Languages · Africa
What Language Do They Speak in South Sudan?
The official language of South Sudan is English. In total about 24 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (27%), Arabic (27%) and Nuer (6%).
1
Official language
24
Living languages · #61
0
Regional official languages
2
Endangered languages
Official languages of South Sudan
Most spoken languages in South Sudan
English Official
27%27%
Nuer
6%Bari
4%Southwestern Dinka
4%Sudanese Creole Arabic
2%South Central Dinka
2%Southeastern Dinka
2%Kuku
2%1%
Otuho
1%Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).
All languages of South Sudan (24)
| Language | Speakers here | Family | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 3,429,999 · 27% | Indo-European | Official |
| Arabic | 3,429,999 · 27% | Afro-Asiatic | — |
| Nuer | 711,407 · 6% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Bari | 480,000 · 4% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Southwestern Dinka | 450,000 · 4% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Northeastern Dinka | 320,000 · 3% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Sudanese Creole Arabic | 250,000 · 2% | Afro-Asiatic | Safe |
| South Central Dinka | 250,000 · 2% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Southeastern Dinka | 250,000 · 2% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Kuku | 200,000 · 2% | Nilotic | Threatened |
| Shilluk | 180,000 · 1% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Otuho | 140,000 · 1% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Jur Modo | 100,000 · 0.79% | Central Sudanic | Safe |
| Didinga | 100,000 · 0.79% | Surmic | Safe |
| Toposa | 100,000 · 0.79% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Morokodo | 50,000 · 0.39% | Central Sudanic | Vulnerable |
| Keliko | 42,000 · 0.33% | Central Sudanic | Safe |
| Imotong | 38,000 · 0.3% | — | — |
| Lango (South Sudan) | 38,000 · 0.3% | — | — |
| Logir | 38,000 · 0.3% | — | — |
| Okolie | 38,000 · 0.3% | Nilotic | Safe |
| Baka (South Sudan) | 26,000 · 0.2% | Central Sudanic | Safe |
| Gbaya (Sudan) | 16,000 · 0.13% | Kresh-Aja | Threatened |
| Kacipo-Bale Suri | 5,000 · 0.04% | Surmic | Vulnerable |
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Frequently asked questions
What language do they speak in South Sudan?
The official language of South Sudan is English. In total about 24 living languages are spoken there, the most common being English (27%), Arabic (27%) and Nuer (6%).
What is the official language of South Sudan?
English.
Is English spoken in South Sudan?
Yes — English is official in South Sudan, spoken by about 27% of people.
How many languages are spoken in South Sudan?
About 24 living languages — #61 in the world for linguistic diversity. 2 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).