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Languages · Africa

Flag of KenyaWhat Language Do They Speak in Kenya?

The official languages of Kenya are Swahili and English. In total about 70 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Swahili (66%), English (19%) and Kikuyu (17%).

2
Official languages
70
Living languages · #33
0
Regional official languages
8
Endangered languages

Official languages of Kenya

Official

Swahili

Kiswahili

66% of the population · Atlantic-Congo

Official

English

19% of the population · Indo-European

Most spoken languages in Kenya

Swahili Official
66%
English Official
19%
17%
11%
10%
8%
8%
5%
4%
3%
3%
3%
Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).

Languages commonly listed for Kenya

GusiiKalenjinKambaKikuyuLuhyaLuoMasaiMeruNyikaTurkana

Languages of neighbouring countries

Flag of EthiopiaAmharic
Flag of UgandaEnglish
Flag of TanzaniaEnglish
Flag of SomaliaArabic
Flag of South SudanEnglish

All languages of Kenya (70)

LanguageSpeakers hereFamilyStatus
Swahili38,442,624 · 66%Atlantic-CongoOfficial
English11,066,816 · 19%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
Kikuyu9,901,888 · 17%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Luyia6,407,104 · 11%——
Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)5,708,147 · 10%NiloticSafe
Kamba (Kenya)4,426,726 · 8%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kalenjin4,426,726 · 8%——
Gusii2,854,073 · 5%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Meru2,329,856 · 4%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Chuka2,000,000 · 3%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Giryama1,900,000 · 3%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kipsigis1,900,000 · 3%NiloticSafe
Bukusu1,400,000 · 2%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Turkana990,000 · 2%NiloticSafe
Nandi950,000 · 2%NiloticSafe
Masai931,942 · 2%NiloticSafe
Embu873,696 · 2%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Somali757,203 · 1%Afro-AsiaticSafe
Kuria690,000 · 1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Logooli620,000 · 1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Idakho-Isukha-Tiriki600,000 · 1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Taita477,620 · 0.82%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Teso431,023 · 0.74%NiloticSafe
Pökoot401,900 · 0.69%NiloticSafe
Digo400,000 · 0.69%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Duruma400,000 · 0.69%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Keiyo310,000 · 0.53%NiloticSafe
Wanga310,000 · 0.53%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Nyore310,000 · 0.53%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Terik300,000 · 0.52%NiloticSafe
Oromo273,758 · 0.47%Afro-Asiatic—
East Nyala270,000 · 0.46%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Samburu267,933 · 0.46%NiloticSafe
Kabras250,000 · 0.43%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Sabaot240,000 · 0.41%NiloticVulnerable
Chonyi-Dzihana-Kauma180,000 · 0.31%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Markweeta180,000 · 0.31%NiloticVulnerable
Tharaka170,000 · 0.29%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Marachi160,000 · 0.27%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Marama150,000 · 0.26%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kisa140,000 · 0.24%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Suba140,000 · 0.24%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Tugen140,000 · 0.24%NiloticSafe
Khayo120,000 · 0.21%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Tsotso120,000 · 0.21%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Tachoni120,000 · 0.21%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Sagalla100,000 · 0.17%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Rendille96,000 · 0.16%Afro-AsiaticSafe
Pokomo95,000 · 0.16%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Okiek79,000 · 0.14%NiloticMoribund
Orma69,000 · 0.12%Afro-AsiaticSafe
Arabic26,793 · 0.05%Afro-Asiatic—
Ilwana22,000 · 0.04%Atlantic-CongoVulnerable
Taveta21,000 · 0.04%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Waata20,000 · 0.03%Afro-AsiaticThreatened
Nubi10,000 · 0.02%Afro-AsiaticVulnerable
Ik10,000 · 0.02%KuliakThreatened
Panjabi9,901 · 0.02%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Aweer8,000 · 0.01%Afro-AsiaticVulnerable
Gujarati5,009 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Dahalo580 · 0%Afro-AsiaticVulnerable
Yaaku10Afro-AsiaticMoribund
Swahili—Atlantic-CongoSafe
Rombo—Atlantic-CongoSafe
Burji—Afro-AsiaticThreatened
Cutchi-Swahili—Atlantic-CongoThreatened
Gweno—Atlantic-CongoVulnerable
Kahe—Atlantic-CongoThreatened
Mwimbi-Muthambi—Atlantic-CongoSafe
Omotik—NiloticMoribund

Frequently asked questions

What language do they speak in Kenya?

The official languages of Kenya are Swahili and English. In total about 70 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Swahili (66%), English (19%) and Kikuyu (17%).

What is the official language of Kenya?

Swahili and English.

Is English spoken in Kenya?

Yes — English is official in Kenya, spoken by about 19% of people.

How many languages are spoken in Kenya?

About 70 living languages — #33 in the world for linguistic diversity. 8 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).

Kenya country profileLanguages by country