Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Malawi?
The official languages of Malawi are English and Chichewa. In total about 14 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (63%), Chichewa (63%) and Yao (14%).
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Official languages
14
Living languages · #83
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Regional official languages
3
Endangered languages
Most spoken languages in Malawi
All languages of Malawi (14)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 13,710,879 · 63% | Indo-European | Official |
| Chichewa | 13,710,879 · 63% | Atlantic-Congo | Official |
| Yao | 3,100,000 · 14% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tumbuka | 1,828,117 · 8% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Malawi Sena | 1,600,000 · 7% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Malawi Lomwe | 850,000 · 4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tonga (Nyasa) | 213,280 · 0.98% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Kokola | 200,000 · 0.92% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Zulu | 71,818 · 0.33% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Manda (Tanzania) | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Mwera (Nyasa) | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Mpoto | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Nyika (Malawi and Zambia) | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Nyiha (Malawi) | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Malawi?
The official languages of Malawi are English and Chichewa. In total about 14 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (63%), Chichewa (63%) and Yao (14%).
What is the official language of Malawi?
English and Chichewa.
Is English spoken in Malawi?
Yes — English is official in Malawi, spoken by about 63% of people.
How many languages are spoken in Malawi?
About 14 living languages — #83 in the world for linguistic diversity. 3 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).