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Languages · Africa

Flag of UgandaWhat Language Do They Speak in Uganda?

The official languages of Uganda are Swahili and English. In total about 42 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Swahili (75%), Ganda (13%) and Nyankole (6%).

2
Official languages
42
Living languages · #39
0
Regional official languages
6
Endangered languages

Official languages of Uganda

Official

Swahili

Kiswahili

75% of the population · Atlantic-Congo

Official

English

4% of the population · Indo-European

Most spoken languages in Uganda

Swahili Official
75%
13%
6%
6%
5%
5%
English Official
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%
Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).

Languages commonly listed for Uganda

AcholiGandaGisuKigaLangoLugbaraNkoleRwandaSogaTeso

Languages of neighbouring countries

Flag of DR CongoFrench
Flag of KenyaEnglish
Flag of South SudanEnglish
Flag of TanzaniaEnglish
Flag of RwandaEnglish

All languages of Uganda (42)

LanguageSpeakers hereFamilyStatus
Swahili36,962,250 · 75%Atlantic-CongoOfficial
Ganda6,406,790 · 13%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Nyankole3,104,829 · 6%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kenyi3,100,000 · 6%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Chiga2,661,282 · 5%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Soga2,611,999 · 5%Atlantic-CongoSafe
English1,922,037 · 4%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
Teso1,922,037 · 4%NiloticSafe
Lango (Uganda)1,872,754 · 4%NiloticSafe
Acoli1,823,471 · 4%NiloticSafe
Lugbara1,700,000 · 3%Central SudanicSafe
Southern Ma'di1,600,000 · 3%Central SudanicSafe
Thur1,500,000 · 3%——
Masaaba1,429,207 · 3%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kinyarwanda1,034,943 · 2%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Tooro936,377 · 2%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Karamojong740,000 · 2%NiloticSafe
Nyoro670,000 · 1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Konzo610,000 · 1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Saamia480,000 · 0.97%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Gwere410,000 · 0.83%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Adhola360,000 · 0.73%NiloticSafe
Nyole340,000 · 0.69%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Ma'di320,000 · 0.65%Central SudanicSafe
Aringa300,000 · 0.61%Central SudanicSafe
Kupsabiny270,000 · 0.55%NiloticSafe
Kumam170,000 · 0.34%NiloticSafe
Ruuli160,000 · 0.32%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Kakwa130,000 · 0.26%NiloticSafe
Talinga-Bwisi99,000 · 0.2%Atlantic-CongoThreatened
Gungu49,000 · 0.1%Atlantic-CongoSafe
Ndo34,000 · 0.07%Central SudanicSafe
Nubi28,800 · 0.06%Afro-AsiaticVulnerable
Ik14,000 · 0.03%KuliakThreatened
Hindi2,217 · 0%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Mvuba400 · 0%Central SudanicThreatened
Swahili—Atlantic-CongoSafe
Didinga—SurmicSafe
Keliko—Central SudanicSafe
Amba (Uganda)—Atlantic-CongoThreatened
Soo—KuliakMoribund
Nyang'i—KuliakNearly extinct

Frequently asked questions

What language do they speak in Uganda?

The official languages of Uganda are Swahili and English. In total about 42 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Swahili (75%), Ganda (13%) and Nyankole (6%).

What is the official language of Uganda?

Swahili and English.

Is English spoken in Uganda?

Yes — English is official in Uganda, spoken by about 4% of people.

How many languages are spoken in Uganda?

About 42 living languages — #39 in the world for linguistic diversity. 6 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).

Uganda country profileLanguages by country