Every four years, theInternational organization of Francophonie (OIF) presents a summary of the place of the French language in the world. This 5th edition, produced by the Observatory of the French language, paints a portrait of the Francophonie in 2022 but also of Francophones in the world. On the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie, let’s look together at who the French speakers are.
“A grasp of the French-speaking movement in the world”this is how the work is defined The French language in the world, by Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Senegalese philosopher and preface to the study, published by Gallimard. This photograph of La Francophonie in 2022 is the result of studies coordinated by theFrench language observatory. “The report indicates the biometric data of the Francophonie”the professor explains at Columbia University.
The Francophone is numerous and polymorphic
Present on the 5 continents, French does not have one face but many. “La Francophonie, as it says in the report, is becoming, variations, polycentrism”, underlines Souleymane Bachir Diagne. French is the official language of 32 states and governments. With 321 million French speakers around the world in 2022, French is the 5th most spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish). 80% of its speakers use it daily.
The French speaker is more African
“The Francophonie’s center of gravity is moving south. The French language is increasingly an African language., recalled Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). More than 60% of daily French speakers live in Africa, an increase of 15% compared to 2018. 32 of the 54 countries of the African Union are also members of the OIF. At work, French is in 2nd position in African cities and even in 1st position in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The French speaker is multilingual
As the Senegalese poet Léopold Sédar Senghor said: “we must always measure the pride of being different by the joy of being together”. The plurality of the French-speaking population is therefore echoed in the multilingualism of the majority of its speakers. “The French language is not at war with other languages, but exists alongside and with other languages”, insists Louise Mushikiwabo. French, with 144 million learners around the world, remains the 2nd foreign language taught in the world, after English.
Our language reflects our universality
Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the OIF
The French speaker speaks a language of the future and above all living
Despite the many challenges awaiting the French languagesuch as its place in the digital world or in international institutions, “Francophonie is full of vitality”, a hammered Souleymane Bachir Diagne during the presentation of the book. The plurality of its forms makes it rich, as demonstrated by the launch of the Dictionary of French speakers in March 2021, to constitute a collaborative tool for the collection and consideration of the sociolinguistic variations of French. This beautiful language that is ours continues to unite all the peoples that separate it but also perpetuates all the values and ideas that it conveys. Louise Mushikiwabo is convinced of this: “Our language reflects our universality”.
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