French was the 11th most common first language in the world, with 77 million first language speakers and another 51 million second language speaker, according to the Ethnologic Report. (1) French is the second most commonly-taught second language in the world (after English). From a recent survey, it has been noted that almost 70% of jobs in the US require or prefer the aspirants who know French, other than English, which is a testimony to the importance of French.
There are 33 countries in all 5 continents were French is used as official or native language; it plays an important role in international business and commerce, as well as diplomacy and administration. French is the working language of many major international organizations such as the United Nations, the WTO, WHO, NAFTA, Interpol, and Amnesty International.
French is the official language in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra, Canada, Switzerland, Haiti, as well as in the French overseas territories of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Miquelon, Saint Pierre, and St. Martin.
