Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Guinea-Bissau?
The official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese. In total about 21 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Portuguese (100%), Balanta-Kentohe (21%) and Upper Guinea Crioulo (16%).
1
Official language
21
Living languages · #68
0
Regional official languages
11
Endangered languages
Official languages of Guinea-Bissau
Most spoken languages in Guinea-Bissau
Portuguese Official
100%Balanta-Kentohe
21%Upper Guinea Crioulo
16%15%
15%
Papel
7%3%
Biafada
2%Bainouk-Gunyuño
2%Ejamat
0.98%Mansoanka
0.84%Nalu
0.71%Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).
Languages commonly listed for Guinea-Bissau
Languages of neighbouring countries
All languages of Guinea-Bissau (21)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | 2,132,330 · 100% | Indo-European | Official |
| Balanta-Kentohe | 450,000 · 21% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Upper Guinea Crioulo | 350,000 · 16% | Indo-European | Safe |
| French | 319,849 · 15% | Indo-European | Safe |
| Mandjak | 310,000 · 15% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Papel | 140,000 · 7% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Mankanya | 55,440 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Biafada | 45,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Bainouk-Gunyuño | 40,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Ejamat | 21,000 · 0.98% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Mansoanka | 18,000 · 0.84% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Nalu | 15,208 · 0.71% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Kobiana | 636 · 0.03% | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Fulah | — | Atlantic-Congo | — |
| Balanta-Ganja | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Bainouk-Samik | — | Bookkeeping | Vulnerable |
| Bainouk-Gunyaamolo | — | Atlantic-Congo | Vulnerable |
| Bidyogo | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Kasanga | — | Atlantic-Congo | Nearly extinct |
| Kerak | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Badyara | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Guinea-Bissau?
The official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese. In total about 21 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Portuguese (100%), Balanta-Kentohe (21%) and Upper Guinea Crioulo (16%).
What is the official language of Guinea-Bissau?
Portuguese.
Is English spoken in Guinea-Bissau?
English is not widely spoken in Guinea-Bissau — learn a few words of Portuguese before you go.
How many languages are spoken in Guinea-Bissau?
About 21 living languages — #68 in the world for linguistic diversity. 11 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).