Languages spoken in Rwanda
Africa · Capital: Kigali · Population 13.6 million
In Rwanda, three languages have official status: Kinyarwanda, English, and French. Kinyarwanda is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 77% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.5 million people. After Kinyarwanda, the most widely spoken are English at 15% and French at 5.8%. Kinyarwanda belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Kinyarwanda is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: Uganda. In total, three languages are recorded in Rwanda, and their shares add up to 97.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in Rwanda?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| KinyarwandaNiger-Congo | 77% | Official | 10.5 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 15% | Official | 2 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 5.8% | Official | 790,151 |
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 Rwanda?
In Rwanda, three languages have official status: Kinyarwanda, English, and French. Kinyarwanda is spoken by an estimated 77% of the population, or roughly 10.5 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 Kinyarwanda in Rwanda?
An estimated 77% of Rwanda's 13.6 million people speak Kinyarwanda, which works out at roughly 10.5 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 Rwanda
- Capital
- Kigali
- Population
- 13.6 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 26,338 km²
- Currency
- RWF
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- RW / RWA / 646
Which countries border Rwanda?
Rwanda shares a land border with four countries: Burundi, Congo - Kinshasa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Kinyarwanda, the most widely spoken language in Rwanda, is also spoken in Uganda.
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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.