language knowledge /eu publishes the latest language knowledge statistics for french in the European Union using European Commission data published in 2024. Explore which countries french is most spoken in, compare native with foreign speakers, and compare age groups to see where french is gaining or losing popularity.
According to European Commission Eurobarometer survey data (2024), the European countries with the highest proportion of French speakers are France (95.8%), Luxembourg (88.9%), and Belgium (65.8%).
20.3% of the European Union population speaks French (14.4% as a native language and 5.9% as a foreign language).
In the European Union, 21.5% of 15–34 year olds speak French, compared to 19.7% of people aged 55 and over.