Languages spoken in France
Europe · Capital: Paris · Population 68.4 million
In France, two languages have official status: French and Tahitian. French is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 100% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 68.4 million people. After French, the most widely spoken are English at 39% and Spanish at 13%. French belongs to the Indo-European language family. French is also spoken in seven of its eight neighbours: Andorra, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and 3 others. In total, nine languages are recorded in France, and their shares add up to 164% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.6 of them.
What languages are spoken in France?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrenchIndo-European | 100% | Official | 68.4 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 39% | Spoken | 26.7 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 13% | Spoken | 8.9 million |
| GermanIndo-European | 5% | Spoken | 3.4 million |
| OccitanIndo-European | 3% | Spoken | 2.1 million |
| ItalianIndo-European | 1.7% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| PortugueseIndo-European | 1.3% | Spoken | 888,870 |
| Swiss German | 0.9% | Spoken | 622,209 |
| Tahitian | 0.1% | Official | 94,097 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of France?
In France, two languages have official status: French and Tahitian. French is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 68.4 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak French in France?
An estimated 100% of France's 68.4 million people speak French, which works out at roughly 68.4 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about France
- Capital
- Paris
- Population
- 68.4 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 551,695 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 9
- Land borders
- 8
- ISO codes
- FR / FRA / 250
Which countries border France?
France shares a land border with eight countries: Andorra, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, and Monaco. French, the most widely spoken language in France, is also spoken in Andorra, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and 3 others.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.