Most Spoken African Languages and Where They Are Spoken
1. Kiswahili (230 million speakers) – Predominantly spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and Comoros.
2. Nigerian Pidgin (121 million) – Widely spoken across Nigeria, and also understood in parts of Ghana, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone.
3. Hausa (120 million) – Mainly spoken in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, and Chad.
4. Egyptian Arabic (119 million) – Predominantly spoken in Egypt.
5. Amharic (57 million) – The official language of Ethiopia.
6. Yoruba (50 million) – Spoken mainly in Nigeria, with communities in Benin and Togo.
7. Sudanese Arabic (48 million) – Predominantly spoken in Sudan and parts of South Sudan.
8. Igbo (45 million) – Spoken mainly in southeastern Nigeria.
9. Fulani (Fulfulde/Pulaar) (41.6 million) – Spoken by the Fulani people across West and Central Africa, including Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad.
10. Oromo (37.4 million) – Predominantly spoken in Ethiopia and parts of Kenya.
11. Algerian Arabic (31 million) – Spoken mainly in Algeria.
12. Berber (Tamazight) (32 million) – Spoken across Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mali, and Niger.
13. IsiZulu (28 million) – Predominantly spoken in South Africa, with smaller communities in Eswatini (Swaziland) and Lesotho.
14. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) (21 million) – Spoken mainly in Morocco.
15. Malagasy (20 million) – The national language of Madagascar.