What is the most spoken language in Africa? Top 10

According to UNESCO, between 1,500 and 3,000 languages (including dialects) are spoken across the African continent, each bearing the legacy of millennia of migrations and colonial history. However, only a few dozen have gained official status or become recognized as lingua francas. These commonly spoken languages are used in government, education, and cross-cultural communication. In this article, Altezza Travel explores the most widely spoken languages in Africa. 

1. Swahili

• Number of speakers: over 230 million

Swahili is the most widely spoken African language. It is actively used in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and also in Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and the Comoros. However, the number of native speakers is relatively small — estimated at around 15–20 million.

Swahili originated on the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean. It began as a little-known dialect spoken by local farmers, fishermen, and herders. As trade in the region expanded, it evolved into a language of communication for everyone who arrived there. Over centuries, immigrants from other African regions, European colonizers, and traders from Asia and the Middle East contributed elements of Arabic, Portuguese, English, German, and Hindi to Swahili. This linguistic blend helped make it one of the most popular languages in both Africa and the world. 

Today, Swahili is taught in many schools and universities, has a strong media presence, and is celebrated annually on July 7 as World Swahili Language Day, established by UNESCO. The African Union has also recognized it as an official language. Swahili belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

2. English

• Number of speakers: 130–250 million

English is an official language in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Liberia, and many other African countries. In total, it is spoken in 27 out of 54 African nations, although proficiency levels vary widely.

According to the international education organization EF Education First, which compiles the English Proficiency Index, South Africa stands out among English-speaking African nations. The country ranks 10th globally, surpassing many European nations including Romania, Belgium, Finland, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Kenya ranks 19th, while Nigeria comes in at 30th. Other African countries rank significantly lower.

The World Linguistic Society, meanwhile, names Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, and Kenya (in that order) as the top English-speaking African countries. As the World Atlas notes, all of these countries were once British colonies and now recognize English as an official language. This colonial legacy is a key reason why non-African languages remain widespread in many parts of the continent.

3. Arabic

• Number of speakers: about 213.5 million

Arabic has the largest number of native speakers in Africa. According to the global data project World Data, over 213 million people speak Arabic as their first language, including various dialects. If you also include those who use Arabic as a second language — for example, to read the Quran — the number is significantly higher. Among Africa’s major languages, Arabic leads in native speakers, while Swahili and English dominate as lingua francas.

Arabic is especially widespread in North Africa and is an official language in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Mauritania, Chad, Djibouti, Somalia, and the Comoros. The language originated on the Arabian Peninsula and reached Africa in the 7th century with the spread of Islam. Today, nearly half of the world’s Arabic speakers live on the African continent. Egypt is the most populous Arabic-speaking country, with the vast majority of its population using the language daily. 

4. French

• Number of speakers: 167 million

According to the Observatory of the Francophone World (ODSEF), there are 327 million French speakers worldwide — and more than half live in Africa. French is the official language in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Comoros, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, the Seychelles, Togo, and the DRC.

Interestingly, the U.S. Library of Congress archives report that Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, has more French speakers than Paris.

French arrived in Africa during the colonial era: in the 19th and early 20th centuries, France conquered vast territories in West, Equatorial, and North Africa. It became the language of colonial administration and education, used for governance and interethnic communication. After independence, many countries retained French as an official language, and it remains a vital part of social and political life.

5. Hausa

• Number of speakers: up to 70 million

Hausa is the language of the Hausa people and is spoken widely across West and Central Africa — in Benin, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Congo, Ghana, Eritrea, Sudan, Niger, and Togo. Its original writing system was based on Arabic script, but during the colonial era it transitioned to the Latin alphabet, which is still used today.

Like Swahili, Hausa is widely used as a lingua franca in business, politics, education, and media. Newspapers, books, radio, and TV are all produced in Hausa.

According to Science Direct, a peer-reviewed academic platform, Hausa boasts some of the most comprehensive dictionaries and grammar references among African languages. Despite its importance, however, Hausa was not initially recognized as an official language of the African Union (AU). In 2022, at the 35th AU Assembly, Swahili became the first African language to receive official AU status. Previously, only Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were official. Today, the AU website lists "all African languages" as official, alongside those five.

