Languages spoken in Zambia
Africa · Capital: Lusaka · Population 20.8 million
The official language of Zambia is English. Bemba is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 34% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 7.1 million people. Bemba itself holds no official status in Zambia, despite being the most widely spoken. After Bemba, the most widely spoken are Nyanja at 19% and English at 16%. Bemba is not recorded in any of Zambia's eight neighbours. In total, six languages are recorded in Zambia, and their shares add up to 88.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Zambia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | 34% | Spoken | 7.1 million |
| NyanjaNiger-Congo | 19% | Spoken | 4 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 16% | Official | 3.3 million |
| TongaNiger-Congo | 11% | Spoken | 2.3 million |
| Lozi | 5.5% | Spoken | 1.1 million |
| Tumbuka | 2.6% | Spoken | 540,777 |
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 Zambia?
The official language of Zambia is English. English is spoken by an estimated 16% of the population, or roughly 3.3 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Bemba is, at 34%.
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 Bemba in Zambia?
An estimated 34% of Zambia's 20.8 million people speak Bemba, which works out at roughly 7.1 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 Zambia
- Capital
- Lusaka
- Population
- 20.8 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 752,612 km²
- Currency
- ZMW
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 8
- ISO codes
- ZM / ZMB / 894
Which countries border Zambia?
Zambia shares a land border with eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Congo - Kinshasa, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. None of them records Bemba, the most widely spoken language in Zambia, 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.