 October 2021}}</ref> A small number of older locals still retain knowledge of the language, although it has now given way to Tamil and English.<ref name="timesofindia.indiatimes.com" /><ref>[https://www.france24.com/en/20130318-pondicherry-the-French-outpost-in-India Pondicherry, the French outpost in India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016075001/https://www.france24.com/en/20130318-pondicherry-the-French-outpost-in-India |date=16 October 2021 }}, [[France 24]]</ref>

==== Lebanon ====
{{See also|French language in Lebanon}}
[[File:Bienvenue a Rechmaya.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Town sign in [[Modern Standard Arabic|Standard Arabic]] and French at the entrance of [[Rechmaya]] in Lebanon]]

A former French [[French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|mandate]], [[Lebanon]] designates [[Arabic]] as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used. Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used".<ref name="article_11">{{Cite web |last=Axel Tschentscher, LL.M. |title=Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution |url=http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/le00000_.html#A011_ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235845/http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/le00000_.html#A011_ |archive-date=16 January 2013 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Servat.unibe.ch}}</ref> The [[French language in Lebanon]] is a widespread second language among the [[Lebanese people]], and is taught in many schools along with Arabic and English. French is used on [[Lebanese pound]] banknotes, on road signs, on Lebanese [[Vehicle registration plates of Lebanon|license plates]], and on official buildings (alongside Arabic).

Today, French and English are secondary languages of [[Lebanon]], with about 40% of the population being [[Francophone]] and 40% Anglophone.{{sfn|OIF|2014|p=217}} The use of English is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French.{{sfn|OIF|2014|p=218}} Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One-third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value.{{sfn|OIF|2014|p=358}}

=== Oceania ===
[[File:CFP 500 recto.jpg|thumb|upright|A 500-[[CFP franc]] (€4.20; US$5.00) banknote, used in [[French Polynesia]], [[New Caledonia]] and [[Wallis and Futuna]]]]
French is an official language of the [[Pacific Island]] nation of [[Vanuatu]], where 31% of the population was estimated to speak it in 2023.<ref name="2023_speakers" /> It is the sole official language in the French special collectivity of [[New Caledonia]] and the overseas collectivities of [[Wallis and Futuna]] and [[French Polynesia]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vernaudon |first=Jacques |date=2020-07-01 |title=Les langues polynésiennes et kanak, des « langues de France » en contexte de décolonisation |url=https://journals.openedition.org/glottopol/488 |journal=Glottopol. Revue de sociolinguistique en ligne |language=fr |issue=34 |doi=10.4000/glottopol.488 |issn=1769-7425}}</ref>

In New Caledonia, 97% of the population can speak, read and write French<ref>{{Cite web |title=P9-1 – Population de 14 ans et plus selon la connaissance du français, le sexe, par commune, "zone" et par province de résidence |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/ir/rpnc04/dd/excel/rpnc04_P9-1.xls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104854/https://www.insee.fr/fr/accueil |archive-date=18 September 2023 |access-date=3 October 2009 |publisher=Government of France |language=fr |format=XLS}}</ref> while in French Polynesia this figure is 95%,<ref name="PF_2017">{{Cite web |last=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) |title=Recensement 2017 – Données détaillées Langues |url=http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Langues.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407144500/http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2017/Donnees_detaillees/Langues.aspx |archive-date=7 April 2019 |access-date=2019-04-07}}</ref> and in Wallis and Futuna, it is 84%.<ref name="WF_2018">{{Cite web |last=STSEE |title=Les premiers résultats du recensement de la population 2018 – Principaux_tableaux_population_2018 |url=http://www.statistique.wf/wp-content/plugins/download-attachments/includes/download.php?id=921 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608211620/http://www.statistique.wf/wp-content/plugins/download-attachments/includes/download.php?id=921 |archive-date=8 June 2019 |access-date=2019-04-07 |language=fr |format=ODS}}</ref> In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent Wallis and Futuna, where oral and written knowledge of the French language has become almost universal, French increasingly tends to displace the native [[Polynesian languages]] as the language most spoken at home. In French Polynesia, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 67% at the 2007 census to 74% at the 2017 census.<ref name="PF_2007">{{Cite web |last=Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF) |title=Recensement 2007 – Données détaillées Langues |url=http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Langues.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218054513/http://ispf.pf/bases/Recensements/2007/Details/Langues.aspx |archive-date=18 February 2020 |access-date=2019-04-07}}</ref><ref name="PF_2017" /> In Wallis and Futuna, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 10% at the 2008 census to 13% at the 2018 census.<ref name="WF_2018" /><ref name="WF_2008">{{Cite web |title=Tableau Pop_06_1: Population selon le sexe, la connaissance du français et l'âge décennal |url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/rpwf08/dd/excel/rpwf08_Pop_06.xls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604180112/http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/rpwf08/dd/excel/rpwf08_Pop_06.xls |archive-date=2011-06-04 |access-date=3 October 2009 |publisher=Government of France |language=fr |format=XLS}}</ref>

=== Future ===
According to a demographic projection led by the {{lang|fr|[[Université Laval]]|italic=no}} and the [[Agence universitaire de la Francophonie|Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie]], the total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050, largely due to rapid population growth in [[sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2004 |title=Agora: La francophonie de demain |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104416/https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |archive-date=18 September 2023 |access-date=13 June 2011}}</ref> OIF estimates 700 million French speakers by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa.<ref name="OIF" />

In a study published in March 2014 by ''[[Forbes]]'', the investment bank [[Natixis]] said that French could become the world's most spoken language by 2050.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gobry |first=Pascal-Emmanuel |title=Want To Know The Language Of The Future? The Data Suggests It Could Be...French |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2014/03/21/want-to-know-the-language-of-the-future-the-data-suggests-it-could-be-french/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924181751/http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2014/03/21/want-to-know-the-language-of-the-future-the-data-suggests-it-could-be-french/ |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=8 August 2017 |website=Forbes}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=December 2023}}

In the [[European Union]], French was the dominant language within all institutions until the 1990s. After several enlargements of the EU (1995, 2004), French significantly lost ground in favour of English, which is more widely spoken and taught in most EU countries. French currently remains one of the three working languages, or "procedural languages", of the EU, along with English and German. It is the second-most widely used language within EU institutions after English, but remains the preferred language of certain institutions or administrations such as the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]], where it is the sole internal working language, or the [[Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development|Directorate-General for Agriculture]]. Since 2016, [[Brexit]] has rekindled discussions on whether or not French should again hold greater role within the institutions of the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2019 |title=Focus – EU after Brexit: Will the French language make a comeback? |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20191017-eu-after-brexit-will-the-french-language-make-a-comeback-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002121351/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20191017-eu-after-brexit-will-the-french-language-make-a-comeback-1 |archive-date=2 October 2020 |access-date=16 September 2020 |publisher=France 24}}</ref>