6. Amharic

• Number of speakers: up to 60 million

Amharic is the second most widely spoken Semitic language in the world after Arabic, which has over 100 million speakers globally. It is primarily spoken in Ethiopia, where it serves as the official and unifying language across diverse ethnic groups. You may also hear Amharic in Eritrea and among diaspora communities in Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Djibouti, Sudan, and even the UAE.

Amharic is one of the few widely used African languages with its own unique script. Its writing system consists of 34 base characters, each of which changes based on accompanying vowels, forming a system with over 270 symbols. Amharic also has a rich literary tradition, including chronicles of Ethiopian emperors such as Tewodros II, religious texts, and works of fiction.

7. Yoruba

• Number of speakers: 40–45 million

Yoruba is spoken across West Africa — especially in Nigeria (Africa’s most populous country), Benin, and parts of Togo, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. According to the Knowledge 4 All Foundation, Yoruba is also spoken in diaspora communities in Cuba, Brazil, the U.S., and the U.K. The estimated total number of speakers is 40–45 million.

Yoruba is a tonal language with three basic tones — high, mid, and low — which can alter a word’s meaning. Its writing system is based on the Latin alphabet, supplemented with diacritical marks to indicate tones and sounds. Yoruba is widely used in everyday life, taught in schools in Nigeria and Benin, and is also one of the primary languages of Nollywood (Nigeria’s film industry).

8. Oromo

• Number of speakers: up to 45 million

Oromo is widely spoken in Northeast Africa — particularly in Ethiopia, where the Oromo people make up about 40% of the population. It is also spoken in parts of Kenya, Somalia, and Egypt. In Ethiopia, it is a key national language alongside Amharic and is used in government, media, and education. Kenya is home to around eight distinct Oromo groups.

For a long time, Oromo lacked official status due to the dominance of Amharic in imperial Ethiopia. Only in the latter half of the 20th century did it begin to appear in print and education. In the 1990s, the Latin alphabet was adopted, which made it more accessible for education and communication as a lingua franca.

9. Igbo

• Number of speakers: over 30 million

Igbo is the language of the Igbo people and is widely spoken in southeastern Nigeria, as well as in communities across Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, São Tomé, the U.S., U.K., Canada, and parts of Cuba, Barbados, and Jamaica. According to Oxford Bibliographies, over 30 million people speak Igbo, most of them native speakers.

Since colonial times, Igbo has been written using the Latin alphabet. Before that, a symbolic writing system called Nsibidi was used by the Ekpe society for ritual and secret communication. Today, Igbo enjoys a strong literary presence, thanks in part to Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, which, although written in English, vividly portrays the impact of European colonization on traditional African society. Achebe received the International Booker Prize in 2007.

Despite the dominance of English (Nigeria’s official language), Igbo remains the main language of communication for millions of people, including those abroad. It is also taught in some Nigerian universities and weekend schools.

10. Portuguese

• Number of speakers: around 30 million

Portuguese is an official language in six African countries: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, and Equatorial Guinea. Except for Equatorial Guinea, all were Portuguese colonies for roughly 450 years and now form the PALOP group (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa – African Countries with Portuguese as the Official Language).

Portuguese originated from northern Portuguese dialects and became an official language in the 13th century. In the 15th century, Portuguese explorers began colonizing Africa. Over time, the language merged with local tongues, producing various Creole languages still spoken today. Angola is a notable exception — it is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, after Brazil. So, even if Indo-European languages are not native to Africa, today they are important in a number of African countries.

FAQ

Which is the most spoken language in Africa?

There is no single leader — it depends on the criteria. By number of native speakers, Arabic is in the lead. However, in terms of use as a lingua franca, English and Swahili stand out. French and Hausa follow closely behind.

What are the top 3 African languages?

The top three African languages by total number of speakers are Swahili, Arabic, and English. These languages are widely used across multiple countries as official languages or lingua francas.

Is Arabic or Swahili more spoken in Africa?

Swahili has more total speakers in Africa due to its widespread use as a second language, while Arabic has more native speakers. So, Swahili is more widely spoken overall, but Arabic leads in native fluency.

Is Swahili or Zulu more common?

Swahili is far more common than Zulu, spoken by over 200 million people across East and Central Africa, mostly as a second language. Zulu, while significant in South Africa, has around 12 million native speakers.

Is English or French spoken more in Africa?

French is an official language in more African countries, particularly in West and Central Africa, while English dominates in population-heavy countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Both languages are widely used in government, education, and media, though their actual day-to-day usage depends on the region.

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