Standard French in Rwanda

Speakers

157,502

Type

Location

Standard French in Rwanda

Country

Information available

1. Basics

Names

Standard French in Rwanda

Size

157,502

French is one of four official languages in Rwanda. French was introduced as an official language in Rwanda under the Belgian regime in 1900s, as well as after independence of Rwanda in 1962 because French remained the language of political power. It is a language learned mainly at school and used in formal or official situations. Only a minority of Rwandans speak French: only 157,502 of Rwandans aged 15 years and above are literate in Kinyarwanda and French (according to the Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022). 

2. Status

Status

  • Official country wide language
  • Official regional language
  • Official minority language
  • Recognised community language
  • Unrecognised community language
National language
No
Indigenous language
No
Administrative units of the country
French is used in some schools, media and businesses.
Comments
In fact, the real French users in Rwanda are mainly international workers, while few Rwandans know this language superficially, as the French language remains a vehicular language only for educated Rwandans who have learnt it in their primary/secondary studies or in universities in Rwanda or abroad.

3. State

Documentation: materials

4. Users

Geographical distribution

  • Users live and dominate in all regions of the country
  • Users live in one [state/...] of the country
  • Users live in a cross-border region [state/...] of the country
  • Users live in separated [states/...] of the country
  • Users live dispersed across one [state/...] of the country
  • Users live scattered all over the country

Size / Number of users

Number of users

157502
Source
The Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022
Year
2022

Users within total population

1.90000
Less than 10% use the language

PROPORTION

2
Source
The Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022
Year
2022

Educational attainment

Comments

French is taught as an elective or a supplemental subject in public primary and secondary school.

Language competence

Literacy of users

Less than 10% of users with literacy in the language
Actual percentage
2
Source

The Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022

Year
2022

5. Use

Socio-geographic dimension

Geographic scope
  • International
  • Supranational
  • Cross-border (states)
  • State-wide
  • Supra-regional cross-border
  • Supra-regional
  • Regional cross-border
  • Regional
  • Local

Economic dimension

Economic scope
  • Quinary sector
  • Quaternary sector
  • Tertiary sector
  • Secondary sector
  • Primary sector
  • Language not used

Functional dimension

Functional scope
  • Public domains
  • Everyday domains
  • Private domains
Nature
complementary
Stability
Decreasing
Comments

In last twenty years, the rate of Rwandans, aged 15 years and above, literate in French decreased by 1.8%: from 3.7% in 2002 (according to the Third Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2002) to 3.1% in 2012 (according to the Fourth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2012), and from 3.1% in 2012 to 1.9% in 2022 (according to the Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022).

Functional use in administration

Language use in administration
  • International level
  • National level
  • Regional level
  • Local level
  • Auxiliary use
  • No use

Types of language use

  • signed / spoken use
  • written use
  • digital use

Ethnoculture

  • No use
  • Informal learning
  • Skills and knowledge
  • Performing arts
  • Social practices
  • Customary law
  • Traditional medicine
  • Knowledge and practices
  • Traditions and expressions

Public healthcare

Legal system

Completion