Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in Sierra Leone?
The official language of Sierra Leone is English. In total about 14 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Krio (95%), English (35%) and Mende (Sierra Leone) (27%).
1
Official language
14
Living languages · #85
0
Regional official languages
3
Endangered languages
Official languages of Sierra Leone
Most spoken languages in Sierra Leone
95%
English Official
35%26%
West-Central Limba
4%3%
Kuranko
3%Kono (Sierra Leone)
2%Sherbro
2%Loko
2%Bom-Kim
0%Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).
All languages of Sierra Leone (14)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Krio | 8,664,997 · 95% | Indo-European | Safe |
| English | 3,192,367 · 35% | Indo-European | Official |
| Mende (Sierra Leone) | 2,462,683 · 27% | Mande | Safe |
| Timne | 2,371,473 · 26% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| West-Central Limba | 340,000 · 4% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Susu | 273,631 · 3% | Mande | Safe |
| Kuranko | 270,000 · 3% | Mande | Safe |
| Kono (Sierra Leone) | 210,000 · 2% | Mande | Safe |
| Sherbro | 140,000 · 2% | Atlantic-Congo | Safe |
| Loko | 140,000 · 2% | Mande | Safe |
| Bom-Kim | 15 · 0% | Atlantic-Congo | Nearly extinct |
| Fulah | — | Atlantic-Congo | — |
| Bullom So | — | Atlantic-Congo | Moribund |
| East Limba | — | Atlantic-Congo | Threatened |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in Sierra Leone?
The official language of Sierra Leone is English. In total about 14 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Krio (95%), English (35%) and Mende (Sierra Leone) (27%).
What is the official language of Sierra Leone?
English.
Is English spoken in Sierra Leone?
Yes — English is official in Sierra Leone, spoken by about 35% of people.
How many languages are spoken in Sierra Leone?
About 14 living languages — #85 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).