What Is the Most Widely Spoken Language in Africa?

Africa is the second-largest continent after Asia and is home to 1.5 billion people. It is a dynamic place with ever-changing demographics, as people and nations shift their paths in the pursuit of survival and success. Central to the workings of this whirlwind of human activity are the languages that are spoken.

Which one of them holds the top spot for being the most widely spoken on the African continent?

From an ethnic and linguistic perspective, Africa can be considered the most diverse continent on the planet. In reality, however, language exists on a spectrum. It does not fit neatly into boxes. As such, it is difficult to determine what should be considered different languages or what should be considered different dialects of the same language. Adding to this is the political will of the people who speak such dialects and languages. It is for this reason that a rather vague estimate exists of between 1,000 and 2,000 languages that are spoken on the continent. Some estimates even go as high as 3,000.

In determining which is the most widely spoken, the factors of how many people speak a language as a first or second language must also be considered. Dialectic intelligibility and fluency can also be taken into account, creating a situation where pinpointing an answer becomes a more difficult process.

Nevertheless, the language considered the most widely spoken in Africa is Swahili, and estimates of how many people use it as a first and second language combined vary from around 150 million to 200 million. 

Swahili is the most widely spoken language in Africa

Prevalent throughout the entire East African region, Swahili is the most widely spoken language. It originates from the Bantu language group and emerged as a distinct language along the East African coast over a thousand years ago.

For many centuries Arab traders plied their trade along the East African coast. As a result, Swahili became heavily influenced by the Arabic language, borrowing words and even the script. In fact, the name “Swahili” comes from the Arabic word سَوَاحِلِيّ (sawāḥilī) meaning “of coasts.”

During the colonial period, Swahili transitioned to writing in the Latin alphabet, and was formalised at an institutional level by the Germans, who controlled the core Swahili-speaking region of East Africa. After the British took over the German territory, they helped the language spread by formalizing it across the entire region. 

Today, Swahili is recognized as a national language across most of East Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi where it also holds official status. It is also a national language in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.

Swahili is a growing language that continues to enjoy a position of popularity as one of the world’s prominent languages. It is also one of the official languages of the African Union. Since 2022, July 7 has been considered Swahili Language Day, as declared by the United Nations in recognition of the unifying role the language played in the struggles for liberation on the continent of Africa.