French is now the fourth most spoken language in the world, according to the latest report from the International Organization of the Francophonie. Driven by strong population growth, especially in Africa, French is experiencing rapid growth. By 2050, the language of Molière could be spoken by 590 million people worldwide.
With 396 million French speakers around the world, French has become the fourth most spoken language, according to the report on the French language unveiled on Monday, March 16 in Quebec by the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF). The language of Molière ranks after English (1.5 billion speakers), Mandarin (over one billion people), and Spanish (over one billion speakers).
Furthermore, French is “the second most learned language on all five continents,” explains the report. By 2024, more than 170 million students from 36 countries “received education in French or learned French in an institutional setting,” it states.
The number of French speakers continues to grow. While 321 million people were French speakers in 2022, within just three years, an additional 75 million people are now speaking French. The Secretary-General of the Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, predicts that in the next 25 years, no less than “590 million people” should speak French, with “9 out of 10 living in Africa.” Today, the majority of French speakers (“nearly 65%”) already live on the African continent, as highlighted in the report.
The report predicts that by 2050, the fate of French “will no longer be read from Paris, but will be conceived rather in Abidjan, Beirut, Brussels, Dakar, Kinshasa, Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Tunis, or Yaoundé.” The language of Molière will be “a plural language whose future will be played out in its ability to adapt to new digital and geopolitical realities.”
French maintains “strong legitimacy in diplomacy, international law, cultural relations, and in some scientific and academic spaces,” the report asserts. However, “its position is threatened in exact sciences, new technologies, and higher education due to the hegemony of English.” Despite its importance, the presence of French on the Internet remains limited, accounting for only 3.5% of online content.
Published on March 18 at 11:17 a.m. by Léna Saint Jalmes, 6Médias.
