Africa is known as a diverse continent, which has rich diverse cultures and languages. Some indigenous to their country, while others were popularised by colonialism. There are 29 French-speaking countries in Africa. 21 of those countries are known as Francophone countries. Francophone countries are countries which use French as their official language or use it as one of their other official languages, next to many others.
French was brought into Africa through colonialism, most French-speaking countries were colonised by either France or Belgium, but gained their independence during the 1950s to 60s. French remains widely spoken in those respective countries, even after independence. There are around 300 million people in total around the world who speak French, and Africa is estimated to have the most French-speaking people, surpassing France. There is an estimate that by the year 2050, there will be about 700 million French speakers around the world and 80% of the speakers will be from Africa.
French-speaking countries in Africa
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Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
First on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa is the DRC. The DRC has French as their official language, which is used in governmental and educational operations. They have a population of 77 million and 51% of the population can speak French. They have four other national languages Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo and Tshiluba.
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Madagascar
Madagascar is second on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. They have two official languages, Malagasy and French. They have a population of 25 million people and 21% of them speak French.
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Cameroon
Cameroon is next on the list, with a population of 23 million and 67% French speakers. It is called ‘Africa in miniature’ due to its diverse population. It has a combination of 200 linguistic groups and it has one of the highest literacy rates in the African continent. English and French are their official languages, but they also speak different variations of the Bantu languages, Semi-Bantu languages and Sudanese groups.
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Ivory Coast
Coming in fourth on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa is the Ivory coast. French is the official language in the Ivory Coast, with a population of 22 million and 34% of French speakers. They have local indigenous languages as well, which are Dioula, Baoule, Dan, Cebaara Senufo and Anyin, but in actual totality, they have about 78 different spoken languages in the Ivory Coast.
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Niger
Niger is the next French-speaking country in Africa, with a population of 19 million and 13% French-speaking people. They have people who speak Songhai, Hausa and Arabic, but their official language is French.
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Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso has a population of 18 million, with 24% of the population who are able to speak French. Making it 6th on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. They have their own local languages, such as Dioula and Moore, but French is their official language.
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Mali
Mali is 7th on the list of French-speaking countries. It has a population of 17 million, with 17% of the population speaking French. Berber, Bambara and Arabic are one of their major spoken languages, but French is their official language.
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Senegal
Senegal comes next. It has a population of 15 million, making it number eight on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. 26% of its population speaks French. They use French as their official language, but consider Wolof as the lingua franca of the country.
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Chad
Chad comes in next. It is the fifth-largest country in Africa and 9th in the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of 14 million, with 13% French speakers. They have two official languages, Arabic and French.
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Guinea
Guinea takes 10th place in the list of French-speaking countries. It has a population of 12 million, and 27% of it speaks French. They have two official languages, French and Susu. Mandigo and Fulani are some of the languages spoken in Guinea as well.
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Rwanda
Rwanda has a population of 11 million, making it number 11 on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. Only 6% of the population of Rwanda speaks French. They have three official languages, English, French and Kinyarwanda.
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Burundi
Burundi is the 12th French-speaking country in Africa, with a population of 11 million and with 9% of the population able to speak French. They have two official languages, which are Kirundi and French.
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Benin
Benin comes next, at number 13 on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of 10 million, with 34% French-speaking people. French is their official language, with Ge, Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, and Dendi as some of their spoken languages, next to French.
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Togo
Togo is next in line on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of 7 million, with 41% of the population speaking French. French is their official language, which is mostly used in government, education and business settings. Togo’s other languages are Kabiye which is mostly spoken in the North and Ewe which is spoken mostly in the South.
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Central African Republic
Next on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa is Central African Republic. It has a population of 4 million and 29% of it speaks French. They use French as their official language but their country’s lingua franca is Sangho.
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Republic of the Congo
In 16th place on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa, is Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo has a population of 4 million, with 61% of the population able to speak French. French is their official language.
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Gabon
Gabon is next on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of one million and 65% of that population can speak French. French is their official language but they also speak other Bantu group languages next to French.
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Djibouti
Djibouti has about 800 000 people, with 50% French-speaking people. It is number 18 on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa and French is their official language. Other languages spoken in Djibouti are Somali, Arabic and Afar.
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Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea takes 19th place on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of about 800 000, with 29% of the population able to speak French. They have three official languages, French, Spanish and Portuguese ⧿ which became an official language in 2010.
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Comoros
Comoros is next on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of about 700 000 with 26% of the population able to speak French. They have three official languages, namely French, Comorian and Arabic.
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Seychelles
Seychelles is last on the list of French-speaking countries in Africa. It has a population of 92 000 and 54% of them speak French. They have three official languages French, Seychellois Creole and English.
The following countries Egypt, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Qatar also have French-speaking people in their countries but do not use French as their official language. South Africa was never a French colony, therefore never adopted French, but there is an estimate of about 7080 people French-speaking people in South Africa, mostly located in the Western Cape and Gauteng province.
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