How Many People On The World Speak French As A First Language?

French is a Romance language and it is considered as the first language of almost 180 million people around the world. Almost 180 to 260 million people speak French as a second or third language in almost 54 countries in the world. People who speak French as a first language are the natives of France. Other native speakers of French reside in US, Switzerland, Canada, Monaco and many other countries. French is an official language of about 29 countries and according to European Union, it is the third common language in the Union after English and German.

France has a number of languages spoken in the country, but the most important and the most popular language is French. French is also the only official language of France today.
However, across the world, French is indigenous to Europe, and in several countries overseas, where the French Republic existed at one time, like for example in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, and in South America, French is spoken as a mother tongue by the people, today.
One must remember that several people across the world do borrow certain words and sayings from other languages, especially if they are living in a foreign country, and many concerned persons are making concerted efforts to teach people their own mother tongue, before it can disappear forever.

I have got 54 from 2 websites and 64 from another, so I think around 54, maybe more or less