Languages spoken in Nigeria
Africa · Capital: Abuja · Population 236.7 million
In Nigeria, two languages have official status: English and Yoruba. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 53% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 125.5 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Nigerian Pidgin at 21% and Hausa at 14%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. English is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: Cameroon. In total, ten languages are recorded in Nigeria, and their shares add up to 125.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.3 of them.
What languages are spoken in Nigeria?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 53% | Official | 125.5 million |
| Nigerian Pidgin | 21% | Spoken | 49.7 million |
| HausaAfro-Asiatic | 14% | Spoken | 33.1 million |
| IgboNiger-Congo | 13% | Spoken | 30.8 million |
| YorubaNiger-Congo | 13% | Official | 30.8 million |
| Nigerian FulfuldeNiger-Congo | 6.7% | Spoken | 15.9 million |
| Tiv | 1.6% | Spoken | 3.8 million |
| Efik | 1.4% | Spoken | 3.3 million |
| Ibibio | 1.4% | Spoken | 3.3 million |
| Bini | 0.7% | Spoken | 1.7 million |
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 Nigeria?
In Nigeria, two languages have official status: English and Yoruba. English is spoken by an estimated 53% of the population, or roughly 125.5 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 Nigeria?
An estimated 53% of Nigeria's 236.7 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 125.5 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 Nigeria
- Capital
- Abuja
- Population
- 236.7 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 923,768 km²
- Currency
- NGN
- Languages recorded
- 10
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- NG / NGA / 566
Which countries border Nigeria?
Nigeria shares a land border with four countries: Benin, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. English, the most widely spoken language in Nigeria, is also spoken in Cameroon.
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.