Languages spoken in the Gambia
Africa · Capital: Banjul · Population 2.5 million
The official language of the Gambia is English. An estimated 40% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1 million people. The only other recorded language is Mandingo, at 29% of the population. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. English is not recorded in any of the Gambia's one neighbour. In total, two languages are recorded in the Gambia, and their shares add up to 69% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.7 of them.
What languages are spoken in the Gambia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 40% | Official | 1 million |
| Mandingo | 29% | Spoken | 731,766 |
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 the Gambia?
The official language of the Gambia is English. English is spoken by an estimated 40% of the population, or roughly 1 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 English in the Gambia?
An estimated 40% of the Gambia's 2.5 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 1 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 the Gambia
- Capital
- Banjul
- Population
- 2.5 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 10,689 km²
- Currency
- GMD
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- 1
- ISO codes
- GM / GMB / 270
Which countries border the Gambia?
The Gambia shares a land border with one country: Senegal. None of them records English, the most widely spoken language in the Gambia, 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.