Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Botswana?
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. In total about 22 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (81%), Tswana (62%) and Kalanga (39%).
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Official languages
22
Living languages · #63
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Regional official languages
6
Endangered languages
Most spoken languages in Botswana
All languages of Botswana (22)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 1,985,042 · 81% | Indo-European | Official |
| Tswana | 1,519,415 · 62% | Atlantic-Congo | Official |
| Kalanga | 950,000 · 39% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Kgalagadi | 65,000 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Shona | 50,430 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Yeyi | 20,000 · 0.82% | Atlantic-Congo | Moribund |
| Juǀʼhoan | 12,000 · 0.49% | Kxa | Threatened |
| Naro | 10,000 · 0.41% | Khoe-Kwadi | Threatened |
| ǁAni | 8,000 · 0.33% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| Kua | 6,000 · 0.24% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| Afrikaans | 5,881 · 0.24% | Indo-European | Safe |
| ǃXóõ | 4,000 · 0.16% | Tuu | Vulnerable |
| Shua | 2,000 · 0.08% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| Kxoe | 1,800 · 0.07% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| ǀGwi | 800 · 0.03% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| ǁGana | 200 · 0.01% | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| ǂHua | 50 · 0% | Kxa | Moribund |
| Birwa | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Fwe | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Haiǁom | — | Khoe-Kwadi | Safe |
| Tsoa | — | Khoe-Kwadi | Vulnerable |
| Tswapong | — | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Botswana?
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. In total about 22 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (81%), Tswana (62%) and Kalanga (39%).
What is the official language of Botswana?
English and Tswana.
Is English spoken in Botswana?
Yes — English is official in Botswana, spoken by about 81% of people.
How many languages are spoken in Botswana?
About 22 living languages — #63 in the world for linguistic diversity. 6 of them are endangered.
Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT).