ɐn ɐbˈæsə ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt stˈʌdi ɪn ˈeɪpɹəl tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈaʊnd ðæt sˈɪksti pɚsˈɛnt ʌv hˈaʊshoʊldz kʊd spˈiːk ænd ˌʌndɚstˈænd fɹˈɛntʃ, ɔːɹ ˈeɪtiːn mˈɪliən pˈiːpəl ˌaʊɾəv ɐ tˈoʊɾəl ʌv θˈɜːɾi mˈɪliən æt ðə tˈaɪm.
An Abassa Institute study in April 2000 found that 60% of households could speak and understand French, or 18 million people out of a total of 30 million at the time.