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    Languages of East Africa and the Indian Ocean: A guide to 14 countries

    Part 4 of 5 in our series on the languages of Africa
    Digital ReporterBy 4 Views
    spoken languages in East Africa
    This image is for illustrative purposes only

    East Africa mixes ancient written languages, one giant bridge language, and some of the world’s most surprising language links. The Horn of Africa has languages related to Arabic and Hebrew. The Great Lakes have Bantu languages that different countries treat very differently. Out in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar speaks a language whose closest relative is in Borneo. This guide covers 14 countries and shows what the law says, what people speak, and where the numbers disagree.

    The big picture

    Swahili is the region’s bridge language. It has 5.3 million first-language and about 92 million second-language speakers [20]. It is official in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, a national language in DR Congo, and a working language of the African Union, the East African Community and SADC [20].

    Beyond Swahili, three big language groups meet here. Semitic languages such as Amharic and Tigrinya sit beside Cushitic ones such as Oromo and Somali. Bantu languages dominate the Great Lakes and coast, and Nilotic languages spread across the north and west.

    Snapshot by country

    CountryOfficial language(s)Widest everyday language
    BurundiKirundi, French, EnglishKirundi
    ComorosComorian, French, ArabicComorian
    DjiboutiArabic, FrenchSomali and Afar
    EritreaNone (all languages equal)Tigrinya
    EthiopiaFive federal working languagesOromo (most native), Amharic
    KenyaSwahili, EnglishSwahili
    MadagascarMalagasy, FrenchMalagasy
    MauritiusNone in the constitutionMauritian Creole
    RwandaKinyarwanda, English, French, SwahiliKinyarwanda
    SeychellesSeychellois Creole, English, FrenchSeychellois Creole
    SomaliaSomaliSomali
    South SudanEnglishJuba Arabic and others
    TanzaniaSwahili, English (de facto)Swahili
    UgandaEnglish, SwahiliLuganda

    Burundi

    Burundi has three official languages: Kirundi, French and English, which was added in 2014. Only Kirundi is spoken by the vast majority, and the 2005 constitution names it the national language [26]. Kirundi and Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda are neighbouring dialects of one language group, Rwanda-Rundi, and speakers understand each other [27].

    Comoros

    The 2001 constitution names Comorian, French and Arabic as official languages [40]. Comorian is really four island varieties, closely related to Swahili. The two eastern varieties and the two western varieties are grouped separately, and the groups are not usually mutually intelligible [41].

    About 800,000 people speak it in Comoros (2011) [41]. French was spoken by 25.97% in 2018. Arabic is official but is not reported as anyone’s first language [42]. Comorian has no accepted spelling system and was historically written in Arabic-based Ajami script [40].

    Djibouti

    Arabic and French are official, while Somali and Afar are national languages [9]. Somali and Afar are the most widely spoken, and a 2018 OIF report put French use at 50% [8]. Immigrant languages include Oromo, Amharic, Yemeni and Omani Arabic, Greek and Hindi [8].

    Eritrea

    Eritrea has no official language. The constitution guarantees “the equality of all Eritrean languages” [6]. Tigrinya, Arabic and English serve as working languages [5]. Nine languages are recognised, including Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, Bilen, Nara, Saho, Afar, Beja and Arabic [5].

    Half the population is Tigrinya, followed by 30% Tigre [5]. Until 2020, Eritrea was the only state in the world to officially recognise Tigrinya [7].

    Ethiopia

    Until 2020, Amharic was the only federal working language. On 29 February 2020, Afar, Oromo, Somali and Tigrinya were added, making five [2]. Ethnologue lists 90 languages and Glottolog 109 [1].

    The 2021 data lists the largest first languages as Oromo (over 36 million), Amharic (31.8 million), Somali (6.72 million), Tigrinya (6.39 million), Sidama (4.34 million), Wolaytta and Gurage [1]. Newer counts are higher: Oromo has about 45.5 million native speakers [3], and Ethnologue’s 2026 data gives Amharic 78 million total speakers, half of them second-language [4]. Amharic grew from the older language Ge’ez [2].

    Kenya

    Swahili and English are both official, and Swahili is also the national language [13]. Kenya has 68 languages. In the 2019 census, the largest mother-tongue communities were Kikuyu (8.1 million), Dholuo (5.0 million), Kamba (4.7 million), Kalenjin (4.6 million), Luhya (3.3 million) and Somali (2.8 million) [14]. More people speak Swahili than English [14].

    In cities, Sheng, an urban mix of Swahili, English and local words, is widely used [15].

    Madagascar

    Malagasy and French are the official languages under the 2010 constitution [29]. Malagasy has about 25 million native speakers [29]. Standard Malagasy is based on the Merina dialect of the highlands [30].

    Malagasy is Austronesian, and its closest relative is Ma’anyan, spoken in southern Borneo [30]. Its dialects diversified over the last 2,000 years, and it contains some words of Bantu, Swahili, Arab, English, and French origin [31]. Before Latin script arrived with missionaries in the early 19th century, Malagasy was written in Sorabe, an Arabic-based script [29].

    Mauritius

    The constitution names no official language. It says only that English is the official language of the National Assembly, though members may address the chair in French [33]. In the 2022 census, the language spoken at home was Mauritian Creole for 90.0%, Bhojpuri for 5.1%, French for 4.4% and English for 0.6% [32].

