Languages spoken in Namibia
Africa · Capital: Windhoek · Population 2.8 million
In Namibia, four languages have official status: Afrikaans, English, German, and Tswana. Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 75% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 2.1 million people. After Afrikaans, the most widely spoken are English at 7% and German at 0.9%. Afrikaans belongs to the Indo-European language family. Afrikaans is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: South Africa. In total, four languages are recorded in Namibia, and their shares add up to 83.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.8 of them.
What languages are spoken in Namibia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| AfrikaansIndo-European | 75% | Official | 2.1 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 7% | Official | 196,256 |
| GermanIndo-European | 0.9% | Official | 25,233 |
| TswanaNiger-Congo | 0.6% | Official | 15,700 |
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 Namibia?
In Namibia, four languages have official status: Afrikaans, English, German, and Tswana. Afrikaans is spoken by an estimated 75% of the population, or roughly 2.1 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 Afrikaans in Namibia?
An estimated 75% of Namibia's 2.8 million people speak Afrikaans, which works out at roughly 2.1 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 Namibia
- Capital
- Windhoek
- Population
- 2.8 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 825,615 km²
- Currency
- NAD and ZAR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- NA / NAM / 516
Which countries border Namibia?
Namibia shares a land border with four countries: Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia. Afrikaans, the most widely spoken language in Namibia, is also spoken in South Africa.
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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.