The French language in figures

French is an international language

• 2nd most-used language in diplomacy, particularly European and multilateral diplomacy, after English;
• Official UN language;
• Working language of the European Union and the African Union;
• Official language of the Olympic Games together with English.

French is a modern language

• 4th most used language on the Internet, which now brings together over 4 billion users;
• 3rd most used language in business (the Francophone area now accounts for over 15% of global wealth);
• 2nd language of international information in the media.

French is a living language:

• 2nd most-studied language [2];
• 125 million people study French around the world;
• half a million of French teachers outside France.

It is one of the rare languages to be taught in the education systems of every country.

^{March 2020}