Languages spoken in Sudan
Africa · Capital: Khartoum · Population 50.5 million
In Sudan, two languages have official status: Arabic and English. Sudanese Arabic is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 61% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 30.8 million people. Sudanese Arabic itself holds no official status in Sudan, despite being the most widely spoken. After Sudanese Arabic, the most widely spoken are Arabic at 61% and English at 61%. Sudanese Arabic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Sudanese Arabic is not recorded in any of Sudan's seven neighbours. In total, six languages are recorded in Sudan, and their shares add up to 192.9% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Sudan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudanese ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 61% | Spoken | 30.8 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 61% | Official | 30.8 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 61% | Official | 30.8 million |
| Beja | 5.4% | Spoken | 2.7 million |
| FurNilo-Saharan | 2.7% | Spoken | 1.4 million |
| HausaAfro-Asiatic | 1.8% | Spoken | 908,411 |
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 Sudan?
In Sudan, two languages have official status: Arabic and English. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 61% of the population, or roughly 30.8 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Sudanese Arabic is, at 61%.
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 Sudanese Arabic in Sudan?
An estimated 61% of Sudan's 50.5 million people speak Sudanese Arabic, which works out at roughly 30.8 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 Sudan
- Capital
- Khartoum
- Population
- 50.5 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,886,068 km²
- Currency
- SDG
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 7
- ISO codes
- SD / SDN / 729
Which countries border Sudan?
Sudan shares a land border with seven countries: the Central African Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Chad. None of them records Sudanese Arabic, the most widely spoken language in Sudan, so the land borders here are also language borders.
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.