Languages spoken in Congo - Kinshasa
Africa · Capital: Kinshasa · Population 115.4 million
In Congo - Kinshasa, two languages have official status: French and Luba-Katanga. A further four languages hold official status at regional level: Swahili, Luba-Lulua, Lingala, and Kongo. French is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 51% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 58.9 million people. After French, the most widely spoken are Swahili at 50% and Luba-Lulua at 9.6%. French belongs to the Indo-European language family. French is also spoken in four of its nine neighbours: Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo - Brazzaville, and Rwanda. In total, six languages are recorded in Congo - Kinshasa, and their shares add up to 117.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Congo - Kinshasa?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrenchIndo-European | 51% | Official | 58.9 million |
| SwahiliNiger-Congo | 50% | Official (regional) | 57.7 million |
| Luba-Lulua | 9.6% | Official (regional) | 11.1 million |
| LingalaNiger-Congo | 3.1% | Official (regional) | 3.6 million |
| Luba-Katanga | 2.3% | Official | 2.7 million |
| KongoNiger-Congo | 1.5% | Official (regional) | 1.7 million |
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 Congo - Kinshasa?
In Congo - Kinshasa, two languages have official status: French and Luba-Katanga. A further four languages are official at regional or state level: Swahili, Luba-Lulua, Lingala, and Kongo. French is spoken by an estimated 51% of the population, or roughly 58.9 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 French in Congo - Kinshasa?
An estimated 51% of Congo - Kinshasa's 115.4 million people speak French, which works out at roughly 58.9 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 Congo - Kinshasa
- Capital
- Kinshasa
- Population
- 115.4 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 2,344,858 km²
- Currency
- CDF
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 9
- ISO codes
- CD / COD / 180
Which countries border Congo - Kinshasa?
Congo - Kinshasa shares a land border with nine countries: Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Congo - Brazzaville, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. French, the most widely spoken language in Congo - Kinshasa, is also spoken in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Congo - Brazzaville, and Rwanda.
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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.