A rough overview of language families spoken in Africa: Bantu The number of languages natively spoken inAfrica is variously estimated (depending on the delineation oflanguage vs.dialect ) at between 1,250 and 2,100,[ 1] [ 2] Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according toSIL Ethnologue ),[ 3] language families , among which the largest are:
Niger–Congo , which include the largeAtlantic-Congo andBantu branches inWest ,Central ,Southeast andSouthern Africa .Afroasiatic languages are spread throughoutWestern Asia ,North Africa , theHorn of Africa and parts of theSahel .Saharan ,Nilotic andCentral Sudanic languages (grouped under the hypotheticalNilo-Saharan macro-family), are present in East Africa andSahel .Austronesian languages are spoken inMadagascar and parts of theComoros .Khoe–Kwadi languages are spoken mostly inNamibia andBotswana .Indo-European languages , while not indigenous to Africa, are spoken inSouth Africa andNamibia (Afrikaans ,English ,German ) and are used aslingua francas inLiberia and theformer colonies of the United Kingdom (English ),former colonies of France and ofBelgium (French ),former colonies of Portugal (Portuguese ),former colonies of Italy (Italian ),former colonies of Spain (Spanish ) and the current Spanish territories ofCeuta ,Melilla and theCanary Islands and the current French territories ofMayotte andLa Réunion .There are several other small families andlanguage isolates , as well ascreoles and languages that haveyet to be classified . In addition, Africa has a wide variety ofsign languages , many of which are language isolates.
Around a hundred languages are widely used for interethnic communication. These includeArabic ,Swahili ,Amharic ,Oromo ,Igbo ,Somali ,Hausa ,Manding ,Fulani andYoruba , which are spoken as a second (or non-first) language by millions of people. However that is changing because the is an awakening and such languages like Yoruba and Hausa languages are spoken as first language in various communities in Nigeria and Africa. Although many African languages are used on the radio, in newspapers and in primary-school education, and some of the larger ones are considerednational languages , only a few areofficial at the national level. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most official languages at the national level tend to be colonial languages such as French, Portuguese, or English.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
TheAfrican Union declared 2006 the "Year of African Languages".[ 7]
Clickable map showing the traditional language families, subfamilies and major languages spoken in Africa Most languages natively spoken in Africa belong to one of the two largelanguage families that dominate the continent:Afroasiatic , orNiger–Congo . Another hundred belong to smaller families such asUbangian ,Nilotic ,Saharan , and the various families previously grouped under the umbrella termKhoisan . In addition, the languages of Africa include severalunclassified languages andsign languages .
The earliest Afroasiatic languages are associated with theCapsian culture , the Saharan languages are linked with the Khartoum Mesolithic/Neolithic cultures. Niger-Congo languages are correlated with the west and central Africanhoe-based farming traditions and the Khoisan languages are matched with the south and southeasternWilton culture .[ 8]
Afroasiatic languages [ edit ] Afroasiatic languages are spoken throughoutNorth Africa , theHorn of Africa ,Western Asia and parts of theSahel . There are approximately 375 Afroasiatic languages spoken by over 400 million people. The main subfamilies of Afroasiatic areBerber ,Chadic ,Cushitic ,Omotic ,Egyptian andSemitic . TheAfroasiatic Urheimat is uncertain. The family's most extensive branch, the Semitic languages (includingArabic ,Amharic andHebrew among others), is the only branch of Afroasiatic that is spoken outside Africa.[ 9]
Some of the most widely spoken Afroasiatic languages includeArabic (a Semitic language, and a recent arrival from West Asia),Somali (Cushitic),Berber (Berber),Hausa (Chadic),Amharic (Semitic) andOromo (Cushitic). Of the world's surviving language families, Afroasiatic has the longest written history, as both theAkkadian language of Mesopotamia andAncient Egyptian are members.
Nilo-Saharan languages [ edit ] Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed grouping of some one hundred diverse languages. Genealogical linkage between these languages has failed to be conclusively demonstrated, and support for the proposal is sparse among linguists.[ 10] [ 11] morphology , but if they are related, most of the branches must have undergone major restructuring since diverging from their common ancestor.[citation needed
This hypothetical family would reach an expanse that stretches from theNile Valley to northernTanzania and intoNigeria andDR Congo , with theSonghay languages along the middle reaches of theNiger River as a geographic outlier. The inclusion of theSonghay languages is questionable, and doubts have been raised over theKoman ,Gumuz andKadu branches.[citation needed
Some of the better known Nilo-Saharan languages areKanuri ,Fur ,Songhay ,Nobiin and the widespreadNilotic family , which includes theLuo ,Dinka andMaasai . Most Nilo-Saharan languages aretonal , as are Niger-Congo languages.[citation needed
[ edit ] Map showing the traditional language families represented in Africa:Niger-Congo : Central and Eastern Sudanese
Central Bantoid
Eastern Bantoid
Guinean
Western Bantoid
Nilo-Saharan : TheNiger–Congo languages constitute the largest language family spoken inWest Africa and perhaps the world in terms of the number of languages.[citation needed One of its salient features is an elaboratenoun class system with grammaticalconcord . A large majority of languages of this family aretonal such asYoruba andIgbo ,Akan andEwe language . A major branch of Niger–Congo languages is theBantu phylum, which has a wider speech area than the rest of the family (see Niger–Congo B (Bantu) in the map above).
TheNiger–Kordofanian language family, joining Niger–Congo with theKordofanian languages of south-centralSudan , was proposed in the 1950s byJoseph Greenberg . Today, linguists often use "Niger–Congo" to refer to this entire family, including Kordofanian as a subfamily. One reason for this is that it is not clear whether Kordofanian was the first branch to diverge from rest of Niger–Congo.Mande has been claimed to be equally or more divergent. Niger–Congo is generally accepted by linguists, though a few question the inclusion of Mande andDogon , and there is no conclusive evidence for the inclusion ofUbangian .
Other language families [ edit ] Several languages spoken in Africa belong to language families concentrated or originating outside the African continent.
Malagasy belongs to theAustronesian languages and is the westernmost branch of the family. It is the national and co-official language ofMadagascar , and a Malagasy dialect calledBushi is also spoken inMayotte .
The ancestors of the Malagasy people migrated to Madagascar around 1,500 years ago from Southeast Asia, more specifically the island of Borneo. The origins of how they arrived to Madagascar remains a mystery, however the Austronesians are known for their seafaring culture. Despite the geographical isolation, Malagasy still has strong resemblance toBarito languages especially theMa'anyan language of southern Borneo.
With more than 20 million speakers, Malagasy is one of the most widely spoken of the Austronesian languages.
Afrikaans isIndo-European , as is most of the vocabulary of most Africancreole languages . Afrikaans evolved from theDutch vernacular [ 12] [ 13] South Holland (Hollandic dialect )[ 14] [ 15] Dutch settlers of what is nowSouth Africa , where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century, including the loss of verbal conjugation (save for 5 modal verbs), as well as grammatical case and gender.[ 16] South Africa . InNamibia it is thelingua franca . Overall 14 to 21 million people are estimated to speak Afrikaans.
Since thecolonial era, Indo-European languages such asAfrikaans ,English ,French ,Italian ,Portuguese andSpanish have held official status in many countries, and are widely spoken, generally aslingua francas . (SeeAfrican French andAfrican Portuguese .) Additionally, languages like French, and Portuguese have become native languages in various countries.
French has become native in the urban areas of the DRC,[ 17] [ 18] [ 19]
German was once used inGermany's colonies there from the late 1800s until World War I, when Britain and France took over and revoked German's official status. Despite this, German is still spoken inNamibia , mostly among thewhite population . Although it lost its official status in the 1990s, it has been redesignated as a national language.Indian languages such asGujarati are spoken bySouth Asian expatriates exclusively. In earlier historical times, other Indo-European languages could be found in various parts of the continent, such asOld Persian andGreek in Egypt,Latin andVandalic in North Africa andModern Persian in theHorn of Africa .
The three smallKhoisan families of southern Africa have not been shown to be closely related to any other major language family. In addition, there are various other families that have not been demonstrated to belong to one of these families. The classifications below followGlottolog .
Mande , some 70 languages, including the major languages ofMali andGuinea ; these are generally thought to be divergent Niger–Congo, but debate persistsUbangian , some 70 languages, centered on the languages of theCentral African Republic ; may be Niger–CongoTe-Ne-Omotic , some 20 languages, previously classified under Afro-Asiatic, spoken in EthiopiaKhoe-Kwadi , around 10 languages, the primary family of Khoisan languages ofNamibia andBotswana Surmic , some 11 languages, previously classified within either Sudanic or Nilo-SaharanKx'a , around five languages, with various dialects, spoken in Southern AfricaSouth Omotic , around five languages; previously classified within Afro-Asiatic, spoken in EthiopiaTuu , or Taa-ǃKwi, two surviving languagesHadza , an isolate of TanzaniaBangime , a likely isolate of MaliJalaa , a likely isolate of NigeriaSandawe , an isolate of TanzaniaLaal , a possible isolate of ChadKhoisan Khoe ,Tuu andKx'a , which are found mainly inNamibia andBotswana , as well asSandawe andHadza ofTanzania , which arelanguage isolates . A striking feature of Khoisan languages, and the reason they are often grouped together, is their use ofclick consonants . Some neighbouring Bantu languages (notablyXhosa andZulu ) have clicks as well, but these were adopted from Khoisan languages. The Khoisan languages are alsotonal .
