{{short description|French-speaking world}} {{About|the concept of speaking French|the organization sometimes called "la Francophonie"|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|the geography of francophones|Geographical distribution of French speakers}} {{Distinguish|Francophobe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} [[File:Map-Francophone World.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Geographic distribution of the French language: {{legend|#0049a2|Majority native language}} {{legend|#006aFF|Official but not majority native language}} {{legend|#8ec3ff|Administrative or cultural language but without official status}}]] [[File:Proportion of French speakers by country (1-100% gradation).svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Proportion of French speakers (including L2-speakers) by country in 2022, saturating at 100%, according to the OIF<ref>{{cite book |author=Organisation internationale de la Francophonie |title=La langue française dans le monde, 2019-2022 |language=fr |year=2022 |publisher=Gallimard |isbn=978-2-07-297686-5 |url=https://observatoire.francophonie.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Rapport-La-langue-francaise-dans-le-monde_VF-2022.pdf |access-date=4 January 2023 |pp=30–35 }}</ref>
{{legend|#959EA9|0–19% Francophone}} {{legend|#6987AE|20–39% Francophone}} {{legend|#3E71B3|40–59% Francophone}} {{legend|#1F5BA8|60–79% Francophone}} {{legend|#084594|80–99% Francophone}} ]]
The '''Francophonie''' or '''Francophone world''' is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880<ref>[http://geography.uoregon.edu/murphy/articles/Murphy%20-%20Placing%20Louisiana%20in%20the%20Francophone%20World%20with%20figures.pdf Alexander B. Murphy, "Placing Louisiana in the Francophone World: Opportunities and Challenges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510154922/http://geography.uoregon.edu/murphy/articles/Murphy%20-%20Placing%20Louisiana%20in%20the%20Francophone%20World%20with%20figures.pdf |date=10 May 2013 }}, page 4, published in ''Atlantic Studies'', Volume 5, Issue 3, 2008; Special Issue: ''New Orleans in the Atlantic World, II'', accessed 7 April 2013</ref> and became important as part of the conceptual rethinking of cultures and geography in the late 20th century.
When used to refer to the '''French-speaking world''', the Francophonie encompasses the countries and territories where French is official or serves as an administrative or major secondary language, which spans 50 countries and dependencies across all inhabited continents. It is a ''de jure'' official language in 26 countries (the third most number of countries after English and Arabic).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/04/23/the-worlds-languages-in-7-maps-and-charts/|title= The world's languages, in 7 maps and charts|newspaper= The Washington Post|date=18 April 2022|access-date =19 April 2022}}</ref> The vast majority of these are also member states of the {{lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie}} (OIF), a body uniting countries where French is spoken and taught.
While it holds official status in more than two dozen countries, it is the majority's first language in only five states and territories{{efn|French is spoken as a mother tongue by the majority of the population (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France, Canada (Quebec), Belgium (Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region), western Switzerland (Romandy) and Monaco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-02 |title=Census in Brief: English, French and official language minorities in Canada |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016011/98-200-x2016011-eng.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311010917/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016011/98-200-x2016011-eng.cfm |archive-date=11 March 2018 |access-date=2018-03-25 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |language=en}}</ref>}}, as the rest of French-speaking nations use it primarily administratively and as a lingua franca among populations whose mother tongues are indigenous or regional languages.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/04/23/the-worlds-languages-in-7-maps-and-charts/|title= The world's languages, in 7 maps and charts|newspaper= The Washington Post|date=18 April 2022|access-date =19 April 2022}}</ref> This disparity is reflected in the number of speakers: of the 327 million total (the 6th-most in the world), about 74 million are native speakers (the 22nd in the world).<ref name=e28>[https://www.ethnologue.com/statistics/ Statistics], in {{e28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qui parle français dans le monde – Organisation internationale de la Francophonie – Langue française et diversité linguistique |url=https://observatoire.francophonie.org/qui-parle-francais-dans-le-monde/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>[https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf 327 millions de francophones dans le monde en 2023] odsef.fss.ulaval.ca (in French)</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Verdeau | first=Paul | title= En 2023, 327 millions de personnes parlent français dans le monde, dont près de la moitié en Afrique | website=RTBF | date=20 March 2023 | url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/en-2023-430-millions-de-personnes-parlent-francais-dans-le-monde-dont-350-millions-de-personnes-parlent-francais-en-afrique-11169856 | language=fr | access-date=27 November 2023}}</ref> In 2017 it was among the top five most studied languages in the world with about 120 million learners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How many people speak French and where is French spoken |url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-french-and-where-is-french-spoken |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121234924/https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-french-and-where-is-french-spoken |archive-date=21 November 2017 |access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>
==Denominations== '''Francophonie''', '''francophonie''' and '''francophone space''' are syntagmatic. This expression is relevant to countries which speak French as their national language, may it be as a mother language or a secondary language.
