Languages spoken in Equatorial Guinea
Africa · Capital: Malabo · Population 1.8 million
In Equatorial Guinea, three languages have official status: Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Spanish is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 87% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.6 million people. After Spanish, the most widely spoken are French at 29% and Portuguese at <0.1%. Spanish belongs to the Indo-European language family. Spanish is not recorded in any of Equatorial Guinea's two neighbours. In total, three languages are recorded in Equatorial Guinea, and their shares add up to 116% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Equatorial Guinea?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpanishIndo-European | 87% | Official | 1.6 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 29% | Official | 520,791 |
| PortugueseIndo-European | <0.1% | Official | 2 |
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 Equatorial Guinea?
In Equatorial Guinea, three languages have official status: Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Spanish is spoken by an estimated 87% of the population, or roughly 1.6 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 Spanish in Equatorial Guinea?
An estimated 87% of Equatorial Guinea's 1.8 million people speak Spanish, which works out at roughly 1.6 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 Equatorial Guinea
- Capital
- Malabo
- Population
- 1.8 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 28,051 km²
- Currency
- XAF
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- GQ / GNQ / 226
Which countries border Equatorial Guinea?
Equatorial Guinea shares a land border with two countries: Cameroon and Gabon. None of them records Spanish, the most widely spoken language in Equatorial Guinea, 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.