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language knowledge /eu publishes the latest language knowledge statistics for French in United-kingdom using European Commission data published in 2024. Compare native with foreign speakers, and compare age groups to understand whether French is gaining or losing popularity.
According to the European Commission Eurobarometer survey (2012), 6.3% of the population in United Kingdom speaks French. This breaks down into 0.9% native (mother tongue) speakers and 5.3% foreign speakers who report good or very good proficiency.
In United Kingdom, French is predominantly spoken as a foreign language (5.3% foreign speakers with functional fluency vs 0.9% native speakers).
In United Kingdom, 7.1% of young people aged 15–34 speak French, compared to 4.9% of residents aged 55 and over. This represents a 2.2 percentage point increase among younger cohorts.