Languages spoken in South Africa
Africa · Capital: Pretoria · Population 60.4 million
The official language of South Africa is English. A further ten languages hold official status at regional level: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Tswana, Southern Sotho, and 4 others. An estimated 31% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 18.7 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Zulu at 24% and Xhosa at 18%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. English is also spoken in five of its six neighbours: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, and 1 others. In total, 12 languages are recorded in South Africa, and their shares add up to 124.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in South Africa?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 31% | Official | 18.7 million |
| ZuluNiger-Congo | 24% | Official (regional) | 14.5 million |
| XhosaNiger-Congo | 18% | Official (regional) | 10.9 million |
| AfrikaansIndo-European | 13% | Official (regional) | 7.9 million |
| Northern SothoNiger-Congo | 9.4% | Official (regional) | 5.7 million |
| TswanaNiger-Congo | 8.2% | Official (regional) | 5 million |
| Southern SothoNiger-Congo | 7.9% | Official (regional) | 4.8 million |
| TsongaNiger-Congo | 4.4% | Official (regional) | 2.7 million |
| SwatiNiger-Congo | 2.7% | Official (regional) | 1.6 million |
| VendaNiger-Congo | 2.3% | Official (regional) | 1.4 million |
| HindiIndo-European | 2% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| South NdebeleNiger-Congo | 1.6% | Official (regional) | 967,082 |
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 South Africa?
The official language of South Africa is English. A further ten languages are official at regional or state level: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Tswana, Southern Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda, and South Ndebele. English is spoken by an estimated 31% of the population, or roughly 18.7 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 South Africa?
An estimated 31% of South Africa's 60.4 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 18.7 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 South Africa
- Capital
- Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town
- Population
- 60.4 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Currency
- ZAR
- Languages recorded
- 12
- Land borders
- 6
- ISO codes
- ZA / ZAF / 710
Which countries border South Africa?
South Africa shares a land border with six countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. English, the most widely spoken language in South Africa, is also spoken in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, and 1 others.
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.