Languages spoken in South Sudan
Africa · Capital: Juba · Population 12 million
The official language of South Sudan is English. Dinka is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 36% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 4.3 million people. Dinka itself holds no official status in South Sudan, despite being the most widely spoken. After Dinka, the most widely spoken are Arabic at 27% and English at 27%. Dinka belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family. Dinka is not recorded in any of South Sudan's six neighbours. In total, three languages are recorded in South Sudan, and their shares add up to 90% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in South Sudan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| DinkaNilo-Saharan | 36% | Spoken | 4.3 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 27% | Spoken | 3.2 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 27% | Official | 3.2 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 South Sudan?
The official language of South Sudan is English. English is spoken by an estimated 27% of the population, or roughly 3.2 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Dinka is, at 36%.
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 Dinka in South Sudan?
An estimated 36% of South Sudan's 12 million people speak Dinka, which works out at roughly 4.3 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 Sudan
- Capital
- Juba
- Population
- 12 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 619,745 km²
- Currency
- SSP
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 6
- ISO codes
- SS / SSD / 728
Which countries border South Sudan?
South Sudan shares a land border with six countries: Congo - Kinshasa, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. None of them records Dinka, the most widely spoken language in South Sudan, so the land borders here are also language borders.
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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.