These expressions are sometimes misunderstood or misused by English speakers. They can be synonymous but most of the time they are complementary. * "francophonie", with a small "f", refers to populations and people who speak French for communication or/and in their daily lives.<ref name="francophonie.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.francophonie.org/-Qu-est-ce-que-la-Francophonie-.html|title=Qu'est-ce que la Francophonie ? - Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|website=francophonie.org|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-date=5 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205014158/http://www.francophonie.org/-Qu-est-ce-que-la-Francophonie-.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> * "Francophonie", with a capital "F", can be defined as referring to the governments, governmental and non-governmental organisations or governing officials that share the use of French in their work and exchange.<ref name="francophonie.org"/> * "Francophone space", "Francophone world", "Francosphere" represents not only a linguistic or geographic reality, but also a cultural entity: for example describing any individual who identifies with one of the francophone cultures, may it be Slavic, Latin, Creole, North American or Oceanian for example.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.francophonie.org/carto.html|title=Données et statistiques sur la langue française - Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|website=francophonie.org|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-date=23 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323225658/https://www.francophonie.org/carto.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>L'année francophone internationale, Québec, ACCT, 1994</ref>
==Origins== [[File:La francophonie mapa.svg|thumb|Map showing the member states of the {{Lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|italic=no}} (in blue and green). This map does not exactly represent the francophone space, as it is a political organisation.]]
The term francophonie was invented by Onésime Reclus in 1880: "We also put aside four large countries, Senegal, Gabon, Cochinchina and Cambodia, whose future from a "Francophone" point of view is still very doubtful, except perhaps for Senegal" (in French « Nous mettons aussi de côté quatre grands pays, le Sénégal, le Gabon, la Cochinchine, le Cambodge dont l’avenir au point de vue « francophone » est encore très douteux sauf peut-être pour le Sénégal »); and then used by geographers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pinhas |first=Luc |date=2004 |title=Aux origines du discours francophone |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/colan_0336-1500_2004_num_140_1_3270 |journal=Communication & Langages |volume=140 |issue=1 |pages=69–82 |doi=10.3406/colan.2004.3270}}</ref>
During the Third Republic, the French language progressively gained importance.
The {{Lang|fr|Académie française}}, a French institution created in 1635 in charge of officially determining and unifying the rules and evolutions of the French language, participated in the promotion and the development of the French language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Francophonie: The History of the French Language Training School |url=https://www.languageconnections.com/blog/la-francophonie-the-history-of-the-famous-french-language-training-school/ |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=Language Connections |date=July 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Countries== {{seealso|List of countries and territories where French is an official language}} The definition of the Francophone world is distinguished by countries and territories where French is an official language, those where it is the native language of the majority of the population, and those where the language is used as a working language of administration or where the language still has an important cultural impact and prestige without having official status. There are 50 countries and territories which fall into this category, although in some countries the Francosphere is limited to certain regions or states.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Vigouroux|first=Cecile|date=2013|title=Francophonie|url=https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145804|journal=Annual Review of Anthropology|volume=42|pages=379–397|doi=10.1146/annurev-anthro-092611-145804|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Being merely a member state of the OIF does not automatically make a country or territory "francophone" in the sense of the language having a major role in its society, be it as a working language or a strong cultural heritage to the French language. This is in part due to the OIF increasingly admitting new members based on loose criteria such as "significant second language learning" of French or parties interested in furthering the organisation's promotion of human rights, democracy, international cooperation, sustainable development, cultural and linguistic diversity, and education and training.<ref>Christian Rioux, "Franco... quoi?", ''Le Devoir'', Montreal, 4 September 1999.</ref> Therefore, member states such as Romania, Egypt, and Armenia which have minimal to no connection with the French language and culture should not be considered as part of the Francophone world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.levif.be/actualite/international/la-francophonie-au-bord-de-la-cacophonie/article-normal-1037567.html|title=La Francophonie au bord de la cacophonie ?