Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Mozambique?
The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese. In total about 36 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Portuguese (27%), Makhuwa (13%) and Ndau (10%).
1
Official language
36
Living languages · #43
0
Regional official languages
5
Endangered languages
Official languages of Mozambique
Most spoken languages in Mozambique
Portuguese Official
27%13%
Ndau
10%8%
7%
5%
4%
4%
3%
3%
Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).
All languages of Mozambique (36)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | 9,004,770 · 27% | Indo-European | Official |
| Makhuwa | 4,335,630 · 13% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Ndau | 3,301,749 · 10% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tsonga | 2,634,729 · 8% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Lomwe | 2,267,868 · 7% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Sena | 1,534,146 · 5% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makhuwa-Meetto | 1,500,795 · 5% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Takwane | 1,500,000 · 4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makhuwa-Shirima | 1,500,000 · 4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tswa | 1,299,833 · 4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Ronga | 1,133,934 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Chuwabu | 1,000,000 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Chichewa | 867,126 · 3% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Yao | 800,424 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Chopi | 760,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Phimbi | 600,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Marenje | 570,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makhuwa-Marrevone | 500,000 · 1% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Nyungwe | 440,000 · 1% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Gitonga | 380,000 · 1% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Ngoni (Mozambique) | 310,000 · 0.93% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Tewe | 250,000 · 0.75% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makhuwa-Moniga | 200,000 · 0.6% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makhuwa-Saka | 200,000 · 0.6% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Lolo | 160,000 · 0.48% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Manyawa | 150,000 · 0.45% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Mwani | 100,000 · 0.3% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Koti | 77,000 · 0.23% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Swahili | 9,338 · 0.03% | Atlantic-Congo | — |
| Dema | 5,000 · 0.02% | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Zulu | 1,800 · 0.01% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Swahili | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Makwe | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Barwe | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Maindo | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
| Tawara | — | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Mozambique?
The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese. In total about 36 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Portuguese (27%), Makhuwa (13%) and Ndau (10%).
What is the official language of Mozambique?
Portuguese.
Is English spoken in Mozambique?
English is not widely spoken in Mozambique — learn a few words of Portuguese before you go.
How many languages are spoken in Mozambique?
About 36 living languages — #43 in the world for linguistic diversity. 5 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).