Languages spoken in Guinea
Africa · Capital: Conakry · Population 14 million
The official language of Guinea is French. An estimated 27% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 3.8 million people. After French, the most widely spoken are Fula at 26% and Mandingo at 23%. French belongs to the Indo-European language family. French is also spoken in four of its six neighbours: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal. In total, five languages are recorded in Guinea, and their shares add up to 90.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Guinea?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrenchIndo-European | 27% | Official | 3.8 million |
| FulaNiger-Congo | 26% | Spoken | 3.6 million |
| Mandingo | 23% | Spoken | 3.2 million |
| Susu | 11% | Spoken | 1.5 million |
| Kpelle | 3.8% | Spoken | 531,476 |
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 Guinea?
The official language of Guinea is French. French is spoken by an estimated 27% of the population, or roughly 3.8 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 Guinea?
An estimated 27% of Guinea's 14 million people speak French, which works out at roughly 3.8 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 Guinea
- Capital
- Conakry
- Population
- 14 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 245,857 km²
- Currency
- GNF
- Languages recorded
- 5
- Land borders
- 6
- ISO codes
- GN / GIN / 324
Which countries border Guinea?
Guinea shares a land border with six countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. French, the most widely spoken language in Guinea, is also spoken in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal.
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.