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French-speaking countries

List of the 29 countries where French is an official language

Official languages

French-speaking countries

Country Capital Capital Continent Population Continent Official languages
Belgium Belgium Brussels Brussels Europe 11,876,844Europe Néerlandais, Français, Allemand
Benin Benin Porto Novo Porto Novo Africa 14,462,724Africa Français
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Ouagadougou Ouagadougou Africa 23,548,781Africa Français
Burundi Burundi Bujumbura Bujumbura Africa 14,047,786Africa Français, Kirundi
Cameroon Cameroon Yaoundé Yaoundé Africa 29,123,744Africa Français, Anglais
Canada Canada Ottawa Ottawa America 41,288,599America Français, Anglais
Central African Republic Central African Republic Bangui Bangui Africa 5,330,690Africa Sango, Français
Chad Chad N'Djamena N'Djamena Africa 20,299,123Africa Français, Arabe
Comoros Comoros Moroni Moroni Africa 866,628Africa Comorien, Français, Arabe
Democratic Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa Kinshasa Africa 109,276,265Africa Français
Djibouti Djibouti Djibouti Djibouti Africa 1,168,722Africa Français, Arabe
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Malabo Malabo Africa 1,892,516Africa Espagnol, Français, Portugais
France France Paris Paris Europe 68,516,699Europe Français
Gabon Gabon Libreville Libreville Africa 2,538,952Africa Français
Guinea Guinea Conakry Conakry Africa 14,754,785Africa Français
Haiti Haiti Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince America 11,772,557America Français, Créole haïtien
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Yamoussoukro Yamoussoukro Africa 31,934,230Africa Français
Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg Europe 677,717Europe Luxembourgeois, Français, Allemand
Madagascar Madagascar Antananarivo Antananarivo Africa 31,964,956Africa Malgache, Français
Mali Mali Bamako Bamako Africa 24,478,595Africa Français
Monaco Monaco Monaco Monaco Europe 38,631Europe Français
Niger Niger Niamey Niamey Africa 27,032,412Africa Français
Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Brazzaville Brazzaville Africa 6,332,961Africa Français
Rwanda Rwanda Kigali Kigali Africa 14,256,567Africa Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Français, Anglais
Senegal Senegal Dakar Dakar Africa 18,501,984Africa Français
Seychelles Seychelles Victoria Victoria Africa 121,354Africa Créole seychellois, Anglais, Français
Switzerland Switzerland Bern Bern Europe 9,034,102Europe Allemand, Français, Italien, Romanche
Togo Togo Lomé Lomé Africa 9,515,236Africa Français
Vanuatu Vanuatu Port Vila Port Vila Oceania 327,777Oceania Bichelamar, Français, Anglais

Frequently asked questions

How many French-speaking countries are there in the world?

There are 29 countries where French is recognised as an official language. La Francophonie is present on 5 continents: Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Canada, the Caribbean and parts of Oceania.

What is the largest French-speaking country in the world?

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest French-speaking country by area (2.3 million km²) and the most populous in Francophone Africa. France remains the country where French is the sole official language with the most native speakers.

Why do so many African countries speak French?

French spread in Africa due to French and Belgian colonisation in the 19th and 20th centuries. After independence (1960s), many countries retained French as their administrative and educational language, often as a neutral choice above local languages.

Is French growing or declining?

French is growing rapidly, especially in Africa. According to the OIF, the number of speakers could reach 700 million by 2050, up from around 320 million today — one of the few major world languages in expansion.