language or lingua franca.

According to the 2022 report of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), 321 million people speak French. The OIF states that despite a decline in the number of learners of French in Europe, the overall number of speakers is rising, largely because of its presence in African countries: of the 212 million who use French daily, 54.7% are living in Africa. The OIF figures have been contested