Francization

Francization or Francisation (in Canadian English and American English), Frenchification (in British and also in American English), or Gallicization designates the extension of the French language by its adoption as a first language or not, adoption that can be forced or desired by the concerned population.

Francization in the world

The number of Francophones (French language speakers) in the world has been rising substantially since the 1980s. In 1985, there were 106 million Francophones around the world. That number quickly rose to 173.2 million in 1997, 200 million in 2005, 220 million in 2010 (+10% from 2007). and reached 274 million in 2014, Forecasts expect that the number of French speakers in Africa alone will reach 400 million in 2025, 715 million (Readjusted in 2010) by 2050 and reach 1 billion and 222 million in 2060(Readjusted in 2013). the worldwide French speaking population is expected to multiply by a factor of 4, whereas the world population is predicted to multiply by a factor of only 1.5.