Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Gabon?
The official language of Gabon is French. In total about 40 living languages are spoken there, the most common being French (63%), Punu (9%) and Njebi (6%).
1
Official language
40
Living languages · #41
0
Regional official languages
12
Endangered languages
Official languages of Gabon
Most spoken languages in Gabon
French Official
63%Punu
9%Njebi
6%Teke-Tege
6%Sira
3%Teke-Tsaayi
2%Wumbvu
2%Teke-Kukuya
2%Kota (Gabon)
1%Sangu (Gabon)
1%Lumbu
0.94%Tsaangi
0.86%Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).
Languages commonly listed for Gabon
FangMbeteMpongwePunu-sira-nzebi
Languages of neighbouring countries
All languages of Gabon (40)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | 1,546,719 · 63% | Indo-European | Official |
| Punu | 220,959 · 9% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Njebi | 140,000 · 6% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Teke-Tege | 140,000 · 6% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Sira | 74,000 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Teke-Tsaayi | 60,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Wumbvu | 45,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Teke-Kukuya | 38,800 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Kota (Gabon) | 34,442 · 1% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Sangu (Gabon) | 30,000 · 1% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Lumbu | 23,000 · 0.94% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tsaangi | 21,000 · 0.86% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Myene | 20,000 · 0.81% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Ngom | 14,000 · 0.57% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Mahongwe | 11,000 · 0.45% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Wandji | 10,000 · 0.41% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Duma | 9,800 · 0.4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tsogo | 9,000 · 0.37% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Sake | 8,000 · 0.33% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Vumbu | 5,000 · 0.2% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Mbangwe | 4,200 · 0.17% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Bubi | 4,000 · 0.16% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Bwisi | 3,020 · 0.12% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Ndumu | 3,000 · 0.12% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Bekwel | 2,500 · 0.1% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Ndambomo | 2,000 · 0.08% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tchitchege | 2,000 · 0.08% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Barama | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Kélé | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Kaningi | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Pinji | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Sighu | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Samay | 1,000 · 0.04% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Kande | 500 · 0.02% | Atlantic-Congo | Moribund |
| Simba | 100 · 0% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Eviya | 50 · 0% | Atlantic-Congo | Moribund |
| Iyasa | — | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Ombamba | — | — | — |
| Ndasa | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Seki | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Gabon?
The official language of Gabon is French. In total about 40 living languages are spoken there, the most common being French (63%), Punu (9%) and Njebi (6%).
What is the official language of Gabon?
French.
Is English spoken in Gabon?
English is not widely spoken in Gabon — learn a few words of French before you go.
How many languages are spoken in Gabon?
About 40 living languages — #41 in the world for linguistic diversity. 12 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).