Due partly to its multilingualism and its colonial past, a substantial proportion of the world'screole languages are to be found in Africa. Some are based on Indo-European languages (e.g.Krio from English inSierra Leone and the very similarPidgin inNigeria ,Ghana and parts ofCameroon ;Cape Verdean Creole inCape Verde andGuinea-Bissau Creole inGuinea-Bissau andSenegal , all from Portuguese;Seychellois Creole in theSeychelles andMauritian Creole inMauritius , both from French); some are based on Arabic (e.g.Juba Arabic in the southernSudan , orNubi in parts ofUganda andKenya ); some are based on local languages (e.g.Sango , the main language of theCentral African Republic ); while inCameroon a creole based on French, English and local African languages known asCamfranglais has started to become popular.
Unclassified languages [ edit ] A fair number ofunclassified languages are reported in Africa. Many remain unclassified simply for lack of data; among the better-investigated ones that continue to resist easy classification are:
Of these,Jalaa is perhaps the most likely to be an isolate.
Less-well investigated languages includeIrimba ,Luo ,Mawa ,Rer Bare (possibly Bantu languages),Bete (evidently Jukunoid),Bung (unclear),Kujarge (evidently Chadic),Lufu (Jukunoid),Meroitic (possibly Afroasiatic),Oropom (possibly spurious) andWeyto (evidently Cushitic). Several of these are extinct, and adequate comparative data is thus unlikely to be forthcoming. Hombert & Philippson (2009)[ 20] language isolates at one point or another. Many of these are simply unclassified, but Hombert & Philippson believe Africa has about twenty language families, including isolates. Beside the possibilities listed above, there are:
Roger Blench notes a couple additional possibilities:
Below is a list of language isolates and otherwise unclassified languages in Africa, from Vossen & Dimmendaal (2020:434):[ 21]
Many African countries have national sign languages, such asAlgerian Sign Language ,Tunisian Sign Language ,Ethiopian Sign Language . Other sign languages are restricted to small areas or single villages, such asAdamorobe Sign Language inGhana . Tanzania has seven, one for each of its schools for the Deaf, all of which are discouraged. Not much is known, since little has been published on these languages
Sign language systems extant in Africa include thePaget Gorman Sign System used in Namibia andAngola , theSudanese Sign languages used inSudan andSouth Sudan , theArab Sign languages used across the Arab Mideast, theFrancosign languages used inFrancophone Africa and other areas such asGhana andTunisia , and theTanzanian Sign languages used inTanzania .
Throughout the long multilingual history of the African continent, African languages have been subject to phenomena like language contact, language expansion, language shift and language death. A case in point is theBantu expansion , in which Bantu-speaking peoples expanded over most ofSub-Equatorial Africa , intermingling with Khoi-San speaking peoples from much ofSoutheast Africa andSouthern Africa and other peoples fromCentral Africa . Another example is the Arab expansion in the 7th century, which led to the extension ofArabic from its homeland in Asia, into much of North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
Trade languages are another age-old phenomenon in the African linguistic landscape. Cultural and linguistic innovations spread along trade routes and languages of peoples dominant in trade developed into languages of wider communication (lingua franca ). Of particular importance in this respect areBerber (North and West Africa),Jula (western West Africa),Fulfulde (West Africa),Hausa (West Africa),Lingala (Congo),Swahili (Southeast Africa),Somali (Horn of Africa) andArabic (North Africa and Horn of Africa).
After gaining independence, many African countries, in the search for national unity, selected one language, generally the former Indo-European colonial language, to be used in government and education. However, in recent years, African countries have become increasingly supportive of maintaining linguistic diversity. Language policies that are being developed nowadays are mostly aimed at multilingualism. This presents a methodological complication when collecting data in Africa and limited literature exists. An analysis ofAfrobarometer public opinion survey data of 36 countries suggested that survey interviewers and respondents could engage in various linguistic behaviors, such ascode-switching during the survey.[ 22] Mali andBurkina Faso which removed French as an official language in 2024.[ 23] [ 24]
Official languages in Africa: Afroasiatic Berber (Amazigh): Chadic: Cushitic: Semitic:Amharic in EthiopiaArabic inAlgeria ,Chad ,Comoros ,Djibouti ,Egypt ,Libya ,Mauritania ,[ 27] Morocco ,Somalia ,[ 28] Sudan ,Tunisia andZanzibar (Tanzania )Tigrinya in Ethiopia andEritrea Austronesian Ngbandi creole French Creole Indo-European Afrikaans inSouth Africa English inGhana ,Gambia ,Uganda ,Zimbabwe ,Nigeria ,Cameroon ,Kenya ,South Africa ,Liberia ,Zambia ,Malawi ,Rwanda ,Namibia ,Seychelles ,Sudan ,Tanzania ,Eswatini ,Lesotho , andMauritius .French inBenin ,Burundi ,Cameroon ,Central African Republic ,Chad ,Comoros ,Democratic Republic of Congo ,Congo ,Côte d'Ivoire ,Djibouti ,Gabon ,Guinea ,Madagascar ,Rwanda ,Senegal ,Seychelles , andTogo .[ 29] Portuguese inAngola ,Mozambique ,Guinea-Bissau ,Cape Verde ,São Tomé and Príncipe andEquatorial Guinea .[ 30] Spanish inEquatorial Guinea [ 31] Niger-Congo Nilo-Saharan Language Family Official status per country Afar Afroasiatic Ethiopia, Djibouti (national) Amharic Ethiopia Arabic Algeria, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan Berber Algeria, Morocco Hausa Niger, Nigeria (national) Oromo Ethiopia[ 33] [ 34] [ 35] Somali Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti (national) Tigrinya Ethiopia, Eritrea (national) Malagasy Austronesian Madagascar Seychelles Creole French Creole Seychelles Afrikaans Indo-European South Africa Sango Ngbandi creole Central African Republic Chewa Niger-Congo Malawi, Zimbabwe Comorian Comoros Kikongo Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo Kinyarwanda Rwanda Kirundi Burundi Ndebele South Africa Sepedi South Africa Sesotho Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe Setswana Botswana, South Africa Shona Zimbabwe Sindebele Zimbabwe Swahili Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda Swati Eswatini, South Africa Tsonga Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa Venda South Africa, Zimbabwe Xhosa South Africa Zulu South Africa
Cross-border languages [ edit ] The colonial borders established by European powers following theBerlin Conference in 1884–1885 divided a great many ethnic groups and African language speaking communities. This can cause divergence of a language on either side of a border (especially when the official languages are different), for example, in orthographic standards. Some notable cross-border languages includeBerber (which stretches across much of North Africa and some parts of West Africa),Kikongo (that stretches across northern Angola, western and coastal Democratic Republic of the Congo, and western and coastal Republic of the Congo),Somali (stretches across most of the Horn of Africa), Swahili (spoken in the African Great Lakes region),Fula (in the Sahel and West Africa) andLuo (in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan).
Some prominent Africans such as formerMalian president and formerChairman of the African Commission ,Alpha Oumar Konaré , have referred to cross-border languages as a factor that can promote African unity.[ 36]
Language change and planning [ edit ] Language is not static in Africa any more than on other continents.[citation needed In addition to the (likely modest) impact of borders, there are also cases ofdialect levelling (such as inIgbo and probably many others),koinés (such asN'Ko and possiblyRunyakitara ) and emergence of new dialects (such asSheng ). In some countries, there are official efforts to developstandardized language versions.
There are also many less widely spoken languages that may be consideredendangered languages .
Of the 1 billion Africans (in 2009), about 17 percent speak anArabic dialect .[citation needed About 10 percent speakSwahili ,[citation needed the lingua franca of Southeast Africa; about 5 percent speak aBerber dialect;[citation needed and about 5 percent speakHausa , which serves as a lingua franca in much of the Sahel. Other large West African languages areYoruba ,Igbo ,Akan andFula . Major Horn of Africa languages areSomali ,Amharic andOromo .Lingala is important in Central Africa. Important South African languages areSotho ,Tswana ,Pedi ,Venda ,Tsonga ,Swazi ,Southern Ndebele ,Zulu ,Xhosa andAfrikaans .[ 37]
French, English, and Portuguese are important languages in Africa due to colonialism. About 320 million,[ 38] [ 39]
Linguistic features [ edit ] Some linguistic features are particularly common among languages spoken in Africa, whereas others are less common. Such shared traits probably are not due to a common origin of all African languages. Instead, some may be due tolanguage contact (resulting in borrowing) and specific idioms and phrases may be due to a similar cultural background.
Some widespread phonetic features include:
certain types of consonants, such asimplosives (/ɓa/ ),ejectives (/kʼa/ ), thelabiodental flap and in southern Africa,clicks (/ǂa/ ,/ᵑǃa/ ). True implosives are rare outside Africa, and clicks and the flap almost unheard of. doubly articulatedlabial-velar stops like/k͡pa/ and/ɡ͡ba/ are found in places south of the Sahara. prenasalized consonants , like/mpa/ and/ŋɡa/ , are widespread in Africa but not common outside it.sequences of stops and fricatives at the beginnings of words, such as/fsa/ ,/pta/ and/dt͡sk͡xʼa/ . nasal stops which only occur with nasal vowels, such as[ba] vs.[mã] (but both[pa] and[pã] ), especially in West Africa. vowels contrasting anadvanced or retracted tongue , commonly called "tense" and "lax". simpletone systems which are used for grammatical purposes. Sounds that are relatively uncommon in African languages includeuvular consonants ,diphthongs andfront rounded vowels
Tonal languages are found throughout the world but are especially common in Africa - in fact, there are far more tonal than non-tonal languages in Africa. Both the Nilo-Saharan and the Khoi-San phyla are fully tonal. The large majority of the Niger–Congo languages are also tonal. Tonal languages are also found in the Omotic, Chadic and South & East Cushitic branches of Afroasiatic. The most common type of tonal system opposes two tone levels, High (H) and Low (L).Contour tones do occur, and can often be analysed as two or more tones in succession on a single syllable.Tone melodies play an important role, meaning that it is often possible to state significant generalizations by separating tone sequences ("melodies") from the segments that bear them.Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, downstep and downdrift are common in African languages.
