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.
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.