At one time the French language was, like Latin before it and English now, an international language, used everywhere for commerce, diplomacy, literature and academics.  This international nature of the French language gave rise to the term "lingua franca", meaning a language spoken or adopted by large numbers of non-native speakers around the world.  Time was when, in order to be successful, you needed to know French.  Today it is still true that knowing French can be a smart career move.

There are 31 countries in the world where French is an official language, but the language is commonly spoken, albeit unofficially, in many more countries and regions.   The following is a list of  countries where French is spoken.