Widespread syntactical structures include the common use of adjectival verbs and the expression of comparison by means of a verb 'to surpass'. The Niger–Congo languages have large numbers of genders (noun classes ) which cause agreement in verbs and other words.Case ,tense and other categories may be distinguished only by tone. Auxiliary verbs are also widespread among African languages; the fusing of subject markers and TAM/polarity auxiliaries into what are known as tense pronouns are more common in auxiliary verb constructions in African languages than in most other parts of the world.[ 40]
Quite often, only one term is used for both animal and meat; the wordnama ornyama for animal/meat is particularly widespread in otherwise widely divergent African languages.[citation needed
The following is a table displaying the number of speakers of given languages within Africa:
Language Family Native speakers (L1) Official status per country ǂKxʼaoǁʼae Kxʼa 5,000 (2003)[ 41] Native toNamibia andBotswana ǂʼAmkoe Kxʼa 20–50 Western ǂʼAmkoe (2015)unknown number Eastern ǂʼAmkoe[ 42]
Native toBotswana Abon Niger–Congo (Probable)800 (1990)[ 43] Native toCameroon Abron Niger–Congo 1,393,000 (2013)[ 44] Native toGhana andIvory Coast Acheron Niger–Congo (Probable)20,000 (2006)9,800 in home area (2006)[ 45]
Native toSudan Adara Niger–Congo (Probable)300,000 (2011)[ 46] Native toNigeria Afar Afroasiatic 2,500,000 (2019–2022)[ 47] Official inEthiopia Recognised minority language inDjibouti andEritrea ,Native toDjibouti ,Eritrea , andEthiopia
Afrikaans Indo-European 7,200,000 (2011)[ 48] National language inNamibia , co-official inSouth Africa Aghem Niger–Congo (Probable)27,000 (2000)[ 49] Native toCameroon Aiki Nilo-Saharan (Probable)19,000 Kibet (1983)43,000 Runga (1993–1996)[ 50]
Native toChad andCentral African Republic Aja Nilo-Saharan (Probable)200 (1993)[ 51] Native toSouth Sudan andCentral African Republic Aka Niger–Congo (Probable)30,000 (1986–1996)[ 52] Native toCentral African Republic andRepublic of Congo Akan Niger–Congo 8,900,000 (2013)[ 53] None. Government sponsored language ofGhana Ambo Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000 or fewer (undated)[ 54] Native toNigeria Amdang Nilo-Saharan (Probable)170,000 (2024)[ 55] Native toChad andSudan Ambele Niger–Congo (Probable)5,000 (2005)[ 56] Native toCameroon Amharic Afroasiatic 35,000,000 (2020)[ 57] Ethiopia Amira Niger–Congo (Probable)5,100 (1984)[ 58] Native toSudan Anaang Niger–Congo (Probable)2,900,000 (2020)[ 59] Native toNigeria Áncá Niger–Congo (Probable)300 Áncá (2006)[ 60] Native toCameroon Asoa Nilo-Saharan (Probable)26,000 (2000)[ 61] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Atsam Niger–Congo (Probable)30,000 (1982)[ 62] Native toNigeria Arabic Afroasiatic 150,000,000[ 63] Algeria ,Chad ,Comoros ,Djibouti ,Egypt ,Libya ,Mauritania ,Morocco ,Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ,Somalia ,Sudan ,Tanzania (Zanzibar ),Tunisia Aringa Nilo-Saharan (Probable)495,000 (2014)[ 64] Native toUganda Avokaya Nilo-Saharan (Probable)100,000 (1989–2017)[ 65] Native toSouth Sudan andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Awing Niger–Congo (Probable)19,000 (2001)[ 66] Native toCameroon Baba Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2005)[ 67] Native toCameroon Babanki Niger–Congo (Probable)39,000 (2011)[ 68] Native toCameroon Baca Niger–Congo (Probable)4,500 (2007)[ 69] Native toCameroon Bacama Afroasiatic 300,000 (2020)[ 70] Native toNigeria Bade Afroasiatic 360,000 (2020)[ 71] Native toNigeria Baka Nilo-Saharan (Probable)60,000 (2017)[ 72] Native toSouth Sudan andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Barambu Niger–Congo (Probable)26,000 (1990)[ 73] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bariba Niger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (1995–2021)[ 74] Recognized inBenin Native toBenin ,Burkina Faso ,Niger ,Nigeria , andTogo
Bala Niger–Congo (Probable)60,000 Lobala (2000)[ 75] 21,000 Boko[date missing [ 76]
Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Balo Niger–Congo (Probable)2,200 (2000)[ 77] Native toCameroon Bamali Niger–Congo (Probable)10,800 (2008)[ 78] Native toCameroon Bambara Niger–Congo (Probable)4,200,000 (2012)[ 79] Official inMali Bambassi Afroasiatic 2,300 (2011)[ 80] Native toEthiopia Bambalang Niger–Congo (Probable)29,000 (2008)[ 81] Native toCameroon Bamukumbit Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000 (2008)[ 82] Native toCameroon Bamum Niger–Congo (Probable)420,000 (2005)[ 83] Native toCameroon andNigeria Bamwe Niger–Congo (Probable)20,000 (1983)[ 84] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bangala Niger–Congo (Probable)A few[date missing [ 85] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo andRepublic of the Congo Bangi Niger–Congo (Probable)120,000 (2000)[ 86] Native toRepublic of Congo andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bangolan Niger–Congo (Probable)14,000 (2011)[ 87] Native toCameroon Bassari Niger–Congo (Probable)31,000 (2017)[ 88] Native toGuinea andSenegal Baṭḥari Afroasiatic 16 (2016)[ 89] Native toOman Batu Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000[date missing [ 90] Native toNigeria Bebe Niger–Congo (Probable)3,600 (2008)[ 91] Native toCameroon Beba Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2002)[ 92] Native toCameroon Beli Nilo-Saharan (Probable)65,000 (2009) Native toSouth Sudan Bemba Niger–Congo (Probable)4,100,000 (2000–2010)[ 93] Recognized minority inZambia Native toZambia ,Democratic Republic of the Congo , andTanzania
Bembe Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (2007)[ 94] Native toRepublic of Congo Bembe Niger–Congo (Probable)250,000 in DRC (1991)[ 95] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo andTanzania Berber Afroasiatic 16,000,000[ 96] Morocco ,Algeria Berta Nilo-Saharan (Probable)380,000 (2006–2007)[ 97] Native toSudan andEthiopia Besme Niger–Congo (Probable)1,200 (1993)[ 98] Native toChad Bhaca Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toSouth Africa Bhojpuri Indo-European 65,300 (2011)[ 99] Native toMauritius Bina Niger–Congo (Probable)7,000 (2000)[ 100] Native toNigeria Binza Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (1986)[ 101] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Birri Nilo-Saharan (Probable)200 (1996)[ 102] Native toCentral African Republic Biseni Niger–Congo (Probable)4,800 (1977)[ 103] Native toNigeria Bissa Niger–Congo (Probable)590,000 (1999–2003)[ 104] Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana , andTogo Bitare Niger–Congo (Probable)52,000 (2000–2003)[ 105] Native toCameroon andNigeria Bobo Niger–Congo (Probable)340,000 (1995–2021)[ 106] Native toBurkina Faso andMali Bole Afroasiatic 250,000 (2023)[ 107] Native toNigeria Bole Niger–Congo (Probable)4,000 (2004)[ 108] Native toRepublic of Congo Bolon Niger–Congo (Probable)23,000 (1998)[ 109] Native toBurkina Faso Bomboli–Bozaba Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1983–1986)[ 110] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bomboma Niger–Congo (Probable)23,000 (1983)[ 111] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bomitaba Niger–Congo (Probable)9,800 (2000)[ 112] Native toRepublic of Congo andCentral African Republic Bomu Niger–Congo (Probable)320,000-380,000 (1991-2022)[ 113] Native toBurkina Faso andMali Bongili Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000 (2018)[ 114] Native toRepublic of Congo Bongo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)21,000 (2017)[ 115] Native toSouth Sudan Bonjo Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000[date missing [ 116] Native toRepublic of Congo Bono Niger–Congo (Probable)1,400,000 (2013)[ 117] Native toGhana andIvory Coast Bono Niger–Congo (Probable)200,000 (2006)[ 118] Native toNigeria Boon Niger–Congo (Probable)60 (2000)[ 119] Native toSomalia Boko Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (2012)[ 120] Native toBenin ,Nigeria Boze Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toNigeria Bozo Mande 230,000 (apart from Tieyaxo) in Mali (2003–2009)[ 121] Spoken inMali Bube Niger–Congo (Probable)51,000 (2011)[ 122] Recognized minority inEquatorial Guinea andBioko Island Native toEquatorial Guinea ,Gabon ,Cameroon
