English and French are the first languages of 59.7 and 23.2 percent of the population respectively. Approximately 98 percent of Canadians speak English or French: 57.8 percent speak English only, 22.1 percent speak French only, and 17.4 percent speak both The English and French official-language communities, defined by the first official language spoken, constitute 73.0 and 23.6 percent of the population respectively.