Languages spoken in Angola
Africa · Capital: Luanda · Population 37.2 million
The official language of Angola is Portuguese. An estimated 67% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 24.9 million people. After Portuguese, the most widely spoken are Umbundu at 29% and Kimbundu at 25%. Portuguese belongs to the Indo-European language family. Portuguese is not recorded in any of Angola's four neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Angola, and their shares add up to 121.7% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Angola?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortugueseIndo-European | 67% | Official | 24.9 million |
| Umbundu | 29% | Spoken | 10.8 million |
| Kimbundu | 25% | Spoken | 9.3 million |
| LingalaNiger-Congo | 0.7% | Spoken | 249,254 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Angola?
The official language of Angola is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 67% of the population, or roughly 24.9 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Portuguese in Angola?
An estimated 67% of Angola's 37.2 million people speak Portuguese, which works out at roughly 24.9 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Angola
- Capital
- Luanda
- Population
- 37.2 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,246,700 km²
- Currency
- AOA
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- AO / AGO / 024
Which countries border Angola?
Angola shares a land border with four countries: Congo - Kinshasa, Congo - Brazzaville, Namibia, and Zambia. None of them records Portuguese, the most widely spoken language in Angola, so the land borders here are also language borders.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.