Budza Niger–Congo (Probable)230,000 (1985)[ 123] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Buli Niger–Congo (Probable)170,000 (2013)[ 124] Native toGhana Bukusu Niger–Congo (Probable)1,400,000 (2009)[ 125] Native toKenya Bulu Niger–Congo (Probable)860,000 (2007)[ 126] Native toCameroon Bum Niger–Congo (Probable)21,000 (2001)[ 127] Native toCameroon Buru–Angwe Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000 speakers of Buru; potentially substantially more of Angwe (uncited)[ 128] Native toNigeria Busa Niger–Congo (Probable)110,000 (2012)[ 129] Native toBenin ,Nigeria Bushong Niger–Congo (Probable)160,000 (2000)[ 130] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Buu Niger–Congo (Probable)100–200 (2012)[ 131] Native toCameroon Buyu Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (2002)[ 132] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Bwela Niger–Congo (Probable)8,400 (2002)[ 133] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Caka Niger–Congo (Probable)5,000 (1983)[ 134] Native toCameroon Cape Verdean Creole Portuguese Creole 871,000 (2017)[ 135] National language inCape Verde Cebaara Niger–Congo (Probable)860,000 (1993)[ 136] Native toIvory Coast Central Banda Niger–Congo (Probable)580,000 (1984–1996)[ 137] Native toCentral African Republic ,Democratic Republic of the Congo andSouth Sudan Chewa Niger–Congo (Probable)7,000,000 (2007)[ 138] Malawi ,Zimbabwe Chopi Niger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (2017)[ 139] Native toMozambique Chung Niger–Congo (Probable)1,400 (2001)[ 140] Native toCameroon Comorian Niger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (2007-2011)[ 141] Comoros Dagaare Niger–Congo (Probable)1,300,000 (1999–2021)[ 142] Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana , andIvory Coast Dagbani Niger–Congo (Probable)1,200,000 (2013)[ 143] Native toGhana ,Togo Dangme Niger–Congo (Probable)1,020,000 (2013)[ 144] Ghana Daza Nilo-Saharan (Probable)700,000 (2019–2021)[ 145] Native toChad andNiger Dciriku Niger–Congo (Probable)82,000 (2004–2018)[ 146] Native toNamibia ,Botswana andAngola Dendi Nilo-Saharan (Probable)440,000 (2000-2021)[ 147] Native toBenin ,Niger , andNigeria Dengese Niger–Congo (Probable)8,600 (2000)[ 148] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Defaka Niger–Congo (Probable)200 (2001)[ 149] Spoken inNigeria Dinka Nilo-Saharan 4,238,400 (2007)[ 150] South Sudan Djimini Niger–Congo (Probable)96,000 (1993)[ 151] Spoken inIvory Coast Doghose Niger–Congo (Probable)20,000 (1991)[ 152] Native toBurkina Faso Dogoso Niger–Congo (Probable)9,000 (1999)[ 153] Native toBurkina Faso andIvory Coast Doko Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Dongo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)Unknown Native toSouth Sudan Dyula Niger–Congo (Probable)2,600,000 (2012–2021)[ 154] Native toBurkina Faso ,Mali , andIvory Coast Dzando Niger–Congo (Probable)6,000 (1983)[ 155] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Dzodinka Niger–Congo (Probable)2,600 (2000)[ 156] Native toCameroon andNigeria Ebira Niger–Congo (Probable)2,200,000 (2020)[ 157] Native toNigeria Ekoka ǃKung Kxʼa 16,500 (2013)[ 158] Native toSouth Africa ,Namibia , andAngola Eman Niger–Congo (Probable)800 (1990)[ 159] Native toCameroon English Indo-European 6,500,000[ 160] SeeList of countries and territories where English is an official language Esimbi Niger–Congo (Probable)34,800 (2005)[ 161] Native toCameroon Eton Niger–Congo (Probable)1,500,000 (2020)[ 162] Native toCameroon Evant Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (1996)[ 163] Native toCameroon andNigeria Ewondo Niger–Congo (Probable)580,000 (1982)[ 164] Native toCameroon Fang Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000,000 (2006–2013)[ 165] Recognized minority inEquatorial Guinea andGabon Native toEquatorial Guinea ,Gabon ,Republic of the Congo ,Cameroon , andSão Tomé and Príncipe
Fang Niger–Congo (Probable)4,000 (2011)[ 166] Native toCameroon Fanji Niger–Congo (Probable)17,000 (2008)[ 167] Native toCameroon Farefare Niger–Congo (Probable)660,000 (1991–2013)[ 168] Native toBurkina Faso andGhana Feʼfeʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)140,000 (2005)[ 169] Native toCameroon Fio Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown but extant (2011-2015)[ 170] [ 171] Native toCameroon Fon Niger–Congo 2,300,000 (2019–2021)[ 172] Benin Fongoro Nilo-Saharan (Probable)a few elders (2007)[ 173] Native toChad French Indo-European 1,200,000[ 174] SeeList of territorial entities where French is an official language andAfrican French Fulani Niger–Congo 67,000,000 (2014–2021)[ 175] NorthernBenin ,Burkina Faso ,Cameroon ,Gambia , NorthernGhana ,Guinea ,Guinea-Bissau ,Mali , northeasternNigeria , SouthernNiger , andSenegal Fungor Niger–Congo (Probable)2,700 (1984)[ 176] Native toSudan Fur Nilo-Saharan (Probable)790,000 (2004–2023)[ 177] Native toChad andSudan Furu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)16,000 (1984–1996)[ 178] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Fut Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (2009)[ 179] Native toCameroon Fwe Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000[date missing [ 180] Native toNamibia andZambia Gǀui Khoe–Kwadi 1,500 (2013)[ 181] Native toBotswana Ga Niger–Congo (Probable)745,000 (2016)[ 182] Ghana German Indo-European National language ofNamibia , special status inSouth Africa Gendza Niger–Congo (Probable)43,000 (1986)[ 183] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Gengele Creole Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Geme Niger–Congo (Probable)550 (1996)[ 184] Native toCentral African Republic Ghomalaʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)350,000 (2005)[ 185] Native toCameroon Gikuyu Niger–Congo (Probable)8,100,000[ 186] Spoken inKenya Goundo Niger–Congo (Probable)30 (1998)[ 187] Native toChad Gourmanché Niger–Congo (Probable)1,500,000 (2012–2021)[ 188] Native toBenin ,Burkina Faso ,Ghana ,Niger ,Nigeria , andTogo Gumuz Nilo-Saharan (Probable)160,000 in Ethiopia (2007)88,000 in Sudan (2017)[ 189]
Spoken inEthiopia andSudan Gwari Niger–Congo (Probable)1,840,000 (2020)[ 190] Native toNigeria Gyong Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2000)[ 191] Native toNigeria Hakaona Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toAngola andNamibia Hanga Niger–Congo (Probable)6,800 (2003)[ 192] Native toGhana Ḥarsusi Afroasiatic 600 (2011)[ 193] Native toOman Hassaniya Arabic Afroasiatic 5,200,000 (2014–2021)[ 194] Mali , Recognized inMorocco Hausa Afroasiatic 54,000,000 (2021–2023)[ 195] Recognized inNigeria ,Ghana , andNiger Heiban Niger–Congo (Probable)4,000 (1984)[ 196] Native toSudan Hendo Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (1982)[ 197] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Herero Niger–Congo (Probable)250,000 (2015–2018)[ 198] Native toNamibia ,Botswana andAngola Hindi Indo-European Spoken inMauritius Hlubi Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toSouth Africa Hõne Niger–Congo (Probable)7,000 (1999)[ 199] Native toNigeria Hun-Saare Niger–Congo (Probable)73,000 (1985)[ 200] Native toNigeria Humburi Senni Nilo-Saharan (Probable)81,000 (1999–2021)[ 201] Spoken inBurkina Faso , andMali Hyam Niger–Congo (Probable)300,000 (2014)[ 202] Native toNigeria Ibibio Niger–Congo (Probable)6,300,000 (2020)[ 203] Native toNigeria Iceve-Maci Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000 (1990)[ 204] Native toCameroon andNigeria Idun Niger–Congo (Probable)78,000 (2012)[ 205] Native toNigeria Igala Niger–Congo (Probable)1,600,000 (2020)[ 206] Native toNigeria Igbo Niger–Congo (Probable)31,000,000 (2020)[ 207] Native toNigeria Ik Nilo-Saharan (Probable)14,000 (2014)[ 208] Native toUganda Ila Niger–Congo (Probable)106,000 (2010)[ 209] Native toZambia Imraguen Niger–Congo (Probable)530 (2006)[ 210] Native toMauritania Ipulo Niger–Congo (Probable)2,500 (1990)[ 211] Native toCameroon Isu Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000 (1993)[ 212] Native toCameroon Iyive Niger–Congo (Probable)2,000 (1996)[ 213] Native toCameroon andNigeria Izon Niger–Congo (Probable)2,400,000 (2020)[ 214] Spoken inNigeria Italian Indo-European Recognized inEritrea andSomalia Jagham Niger–Congo (Probable)120,000 (2000)[ 215] Native toCameroon andNigeria Jahanka Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (2017–2022)[ 216] Native toGuinea Jarawa Niger–Congo (Probable)250,000 (2006–2011)[ 217] Native toNigeria Jelkung Afro-Asiatic 1,300 (2000)[ 218] Native toChad Jiba Niger–Congo (Probable)2,000 (1977)[ 219] Native toNigeria Jju Niger–Congo (Probable)600,000 (2020)[ 220] Native toNigeria Juǀʼhoan Kxʼa 4,000 (2003)[ 221] Native toNamibia andBotswana Juba Arabic Arabic-based creole 250,000 (2020)[ 222] Native toSouth Sudan Jukun Takum Niger–Congo (Probable)2,400 (2000)[ 223] Native toCameroon andNigeria Jur Modo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)180,000 (2017)[ 224] Native toSouth Sudan Kabalai Afro-Asiatic 18,000 (1993)[ 225] Native toChad Kadugli Nilo-Saharan (Probable)75,000 (2004)[ 226] Native toSudan Kamara Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2003)[ 227] Native toBurkina Faso andGhana Kanga Nilo-Saharan (Probable)17,000 (2022)[ 228] Native toSudan Kalabari Niger–Congo (Probable)258,000 (2006)[ 229] Native toNigeria Kalenjin Nilo-Saharan (Probable)6,600,000[citation needed Native toKenya andUganda Kanembu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)880,000 (2019)[ 230] Native toChad Kantosi Niger–Congo (Probable)6,300 (2020)[ 231] Native toBurkina Faso andGhana Kanuri Nilo-Saharan (Probable)9,600,000 (1993–2021)[ 232] Native toCameroon ,Chad ,Niger , andNigeria Kar Niger–Congo (Probable)40,000 (1995)[ 233] Native toBurkina Faso Karanga Nilo-Saharan (Probable)10,000 (1999)[ 234] Native toChad Kasena Niger–Congo (Probable)250,000 (1998–2004)[ 235] Native toBurkina Faso andGhana Kassonke Niger–Congo (Probable)2,500,000 (2009–2022)[ 236] Recognized inMali Katla Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 Julud (2009)[ 237] Possibly 14,000 Katla (1984)[ 238]
