The huge African city where more people speak French than anywhere in France – even Paris

A vast central African metropolis is thought to be the most francophone city globally, with more people speaking French there than Paris.

Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is located on the southern bank of the Congo River and is the country’s economic, political, and cultural centre.

According to the Government of Canada website, Kinshasa is “largest French-speaking city in the world, with more than 17 million habitants with French as their official language”.

Meanwhile, the French capital Paris had a metro area population of around 11,200,000 in 2023, as per .

French is widely spoken in the African country, having once been established as the personal possession of French-speaking Belgian King Leopold II in 1885 after he brutally seized it.

The monarch’s absolute rule was marked by slavery, starvation, and cruelty, and is thought to have claimed millions of lives, as per .

It was later handed over to the Belgian state, which ruled it as a colony before the Congo gained independence in 1960.

French was the official language of the area during these colonial times, and it continues to be to this day.

However, according to , it’s also one of the world’s most linguistically diverse nations, with more than 200 languages spoken there.

While French is widely spoken and used in education and government, there are also four national languages: Kikongo (Kituba), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba, as per the non-profit.

Kinshasa is known for industries including telecommunications, banking, and manufacturing, as well as being a hub in the Congolese music scene.

The city’s . 

The Congo River also plays a big role in the Kinshasa’s identity, with the capital of the Republic of the Congo, Brazzaville, just across the water.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office currently advises against all travel to parts of DRC, with warnings over civil unrest, and that terrorists are “very likely” to carry out attacks in the country, in addition to other security concerns.

It also advises against all but essential travel to Kinshasa city, adding, “If your reasons for being in Kinshasa city are not essential, consider leaving”.

The DRC has suffered from decades of conflict “fuelled by ethnic tensions, political rivalries, corruption and fighting for control of valuable natural resources”, with the fighting igniting a “human rights catastrophe” in the country, according to .

The country’s “current conflict has been ongoing since the 1990s, particularly in the eastern part of the country which borders South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania”, the NGO explains.

You can find the latest FCDO travel advice .