Languages spoken in Ghana
Africa · Capital: Accra · Population 34.6 million
The official language of Ghana is English. A further three languages hold official status at regional level: Akan, Ewe, and Ga. Akan is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 39% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 13.5 million people. After Akan, the most widely spoken are English at 21% and Ewe at 11%. Akan belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Akan is not recorded in any of Ghana's three neighbours. In total, eight languages are recorded in Ghana, and their shares add up to 86.2% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Ghana?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| AkanNiger-Congo | 39% | Official (regional) | 13.5 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 21% | Official | 7.3 million |
| EweNiger-Congo | 11% | Official (regional) | 3.8 million |
| AbronNiger-Congo | 5% | Spoken | 1.7 million |
| Frafra | 3.5% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| Adangme | 3% | Spoken | 1 million |
| Ga | 2.8% | Official (regional) | 968,495 |
| HausaAfro-Asiatic | 0.9% | Spoken | 297,466 |
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 Ghana?
The official language of Ghana is English. A further three languages are official at regional or state level: Akan, Ewe, and Ga. English is spoken by an estimated 21% of the population, or roughly 7.3 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Akan is, at 39%.
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 Akan in Ghana?
An estimated 39% of Ghana's 34.6 million people speak Akan, which works out at roughly 13.5 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 Ghana
- Capital
- Accra
- Population
- 34.6 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 238,533 km²
- Currency
- GHS
- Languages recorded
- 8
- Land borders
- 3
- ISO codes
- GH / GHA / 288
Which countries border Ghana?
Ghana shares a land border with three countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. None of them records Akan, the most widely spoken language in Ghana, 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.