Native toSudan Keiga Nilo-Saharan (Probable)6,100 (1984)[ 239] Native toSudan Kemezung Niger–Congo (Probable)3,540 (2008)[ 240] Native toCameroon Kendeje Nilo-Saharan (Probable)1,900 (2000)[ 241] Native toChad Kele Niger–Congo (Probable)14,000 (2000–2007)[ 242] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo andGabon Kele-Foma Niger–Congo (Probable)160,000 (1980)[ 243] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Keliko Nilo-Saharan (Probable)42,500 (1989–2018)[ 244] Native toSouth Sudan andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Kelo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)200 (2009)[ 245] Native toSudan Kgalagadi Niger–Congo (Probable)65,400 (2015)[ 246] Native toBotswana Khwe Khoe–Kwadi 8,000 (2011)[ 247] Native toNamibia ,Angola ,Botswana ,South Africa , andZambia Khoekhoe Khoe–Kwadi 200,000 ± 10,000 (2011) National language ofNamibia Ki Niger–Congo (Probable)26,000 (1982)[ 248] Native toCameroon Kim Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000 (1993)[ 249] Native toChad Kimbundu Niger–Congo (Probable)1,700,000 (2015)[ 250] Angola Kinyarwanda Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000,000 (2014–2024)[ 251] Rwanda Kirundi Niger–Congo (Probable)13,000,000 (2021)[ 252] Burundi Kisi Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000 (2012)[ 253] Native toTanzania Kissi Niger–Congo (Probable)910,000 (2017–2020)[ 254] Native toGuinea ,Liberia , andSierra Leone Kita Maninka Niger–Congo (Probable)449,000 (2001-2014)[ 255] Recognized inMali Kituba Kongo-based creole 13,000,000 (2018–2022)[ 256] Democratic Republic of Congo ,Republic of Congo Koalib Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (2009)[ 257] Native toSudan Korandje Nilo-Saharan (Probable)3,000 (2010)[ 258] Native toAlgeria Koro Wachi Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (2006–2012)[ 259] Native toNigeria Kom Niger–Congo (Probable)210,000 (2005)[ 260] Native toCameroon Komo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)10,000 in Sudan (1979)[ 261] 8,500 in Ethiopia (2007)[ 262]
Native toSudan ,South Sudan , andEthiopia Kongo Niger–Congo (Probable)6,000,000 cited 1982–2021)[ 263] Angola , recognised national language ofRepublic of Congo andDemocratic Republic of Congo Konkomba Niger–Congo (Probable)920,000 (2012–2013)[ 264] Native toGhana andTogo Konni Niger–Congo (Probable)3,800 (2003)[ 265] Native toGhana Koshin Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2011)[ 266] Native toCameroon Koyra Chiini Nilo-Saharan (Probable)200,000 (1999)[ 267] Native toMali Koyraboro Senni Nilo-Saharan (Probable)430,000 (2007)[ 268] Native toMali Kulango Niger–Congo (Probable)470,000 (2021)[ 269] Native toGhana andIvory Coast Kunda Niger–Congo (Probable)160,000 (2000)[ 270] Native toZimbabwe ,Zambia , andMozambique Kusaal Niger–Congo (Probable)121,000 (2021 census)[ 271] Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana , andTogo Kusu Niger–Congo (Probable)26,000 (1971)[ 272] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Kresh Nilo-Saharan (Probable)16,000 including Dongo (2013)[ 273] Native toSouth Sudan Krio English Creole 860,000 (2021)[ 274] Native toSierra Leone Krongo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)54,000 (2022)[ 275] Native toSudan Kuba Niger–Congo (Probable)30,000 (2000)[ 276] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Kuk Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (1993)[ 277] Native toCameroon Kukelle Niger–Congo (Probable)180,000 to 200,000 (2011)[ 278] Native toNigeria Kunama Nilo-Saharan (Probable)180,000 (2022)[ 279] Native toEritrea , andEthiopia Kung Niger–Congo (Probable)12[date missing [ 280] Native toCameroon Kurama Niger–Congo (Probable)40,000 (2000)[ 281] Native toNigeria Kuranko Niger–Congo (Probable)670,000 (2017–2021)[ 282] Native toGuinea andSierra Leone Kuvale Niger–Congo (Probable)70,000 (2015)[ 283] Native toAngola Kwaʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000 (2000)[ 284] Native toCameroon Kwala Niger–Congo (Probable)45,000 (2000)[ 285] Native toRepublic of the Congo Kwama Nilo-Saharan (Probable)15,000 (2015)[ 286] Native toEthiopia Kwambi Niger–Congo (Probable)33,000 (2006)[ 287] Native toNamibia andAngola Kwangali Niger–Congo (Probable)152,000 (2018)[ 288] Native toNamibia andAngola Kwangwa Niger–Congo (Probable)2,400 (2010)[ 289] Native toZambia Kwanyama Niger–Congo (Probable)670,000 (1993-2006)[ 290] Native toNamibia andAngola Kyenga Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000 (1995–2012)[ 291] Native toBenin andNigeria Kyoli Niger–Congo (Probable)7,000-8,000 (2020)[ 292] Native toNigeria Lala Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown but extant (1999)[ 293] Native toSouth Africa Lala-Bisa Niger–Congo (Probable)350,000 (2010)[ 294] Native toZambia andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Lamba Niger–Congo (Probable)200,000 (2010)[ 295] Native toZambia andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Laimbue Niger–Congo (Probable)5,000 (1994)[ 296] Native toCameroon Laro Niger–Congo (Probable)40,000 (2010)[ 297] Native toSudan Lega Niger–Congo (Probable)450,000 (1982–2000)[ 298] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Lele Niger–Congo (Probable)26,000 (1971)[ 299] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Lendu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)760,000 (1996)[ 300] Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo Lenje Niger–Congo (Probable)130,000 (2010) Native toZambia Leti Niger–Congo (Probable)"small population" (2014)[ 301] Native toCameroon Lia-Ntomba Niger–Congo (Probable)200,000 (1980-2000)[ 302] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ligbi Niger–Congo (Probable)19,000 (1991–2003)[ 303] Native toGhana Limba Niger–Congo (Probable)2,200 (2001)[ 304] Native toCameroon Limba Niger–Congo (Probable)520,000 (1993-2019)[ 305] Native toGuinea andSierra Leone Limbum Niger–Congo (Probable)130,000 (2005)[ 306] Native toCameroon Lingala Niger–Congo (Probable)21,000,000 (2021)[ 307] National language ofDemocratic Republic of Congo ,Republic of Congo Lobedu Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000,000 (estimated)[ 308] Native toSouth Africa Logol Niger–Congo (Probable)13,000 (2022)[ 309] Native toSudan Loki Niger–Congo (Probable)4,200[date missing [ 310] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Londo Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (1983)[ 311] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Lorhon Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1991–1999)[ 312] Native toBurkina Faso andIvory Coast Losengo Niger–Congo (Probable)67,000 (1983–2002)[ 313] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Lozi Niger–Congo (Probable)725,000 (1982–2010)[ 314] Native toAngola ,Botswana ,Namibia ,South Africa ,Zambia , andZimbabwe Luganda Niger–Congo (Probable)5,600,000 (2014)[ 315] Native toUganda Lugbara Nilo-Saharan (Probable)1,600,000 (2014)[ 316] Native toUganda andDemocratic Republic of Congo Kuhane Niger–Congo (Probable)45,000[ 317] Native toNamibia ,Botswana , andZambia Luhya Niger–Congo (Probable)6,800,000[ 318] Spoken inKenya Lumun Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000 (2014)[ 319] Native toSudan Luo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)4,200,000 (2009)[ 320] Kenya ,Tanzania Luyana Niger–Congo (Probable)3,380 (2010)[ 321] Native toZambia Maba Nilo-Saharan (Probable)570,000 (2019)[ 322] Native toChad Ma'di Nilo-Saharan (Probable)310,000 (1982–2002)[ 323] Native toUganda andSouth Sudan Mada Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (not counting Nunku) (1993)[ 324] Native toNigeria Malagasy Austronesian 18,000,000[ 325] Madagascar Marfa Nilo-Saharan (Probable)5,000 (1999)[ 326] Native inChad Marka Niger–Congo (Probable)190,000 (2009–2014)[ 327] Spoken inBurkina Faso Mama Niger–Congo (Probable)2,000–3,000 (2001)[ 328] Native toNigeria Mampruli Niger–Congo (Probable)230,000 (2004)Dagbani Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana ,Ivory Coast ,Mali , andTogo Mandinka Niger–Congo (Probable)2,100,000 (2017–2022)[ 329] Recognized inSenegal Mangbetu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)662,000 (1985)[ 330] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Maninka Niger–Congo (Probable)4,600,000 (2012–2021)[ 331] Spoken inNigeria Mankon Niger–Congo (Probable)19,000 (2002)[ 332] Native toCameroon Manta Niger–Congo (Probable)5,300 (2001)[ 