|first=Le|last=Vif|date=9 October 2018|website=Site-LeVif-FR|access-date=2 September 2019|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022094138/https://www.levif.be/actualite/international/la-francophonie-au-bord-de-la-cacophonie/article-normal-1037567.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" |- ! Rank !! style="text-align:center"|Country/territory!!style="text-align:center"|French-speaking<br />population<ref>[https://www.francophonie.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Rapport-La-langue-francaise-dans-le-monde_VF-2022.pdf La langue française dans le monde, 2022], ''Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)'', </ref>{{efn|Note: Excludes partial speakers and learners.}}!! Land area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Land area (sq mi) |- | 1 || align=left| {{flag|France}}{{efn|Note: Metropolitan France only.}} || 66,394,000 || 551,695 || 213,011 |- | 2 || align=left| {{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} || 48,925,000 || 2,344,858 || 905,354 |- | 3 || align=left| {{flag|Algeria}} || 14,904,000 || 2,381,741 || 919,595 |- | 4 || align=left| {{flag|Morocco}} || 13,457,000 || 446,550 || 172,410 |- | 5 || align=left| {{flag|Cameroon}} || 11,491,000 || 475,650 || 183,650 |- | 6 || align=left| {{flag|Canada}} || 11,061,000 || 9,984,670 || 3,855,100 |- | 7 || align=left| {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}} || 9,325,000 || 322,462 || 124,503 |- | 8 || align="left"| {{flag|Belgium}} || 8,815,000 || 30,528 || 11,787 |- | 9 || align=left| {{flag|Madagascar}} || 7,729,000 || 587,041 || 226,658 |- | 10 || align=left| {{flag|Tunisia}} || 6,321,000 || 163,610 || 63,170 |- | 11 || align="left" |{{flag|Switzerland}} || 5,889,000 || 41,291 || 15,943 |- | 12 || align=left| {{flag|Burkina Faso}} || 5,404,000 || 274,200 || 105,900 |- | 13 || align=left| {{flag|Haiti}} || 4,906,000 || 27,750 || 10,710 |- | 14 || align=left| {{flag|Senegal}} ||4,640,000|| 196,712 || 75,951 |- | 15 || align=left| {{flag|Benin}} || 4,306,000 || 114,763 || 44,310 |- | 16 || align=left| {{flag|Guinea}} || 3,777,000 || 245,857 || 94,926 |- | 17 || align=left| {{flag|Mali}} || 3,703,000 || 1,240,192 || 478,841 |- | 18 || align=left| {{flag|Togo}} || 3,554,000 || 56,785 || 21,925 |- | 19 || align=left| {{flag|Congo}} || 3,518,000 || 342,000 || 132,000 |- | 20 || align=left| {{flag|Niger}} || 3,363,000 || 1,267,000 || 489,200 |- | 21 || align=left| {{flag|Lebanon}} || 2,540,000 || 10,452 || 4,036 |- | 22 || align=left| {{flag|Chad}} || 2,249,000 || 1,284,000 || 495,800 |- | 23 || align=left| {{flag|United States}}<br><small>* Louisiana</small><br><small>* New England</small>|| 2,179,000 || 9,525,067 || 3,677,647 |- | 24 || align=left| {{flag|Gabon}} || 1,519,000 || 267,668 || 103,347 |- | 25 || align=left| {{flag|Central African Republic}} || 1,435,000 || 622,984 || 240,535 |- | 26 || align=left| {{flag|Burundi}} || 1,074,000 || 25,680 || 9,915 |- | 27 || align=left| {{flag|Mauritius}} || 926,000 || 2,040 || 788 |- | 28 || align=left| {{flag|Réunion|local}} || 799,000 || 2,511 || 970 |- | 29 || align=left| {{flag|Rwanda}} || 793,000 || 26,338 || 10,169 |- | 30 || align=left| {{flag|Vietnam}} || 693,000 || 331,340 || 127,930 |- | 31 || align=left| {{flag|Mauritania}} || 656,000 || 1,030,700 || 397,960 |- | 32 || align=left|{{flag|Luxembourg}} || 642,000 || 2,586 || 998 |- | 33 || align=left| {{flag|Djibouti}} || 508,000 || 23,200 || 8,960 |- | 34 || align=left| {{flag|Cambodia}} || 463,000 || 181,035 || 69,898 |- | 35 || align=left| {{flag|Guadeloupe|local}} || 336,000 || 1,628 || 629 |- | 36 || align=left| {{flag|Martinique|local}} || 303,000 || 1,128 || 436 |- | 37 || align=left| {{flag|New Caledonia|local}} || 288,000 || 18,575 || 7,172 |- | 38 || align=left| {{flag|French Polynesia}} || 278,000 || 4,167 || 1,609 |- | 39 || align=left| {{flag|Comoros}} || 237,000 || 1,861 || 719 |- | 40 || align=left| {{flag|Laos}} || 204,000 || 236,800 || 91,430 |- | 41 || align=left| {{flag|French Guiana|local}} || 195,000 || 84,000 || 32,433 |- | 42 || align=left| {{flag|Mayotte|local}} || 180,000 || 374 || 144 |- | 43 || align=left| {{flag|Vanuatu}} || 100,000 || 12,189 || 4,706 |- | 44 || align=left| {{flag|Seychelles}} || 53,000 || 457 || 176 |- | 45 || align=left| {{flag|Monaco}} || 39,000 || 2 || 0.7 |- | 46 || align=left| {{Flagicon image|Local flag of the Collectivity of Saint Martin.svg}} Saint Martin || 33,000 || 53 || 20 |- | 47 || align=left| {{flag|India}}<br><small>* Puducherry</small><br> || 10,000 || 483 || 186 |- | 48 || align=left| {{flag|Wallis and Futuna|local}} || 9,000 || 142 || 55 |- | 49 || align=left| {{flag|Saint Barthélemy|local}} || 8,000 || 20 || 8 |- | 50 || align=left| {{flag|Saint Pierre and Miquelon|local}} || 6,000 || 230 || 89 |- ! !Total |350,281,000 |28,223,185 |10,897,033 |}
==See also== * List of countries and territories where French is an official language * {{Lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|italic=no}} * Agence universitaire de la Francophonie * Francophone literature * Institut Français * Alliance française * French language in Canada, Lebanon, United States, Minnesota, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia * Swiss, Belgian, and African French * French-based creole languages * Language geography * ''Sprachraum'' * Romandy
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Clear}} {{Phones}} {{International power}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Countries and territories where French is an official language Category:French language Category:Country classifications