    Mauritians tend to use Creole at home, French at work and ancestral Asian languages at cultural and religious events [34]. Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi have declined as mother tongues but are taught as ancestral languages in public schools [35].

    Rwanda

    Rwanda has four official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French and Swahili, the last added in 2017 [23]. More than 99% of Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda [24]. English is the main working language and the medium of instruction, after a rapid 2008 shift from French in public administration and education [23] [25]. Ethnologue counts only three living indigenous languages in Rwanda [24].

    Seychelles

    Seychellois Creole, English and French are all official [36]. Creole is spoken natively by about 95% of people [37], with 127,000 native speakers counted in 2025 [38]. English is used mostly in formal settings such as courts and parliament [44]. The Indo-Seychellois community, about 9% of people in 2022, speaks languages including Hindi-Urdu, Tamil, Gujarati and Bihari languages [39].

    Somalia

    Somali is the official language and the most widely spoken [11]. Across the Horn it has about 24 million native speakers (2019 to 2024) [10]. Northern Somali is spoken by about 60% of people, Maay by 20% and Benadiri by 18% [11].

    Somali was written in several scripts, including Arabic and Osmanya. The Latin alphabet was adopted in 1972, when Somali also became the sole official language [12]. Arabic is listed as semi-official [11].

    South Sudan

    English is the official language. The 2011 transitional constitution made English the official working language, replacing the earlier arrangement that included Arabic [28]. More than 60 indigenous languages are spoken. Juba Arabic, English, Bari, Dinka, Luo, Murle, Nuer and Zande work as bridge languages [28]. Juba Arabic was influenced by Sudanese Arabic [43].

    Tanzania

    Swahili is the national language, and English is used in foreign trade, higher courts, and secondary and higher education. Wikipedia notes the country has no de jure official language, though other summaries list Swahili and English as official [17] [16]. Under the 1984 policy, Swahili is used in primary and adult education and English in secondary school and universities [16].

    No local language is spoken natively by a majority [16]. Ethnologue counts 119 living indigenous languages [18]. Sukuma is the largest, with 8.1 million native speakers (2016) [19]. Arabic is widely spoken in Zanzibar [17].

    Uganda

    English has been official since 1962, and Swahili became the second official language in 2005 [21]. Luganda is the most widely spoken language, especially in Kampala [21]. Swahili is taught as an optional subject and is used mainly by the military [21]. Lusoga has over three million speakers [22].

    Patterns across the region

    Swahili is spreading through law. Uganda added it in 2005 and Rwanda in 2017 [21] [23].

    Countries choose very different models. Eritrea has no official language, Ethiopia has five federal working languages, and Mauritius names none in its constitution [6] [2] [33].

    Creoles rule the Indian Ocean islands. Mauritian Creole and Seychellois Creole are French-based, and both are widely spoken at home [32] [37].

    English is gaining ground. Burundi added it in 2014 and Rwanda made it the medium of instruction [26] [25].

    Connections beyond Africa

    This is the region with the strongest links to Asia:

    • Malagasy is Austronesian and closest to Ma’anyan of southern Borneo, in Indonesia [30].
    • Mauritius and Seychelles keep South Asian languages such as Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi-Urdu and Gujarati [35] [39].
    • Djibouti has Yemeni and Omani Arabic and Hindi among its immigrant languages [8].
    • Comorian is a Bantu language closely related to Swahili and historically written in Arabic-based script [41] [40].
    • Amharic and Tigrinya belong to the Semitic branch, the same branch as Arabic, as noted in Part 1.

    Myths versus documented facts

    • Myth: Ethiopia’s only official language is Amharic. Documented: Since 2020 there are five federal working languages [2].
    • Myth: Eritrea’s official language is Tigrinya or Arabic. Documented: Eritrea has no official language, though Tigrinya, Arabic and English are working languages [5].
    • Myth: Swahili is the mother tongue of most East Africans. Documented: It has about 5.3 million first-language speakers against 92 million second-language speakers [20].
    • Myth: Malagasy is related to African languages. Documented: It is Austronesian, and its closest relative is in Borneo [30].
    • Myth: English and French are Mauritius’s official languages by law. Documented: The constitution names no official language [33].
    • Myth: Rwanda is a French-speaking country. Documented: French was replaced by English in administration and schools in 2008, though French remains official [25] [23].
    • Partly true: Somali was never written before the 1970s. Documented: It had been written in Arabic and other scripts, but the Latin alphabet became official in 1972 [10] [12].
    • Contested figures: Amharic’s first-language speakers (31.8 million in 2021 versus about 39 million in Ethnologue’s 2026 data), and whether Tanzania has an official language on paper [1] [4] [17] [16].

    A note on Part 1

    The newer count for Malagasy is about 25 million native speakers, higher than the 18 million used in our first ranked table [29]. That would move it above Somali and Lingala on a native-speaker basis.

    Disclaimer

    Most figures come from Wikipedia summaries of censuses, Ethnologue and other studies of different ages. Language laws and census figures change, and definitions of “speaker” vary. Please check official texts for legal uses. Please contact us with feedback or corrections.

    References

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