333] Native toCameroon Masaba Niger–Congo (Probable)2,700,000 (2002 & 2009)[ 334] Native toKenya Masalit Nilo-Saharan (Probable)410,000 (2019–2022)[ 335] Native toChad andSudan Mashi Niger–Congo (Probable)22,000 (2000–2010)[ 336] Native toZambia andAngola Massa Afro-Asiatic 340,000 (1982–2019)[ 337] Native toCameroon andChad Mauritian Creole French Creole 1,100,000 (2016)[ 338] Native toMauritius Mbamba Bay Niger–Congo (Probable)6,000 (2004)[ 339] Native toTanzania Mbandja Ubangian 360,000 (2000)[ 340] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo ,Republic of Congo andCentral African Republic Mbati Niger–Congo (Probable)60,000 (2010)[ 341] Native toCentral African Republic Mbe Niger–Congo (Probable)65,000 (2011)[ 342] Native toNigeria Mbəʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)1,500 (2000)[ 343] Native toCameroon Mbessa Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2020)[ 344] Native toCameroon Mbili-Mbui Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (1983)[ 345] Native toCameroon Mbowe Niger–Congo (Probable)460 (2010)[ 346] Native toCameroon Mbre Niger–Congo (Probable)50 (2017)[ 347] Native toIvory Coast Mbuʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)200 (2011)[ 348] Native toCameroon Mbuk Niger–Congo (Probable)600 (2020)[ 349] Native toCameroon Mbuko Afro-Asiatic 15,000 (2008)[ 350] Native toCameroon Mbukushu Niger–Congo (Probable)95,000 (2020)[ 351] National language inNamibia and Native toAngola ,Botswana , andZambia Mbwasa Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown[ 352] Native toCameroon Medumba Niger–Congo (Probable)210,000 (1991)[ 353] Native toCameroon Mehri Afro-Asiatic 230,000 (2020) Native toYemen ,Oman andSaudi Arabia Menchum Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2000)[ 354] Native toCameroon Mendankwe-Nkwen Niger–Congo (Probable)28,000 (2005)[ 355] Native toCameroon Mengaka Niger–Congo (Probable)20,000 (1993)[ 356] Native toCameroon Menyam Niger–Congo (Probable)4,000 (1994)[ 357] Native toCameroon Mesaka Niger–Congo (Probable)14,000 (1982)[ 358] Native toCameroon Mfumte Niger–Congo (Probable)30,700 (1982-2000)[ 359] Native toCameroon Minyanka Niger–Congo (Probable)740,000 (2000)[ 360] Native toMali Missong Niger–Congo (Probable)400 (2012)[ 361] Native toCameroon Mmen Niger–Congo (Probable)35,000 (2001)[ 362] Native toCameroon Mmuock Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toCameroon Moba Niger–Congo (Probable)440,000 (2004–2012)[ 363] Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana , andTogo Moro Niger–Congo (Probable)79,000 (2022)[ 364] Native toSudan Morokodo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)3,400 (2011)[ 365] Native toSouth Sudan Moru Nilo-Saharan (Probable)230,000 (2017)[ 366] Native toSouth Sudan Mossi Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000,000 (2012–2022)[ 367] Recognised regional language inBurkina Faso Mono Niger–Congo (Probable)65,000 (1984)[ 368] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Mongo Niger–Congo (Probable)400,000 (1995)[ 369] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Mooré Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000,000 (2012–2022)[ 370] Official inBurkina Faso Native toBurkina Faso ,Benin ,Ivory Coast ,Ghana ,Mali ,Togo ,Niger , andSenegal
Mundabli Niger–Congo (Probable)500 (2011)[ 371] Native toCameroon Mündü Ubangian 26,000[date missing [ 372] Native toSouth Sudan andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Mundum Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toCameroon Mungbam Niger–Congo (Probable)1,900–2,200 (2012)[ 373] Native toCameroon Munka Niger–Congo (Probable)31,000 (2008)[ 374] Native toCameroon Nabit Niger–Congo (Probable)30,000 (estimated) (2015)[ 375] Native toBurkina Faso ,Ghana Nafanan Niger–Congo (Probable)89,000 (2017)[ 376] Native toGhana and theIvory Coast Nambya Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (2000–2004)[ 377] Native toZimbabwe Nancere Afroasiatic 144,000 (2019)[ 378] Native toChad Nanerigé Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (1985)[ 379] Native toBurkina Faso Naro Khoe–Kwadi 9,000 (2011-2014)[ 380] [ 381] Native toBotswana andNamibia Nateni Niger–Congo (Probable)110,000 (2021)[ 382] Native toBenin Naki Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (1993)[ 383] Native toCameroon ,Nigeria Ntcham Niger–Congo (Probable)390,000 (2004–2013)[ 384] Native toGhana andTogo Ndaʼndaʼ Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (1990)[ 385] Native toCameroon Ndau Niger–Congo (Probable)2,400,000 (2000–2006)[ 386] Zimbabwe Ndebele Niger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (2011)[ 387] Statutory national language inSouth Africa Ndemli Niger–Congo (Probable)10,000 (1999)[ 388] Native toCameroon Nding Niger–Congo (Probable)400 (2020)[ 389] Native toSudan Ndombe Niger–Congo (Probable)22,300 (2000)[ 390] Native toAngola Ndonga Niger–Congo (Probable)810,000 (2006)[ 391] Native toNamibia andAngola Ndolo Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1983)[ 392] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ndrulo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)110,000 (2014–2018)[ 393] Native language ofUganda andDemocratic Republic of Congo Ndzerem Niger–Congo (Probable)<1,000[date missing [ 394] Native toCameroon Ngaʼka Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (1982)[ 395] Native toCameroon Ngambwe Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toAngola Ngando Niger–Congo (Probable)5,000 (1996)[ 396] Native toCentral African Republic Ngangam Niger–Congo (Probable)200,000 (2012–2021)[ 397] Native toBenin andTogo Ngbundu Ubangian 16,000 (1984)[ 398] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ngelima Niger–Congo (Probable)14,000 (2000)[ 399] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ngiemboon Niger–Congo (Probable)250,000 (2007)[ 400] Native toCameroon Ngile Niger–Congo (Probable)39,000 (2024)[ 401] Native toSudan Ngiri Niger–Congo (Probable)80,000 (2000–2002)[ 402] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ngiti Nilo-Saharan (Probable)100,000 (1991)[ 403] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ngondi Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2004)[ 404] Native toRepublic of Congo Ngomba Niger–Congo (Probable)63,000 (1999)[ 405] Native toCameroon Ngombale Niger–Congo (Probable)53,500 (2005)[ 406] Native toCameroon Ngombe Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (1971)[ 407] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Ngwe Niger–Congo (Probable)73,000 (2001)[ 408] Native toCameroon Nigerian Pidgin Niger–Congo (Probable)4,700,000[when? [ 409] Native toNigeria Ninzo Niger–Congo (Probable)35,000 (1973)[ 410] Native toNigeria Nkoroo Niger–Congo (Probable)4,500 (1989)[ 411] Native toNigeria Nkumbi Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (1996)[ 412] Native toAngola Nkutu Niger–Congo (Probable)40,000 (1972)[ 413] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Nsei Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2008)[ 414] Native toCameroon Nsenga Niger–Congo (Probable)600,000 in Zambia and Mozambique (2006 – 2010)16,000 in Zimbabwe (1969)[ 415]
Native toZambia ,Mozambique , andZimbabwe Nso Niger–Congo (Probable)240,000 (2005)[ 416] Native toCameroon Noni Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (2005–2008)[ 417] Native toCameroon Noon Niger–Congo (Probable)33,000 (2007)[ 418] Official inSenegal Northern Ndebele Niger–Congo (Probable)2,600,000 (2023)[ 419] Official inZimbabwe Northern Sotho Niger–Congo (Probable)4,700,000 (2011)[ 420] Official inSouth Africa Nubi Arabic-based creole 50,000 (2014-2019)[ 421] Native toUganda ,Kenya Nuer Nilo-Saharan 1,700,000 (2007–2017)[ 422] Native toSouth Sudan andEthiopia Numana Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (2008)[ 423] Native toNigeria Nupe Niger–Congo (Probable)1,800,000 (2020)[ 424] Native toNigeria Nyaneka Niger–Congo (Probable)300,000 to 1.2 million[date missing (before 1996)[ 425] Native toAngola Nyanga Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (1994)[ 426] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Nyankpa Niger–Congo (Probable)70,000 (2012)[ 427] Native toNigeria Nyarafolo Niger–Congo (Probable)60,000 (2009)[ 428] Native toIvory Coast Nyungwe Niger–Congo (Probable)490,000 (2017)[ 429] Native toMozambique Nzakara Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (1996)[ 430] Native toCentral African Republic , andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Okodia Niger–Congo (Probable)3,600 (1977)[ 431] Native toNigeria Oku Niger–Congo (Probable)87,000 (2005)[ 432] Native toCameroon Ombo Niger–Congo (Probable)8,400 (2002)[ 433] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Omi Nilo-Saharan (Probable)91,000 (2005)[ 434] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Osatu Niger–Congo (Probable)400 (2002)[ 435] Native toCameroon Oluʼbo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)33,000 (2017)[ 436] Native toSouth Sudan Opuo Nilo-Saharan (Probable)20,000 (2014–2019)[ 437] Native toEthiopia andSouth Sudan Oromo Afroasiatic 37,071,900 (2020)[ 438] Official inEthiopia Recognized minority inKenya Native toEthiopia ,Kenya , andSomalia
