Languages spoken in Zimbabwe
Africa · Capital: Harare · Population 17.2 million
In Zimbabwe, three languages have official status: Shona, North Ndebele, and English. Shona is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 81% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 13.9 million people. After Shona, the most widely spoken are North Ndebele at 12% and English at 10.7%. Shona belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. Shona is not recorded in any of Zimbabwe's four neighbours. In total, seven languages are recorded in Zimbabwe, and their shares add up to 118.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Zimbabwe?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShonaNiger-Congo | 81% | Official | 13.9 million |
| North Ndebele | 12% | Official | 2.1 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 10.7% | Official | 1.8 million |
| ManyikaNiger-Congo | 6.5% | Spoken | 1.1 million |
| NdauNiger-Congo | 6.1% | Spoken | 1 million |
| NyanjaNiger-Congo | 1.9% | Spoken | 325,858 |
| VendaNiger-Congo | 0.6% | Spoken | 109,763 |
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 Zimbabwe?
In Zimbabwe, three languages have official status: Shona, North Ndebele, and English. Shona is spoken by an estimated 81% of the population, or roughly 13.9 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 Shona in Zimbabwe?
An estimated 81% of Zimbabwe's 17.2 million people speak Shona, which works out at roughly 13.9 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 Zimbabwe
- Capital
- Harare
- Population
- 17.2 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 390,757 km²
- Currency
- BWP, CNY, EUR, GBP, INR, JPY, USD, ZAR, and ZWG
- Languages recorded
- 7
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- ZW / ZWE / 716
Which countries border Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe shares a land border with four countries: Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. None of them records Shona, the most widely spoken language in Zimbabwe, 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.