Oruma Niger–Congo (Probable)5,000 (1995)[ 439] Native toNigeria Otank Niger–Congo (Probable)15,000 (2006)[ 440] Native toCameroon andNigeria Otoro Niger–Congo (Probable)17,000 (2023)[ 441] Native toSudan Ovambo Niger–Congo (Probable)1,441,000 (1990)[ 442] Native toAngola andNamibia Palaka Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1995)[ 443] Native toIvory Coast Paleni Niger–Congo (Probable)260 (2012)[ 444] Native toBurkina Faso Pambia Niger–Congo (Probable)21,000 (1982)[ 445] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Pande Niger–Congo (Probable)8,870 (2010)[ 446] Native toCentral African Republic Phuthi Niger–Congo (Probable)20,000 (1999)[ 447] [ 448] Native toLesotho andSouth Africa Pichinglis English Creole 6,000 (2011)[ 449] Native toBioko andEquatorial Guinea Pinyin Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2001)[ 450] Native toCameroon Piti Niger–Congo (Probable)8,100 (2013)[ 451] Native toNiger Portuguese Indo-European 17,000,000[ 452] Angola ,Cape Verde ,Guinea-Bissau ,Equatorial Guinea ,Mozambique ,São Tomé and Príncipe Pretoria Sotho Sotho-Tswana language creole Unknown Native toSouth Africa Rigwe Niger–Congo (Probable)40,000 (1985)[ 453] Native toNiger Ronga Niger–Congo (Probable)720,000 (2006)[ 454] Native toMozambique andSouth Africa Saari Niger–Congo (Probable)7,600 (2008)[ 455] Native toCameroon Saba Afroasiatic 1,300 (2000)[ 456] Native toChad Saho Niger–Congo (Probable)180,000 (2007–2022)[ 457] Native toEritrea andEthiopia Samo Niger–Congo (Probable)230,000 (1995–1999)[ 458] Native toBurkina Faso andMali Samwe Niger–Congo (Probable)4,500 (1993)[ 459] Native toBurkina Faso Sakata Niger–Congo (Probable)75,000 (1982)[ 460] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Saya Niger–Congo (Probable)300,000 (2013)[ 461] Native toNiger Sekele Kxʼa 20,000 (2013–2019)[ 462] Native toNamibia ,Angola Sena Niger–Congo (Probable)2,869,000 (2017–2020)[ 463] Official inZimbabwe Recognized inMalawi Native toMalawi ,Mozambique , andZimbabwe
Senara Niger–Congo (Probable)210,000 (1995–2010)[ 464] Native toBurkina Faso andMali Sengele Niger–Congo (Probable)17,000 (2002)[ 465] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Sepedi Niger–Congo (Probable)4,700,000 (2011)[ 466] Official inSouth Africa Sesotho Niger–Congo (Probable)5,600,000 (2001–2011)[ 467] Official inLesotho ,South Africa andZimbabwe Setlôkwa Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown (Possibly ~670,000) Native toLesotho andSouth Africa Seychellois Creole French Creole 73,000 (1998)[ 468] Official inSeychelles Shabo Language isolate or possibleNilo-Saharan 400 (2000)[ 469] Native toEthiopia Shanjo Niger–Congo (Probable)4,400 (2010)[ 470] Native toZambia Shi Niger–Congo (Probable)660,000 (1991)[ 471] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Shona Niger–Congo (Probable)8,400,000 (2012–2017)[ 472] Official inZimbabwe Recognized minority inMozambique
Shwai Niger–Congo (Probable)3,500 (1989)[ 473] Native toSudan Sighu Niger–Congo (Probable)1,000 (1990)[ 474] Native toGabon Simaa Niger–Congo (Probable)17,000 (2010)[ 475] Native toZambia Sinyar Nilo-Saharan (Probable)33,000 (2023)[ 476] Native toChad Siwu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)27,000 (2003)[ 477] Native toGhana Somali Afroasiatic 21,937,940[ 478] Official inSomalia ,Djibouti ,Ethiopia , andKenya Recognized minority inKenya
Soninke Niger–Congo (Probable)2,300,000 (2017–2021)[ 479] Official inMauritania ,Mali ,Senegal andThe Gambia Native toBurkina Faso ,Gambia ,Ghana ,Guinea-Bissau ,Guinea ,Ivory Coast ,Mali ,Mauritania ,Senegal
Soli Niger–Congo (Probable)34,000 (2010)[ 480] Native toZambia Sotho Niger–Congo (Probable)5,600,000 (2001–2011)[ 481] Native toLesotho ,South Africa , andZimbabwe South Banda Ubangian 200,000 (1996)[ 482] Native toCentral African Republic andDemocratic Republic of the Congo Southeast Ijo Niger–Congo (Probable)72,000 (1977)[ 483] Native toNigeria Southern Birifor Niger–Congo (Probable)190,000 (2017)[ 484] Native toGhana andIvory Coast Suba Niger–Congo (Probable)140,000 (2009)[ 485] Native toKenya Suba-Simbiti Niger–Congo (Probable)110,000 (2011)[ 486] Native toTanzania Sucite Niger–Congo (Probable)38,000 (1999–2007)[ 487] Native toBurkina Faso Suku Niger–Congo (Probable)50,000 (1980)[ 488] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Sukur Afroasiatic 15,000 (1992)[ 489] Native toNigeria Supyire Niger–Congo (Probable)460,000 (1996–2007)[ 490] Native toMali Sumayela Ndebele Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown but extant[ 491] [ 492] [ 493] [ 494] Native toSouth Africa Susu Niger–Congo (Probable)2,400,000 (2017–2019)[ 495] Native toGuinea ,Sierra Leone , andGuinea Bissau Suwu Niger–Congo (Probable)"few" (2007)[ 496] Native toCameroon Spanish Indo-European 1,100,000 (2018)[ 497] Equatorial Guinea ,Spain (Ceuta ,Melilla ,Canary Islands ), still marginally spoken inSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic , recognized inMorocco Songhoyboro Ciine Nilo-Saharan (Probable)946,000 (2014)[ 498] Native toNiger Southern Ndebele Niger–Congo 1,100,000 (2011)[ 499] Official inSouth Africa Surbakhal Nilo-Saharan (Probable)7,900 (2000)[ 500] Native toChad Syer-Tenyer Niger–Congo (Probable)30,000 (1991)[ 501] Native toBurkina Faso Swahili Niger–Congo (Probable)5,300,000 (2019–2023)[ 502] Official inTanzania ,Kenya ,Uganda ,Rwanda ,Democratic Republic of the Congo Swazi Niger–Congo (Probable)2,300,000 (2013–2019)[ 503] Official inSouth Africa ,Swaziland Taa Tuu 2,500 (2011)[ 504] Native toBotswana andNamibia Tadaksahak Nilo-Saharan (Probable)170,000 (2022)[ 505] Native toMali andNiger Tagdal Nilo-Saharan (Probable)65,000 (2021)[ 506] Native toNiger Tagoi Niger–Congo (Probable)29,000 (2022)[ 507] Native toSudan Tagwana Niger–Congo (Probable)140,000 (1993) Native toIvory Coast Talodi Niger–Congo (Probable)1,500 (1989) Native toSudan Talni Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (estimated) (2015)[ 508] Native toBurkina Faso andGhana Tamil Dravidian Native toMauritius Tasawaq Nilo-Saharan (Probable)21,000 (2021)[ 509] Native toNiger Teda Nilo-Saharan (Probable)130,000 (2020–2024)[ 510] Native toChad ,Libya , andNiger Tegali Niger–Congo (Probable)110,000 (2022)[ 511] Native toSudan Tegem Niger–Congo (Probable)5,100 (1984)[ 512] Native toSudan Telugu Dravidian Native toMauritius Tembo Niger–Congo (Probable)150,000 (1994)[ 513] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Tetela Niger–Congo (Probable)760,000 (1991)[ 514] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Tigrinya Afroasiatic 9,700,000 (2022)[ 515] Official inEritrea andEthiopia Tikar Niger–Congo (Probable)110,000 (2005)[ 516] Native toCameroon Tiro Niger–Congo (Probable)34,000 (2022)[ 517] Native toSudan Tima Niger–Congo (Probable)3,300 (2000)[ 518] Native toSudan Tiv Niger–Congo (Probable)5,200,000 (2024)[ 519] Native toNigeria Tocho Niger–Congo (Probable)2,700 (2013)[ 520] Native toSudan Tondi Songway Kiini Nilo-Saharan (Probable)3,000 (1998)[ 521] Native toMali Tonga Niger–Congo (Probable)1,500,000 (2001–2010)[ 522] Official inZimbabwe Recognized minority inZambia
Tonga Niger–Congo (Probable)330,000 (2017)[ 523] Native toMozambique Tonga Niger–Congo (Probable)165,000 (2018)[ 524] Recognized minority language inMalawi Totela Niger–Congo (Probable)1,220 (2010)[ 525] Native toNamibia andZambia Tsamai Afroasiatic 18,000 (2007)[ 526] Native toEthiopia Tsotsitaal and Camtho , akaIscamtho Niger–Congo (Probable)500,000 (estimated)[ 527] Native toSouth Africa Tshiluba Niger–Congo (Probable)6,300,000 (1991)[ 528] National language ofDemocratic Republic of the Congo Tsonga or Xitsonga Niger–Congo (Probable)3,700,000 (2006–2011)[ 529] Official inSouth Africa andZimbabwe Recognized minority inMozambique
Native toEswatini ,Mozambique ,South Africa , andZimbabwe
Tshivenda Niger–Congo (Probable)1,300,000 (2011)[ 530] Official inSouth Africa andZimbabwe Tswa Niger–Congo (Probable)1,200,000 (2006)[ 531] Native toMozambique Tswana Niger–Congo (Probable)5,800,000 (2015)[ 532] Official inBotswana ,South Africa ,Zimbabwe Recognized minority inNamibia Native toBotswana andSouth Africa
Tulishi Nilo-Saharan 2,500 (2007)[ 533] Native toSudan Tumbuka Niger–Congo (Probable)7,100,000 (2024)[ 534] Recognized minority language inMalawi ,Tanzania ,Zambia Tumtum Nilo-Saharan (Probable)17,000 (2022)[ 535] Native toSudan Twi Niger–Congo (Probable)630,000[citation needed Regional language inGhana Tyap Niger–Congo (Probable)875,000 (2020)[ 536] Native toNigeria Uduk Nilo-Saharan (Probable)22,000[date missing (presumably after 2005)[ 537] Native toSudan andSouth Sudan Umbundu Niger–Congo (Probable)7,000,000 (2018)[ 538] Official inAngola Venda Niger–Congo (Probable)1,300,000 (2011)[ 539] Official inSouth Africa ,Zimbabwe Native toSouth Africa ,Mozambique , andZimbabwe
Vengo Niger–Congo (Probable)27,000 (2008)[ 540] Native toCameroon Viemo Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1995)[ 541] Native toBurkina Faso Viti Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown (one village)[ 542] Native toNigeria Vori Niger–Congo (Probable)3,000 (2016)[ 543] Native toNigeria Voro Niger–Congo (Probable)Unknown Native toNigeria Wannu Niger–Congo (Probable)a few thousand (1998)[ 544] Native toNigeria Wali Niger–Congo (Probable)85,000 (2013)[ 545] Native toGhana Wali Nilo-Saharan (Probable)9,000 (2007)[ 546] Native toSudan Wapan Niger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (1994)[ 547] Native toNigeria Weh Niger–Congo (Probable)8,000 (1993)[ 548] Native toCameroon Werni Niger–Congo (Probable)1,100 (1956)[ 549] Native toSudan West Banda Ubangian 7,500 (1982–1996)[ 550] Native toCentral African Republic andSouth Sudan Wolof Niger–Congo (Probable)7,100,000 (2020–2021)[ 551] Lingua franca inSenegal Wongo Niger–Congo (Probable)13,000 (2000)[ 552] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Wushi Niger–Congo (Probable)27,000 (2008)[ 553] Native toCameroon and possiblyNigeria Xhosa Niger–Congo (Probable)7,600,000 (2013)[ 175] Official inSouth Africa ,Zimbabwe Recognized minority inBotswana Native toSouth Africa andLesotho
Yamba Niger–Congo (Probable)80,000 (2000)[ 554] Native toCameroon andNigeria Yangere Ubangian 27,000 (1996)[ 555] Native toCentral African Republic Yalunka Niger–Congo (Probable)181,000 (2002–2017)[ 556] Native toGuinea Yela-Kela Niger–Congo (Probable)213,000 Kela (1972-1977)[ 557] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo Yemba Niger–Congo (Probable)500,000 estimated (2023)[ 558] Native toCameroon Yeyi Niger–Congo (Probable)55,000 (2001)[ 559] Native toNamibia andBotswana Yobe Niger–Congo (Probable)22,000 (1991–2012)[ 560] Native toBenin andTogo Yoruba Niger–Congo (Probable)45,000,000 (2021)[ 175] Nigeria ,Benin ,Togo Yulu Nilo-Saharan (Probable)13,000 (1987–2011)[ 561] Native toCentral African Republic ,Democratic Republic of Congo ,South Sudan , andSudan Zaghawa Nilo-Saharan (Probable)450,000 (2019–2022)[ 562] Native toChad andSudan Zande Niger–Congo (Probable)1,800,000 (1996–2017)[ 563] Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo ,Central African Republic , andSouth Sudan Zarma Nilo-Saharan (Probable)6,000,000 (2021)[ 564] Native toNiger ,Mali ,Burkina Faso , andNigeria Zemba Niger–Congo (Probable)25,000 (2011-2016)[ 565] Native toAngola andNamibia Zhire Niger–Congo (Probable)11,000 to 15,000 (2021)[ 566] Native toNigeria Zhoa Niger–Congo (Probable)2,000 (1995)[ 567] Native toCameroon Zulu Niger–Congo (Probable)12,000,000 (2013–2017)[ 90] South Africa
Below is a list of the major languages of Africa by region, family and total number ofprimary language speakers in millions.
North Africa Central Africa Eastern Africa Southern Africa West Africa
Colonial and migratory influences [ edit ] ^ Heine & Nurse (2000) ^ Epstein, Edmund L.; Kole, Robert, eds. (1998).The Language of African Literature ISBN 0-86543-534-0 . Retrieved23 June 2011 .Africa is incredibly rich in language—over 3,000 indigenous languages by some counts, and many creoles, pidgins, and lingua francas. ^ "Ethnologue report for Nigeria" .Ethnologue Languages of the World .^ Oluwole, Victor (12 September 2021)."A comprehensive list of all the English-speaking countries in Africa" .Business Insider Africa . Retrieved2 September 2023 . ^ Stein-Smith, Kathleen (17 March 2022)."Africa and the French language are growing together in global importance" .The Conversation . Retrieved2 September 2023 . ^ Yates, Y."How Many People Speak Portuguese, And Where Is It Spoken?" .Babbel Magazine . Retrieved2 September 2023 . ^ "African Union Summit 2006: Khartoum, Sudan" . Southern African Regional Poverty Network. Archived fromthe original on 30 May 2006.^ Bender, M. Lionel (1985)."Review of Ehred & Posnansky (eds.),The archaeological and linguistic reconstruction of African history " Language .61 (3– 4). Linguistic Society of America: 695.doi :10.2307/414395 .JSTOR 414395 . Retrieved31 January 2017 . ^ Ehret, Christopher (2000)."Language and History" . In Heine, Bernd; Nurse, Derek (eds.).African Languages: An Introduction . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 290.ISBN 0-521-66629-5 . Retrieved12 March 2018 . ^ Campbell, Lyle; Mixco, Mauricio J. (2007).A Glossary of Historical Linguistics . University of Utah Press.ISBN 9780874808926 ^ Matthews, P.H. (2014).Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics (3rd ed.). OUP Oxford.ISBN 9780199675128 ^ Pithouse, Kathleen; Mitchell, Claudia; Moletsane, Relebohile (16 December 2023).Making Connections: Self-Study & Social Action . Peter Lang. p. 91.ISBN 9781433105012 ^ Heese, J. A. (1971).Die herkoms van die Afrikaner, 1657–1867 [The origin of the Afrikaner, 1657–1867 ] (in Afrikaans). Cape Town: A. A. Balkema.OCLC 1821706 .OL 5361614M . ^ Kloeke, G.G. (1950).Herkomst en groei van het Afrikaans (PDF) . Leiden: Universitaire Pers Leiden. ^ Heeringa, Wilbert; de Wet, Febe (2007). "The origin of Afrikaans pronunciation: a comparison to west Germanic languages and Dutch dialects".CiteSeerX 10.1.1.222.5044 ^ Coetzee, Abel (1948).Standaard Afrikaans (PDF) . Afrikaner Pers. Retrieved17 September 2014 . ^ Tibategeza, Eustard (January 2023)."Language-in-Education Policy and Practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo" . ^ Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza, Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza (August 2011)."From foreign to national: a review of the status of French in Gabon" . ^ Facts, Victor Kiprop in World (24 September 2018)."What Languages Are Spoken In Equatorial Guinea?" .WorldAtlas . Retrieved21 September 2025 . ^ Hombert, Jean-Marie; Philippson, Gérard (2009). "The linguistic importance of language isolates: the African case". In Austin, Peter K.; Bond, Oliver;Charette, Monik ; Nathan, David; Sells, Peter (eds.).Proceedings of Conference on Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory 2 (PDF) . London: SOAS. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on 23 May 2013. ^ Vossen, Rainer; Dimmendaal, Gerrit J., eds. (2020).The Oxford Handbook of African Languages . Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 392– 407. ^ Lau, Charles (30 April 2020). "Language differences between interviewers and respondents in African surveys (Chapter 5)". In Sha, Mandy (ed.).The Essential Role of Language in Survey Research 101– 115.doi :10.3768/rtipress.bk.0023.2004 ISBN 978-1-934831-24-3 ^ AfricaNews (26 July 2023)."Mali drops French as official language" .Africanews . Retrieved28 March 2024 . ^ AfricaNews (7 December 2023)."Burkina abandons French as an official language" .Africanews . Retrieved28 March 2024 . ^ "Algeria reinstates term limit and recognises Berber language" .BBC News .^a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "JOURNAL OFFICIEL DE LA REPUBLIQUE DU MALI" (PDF) .sgg-mali.ml . 29 September 2017. Retrieved26 July 2023 .Langues nationales : langues considérées comme propres à une nation ou à un pays. Selon la Loi n°96- 049 du 23 août 1996, les langues nationales du Mali sont : le bamanankan (bambara), le bomu (bobo), le bozo (bozo), le dTgTsT (dogon), le fulfulde (peul), le hasanya (maure), le mamara (miniyanka), le maninkakan (malinké) le soninke (sarakolé), le soKoy (songhoï), le syenara (sénoufo), le tamasayt (tamasheq), le xaasongaxanKo (khassonké). ^ CIA – The World Factbook .^ According to article 7 ofThe Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic Archived 18 December 2008 at theWayback Machine : "The official languages of the Somali Republic shall be Somali (Maay and Maxaatiri) and Arabic. The second languages of the Transitional Federal Government shall be English and Italian". ^ Spencer, Erika Hope."Research Guides: France & French Collections at the Library of Congress: Sub-Saharan Africa" .guides.loc.gov . Retrieved28 March 2024 . ^ Fehn, Anne-Maria (2019), Wolff, H. Ekkehard (ed.),"African Linguistics in Official Portuguese- and Spanish-Speaking Africa" ,A History of African Linguistics , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 189– 204,ISBN 978-1-108-41797-6 , retrieved28 March 2024 ^ "ABOUT EQUATORIAL GUINEA | Equatorial Guinea Embassy USA" .EG Embassy USA . Retrieved28 March 2024 .^ "The languages of South Africa" Archived 4 March 2011 at theWayback Machine .southafrica.info .^ "ETHIOPIA TO ADD 4 MORE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES TO FOSTER UNITY" .Ventures Africa . Ventures. 4 March 2020. Retrieved2 February 2021 .^ "Ethiopia is adding four more official languages to Amharic as political instability mounts" .Nazret . Archived fromthe original on 17 August 2021. 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