Which language is official in the most African countries?
Quick answer
English is now an official language in the most African countries, about 23 sovereign states, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana. French long held the top spot, but after Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger removed its official status in 2023–2025, it’s official in about 18. Arabic follows with about 11.
Africa has 54 sovereign countries and somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 languages. Many countries choose a former colonial language as an official language for government, courts and schools, often alongside local languages.
Official-language counts
| Language | African countries where it’s official (approx.) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| English | 23 | Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia |
| French | 18 | DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Madagascar |
| Arabic | 11 | Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya |
| Portuguese | 6 | Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau |
| Swahili | 4 | Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda |
| Spanish | 1 | Equatorial Guinea |
Counts change when constitutions are rewritten, and some countries have several official languages, so they appear in more than one row.
Why French dropped
- Mali (2023) made French a “working language” and gave official status to 13 local languages.
- Burkina Faso (2023–2024) did the same, promoting national languages.
- Niger (2025) named Hausa its national language and downgraded French.
French is still very widely used in these countries’ administration and schools. Measured by speakers rather than official status, Africa has more French speakers than any other continent.
The most spoken languages
Official status isn’t the same as number of speakers. Arabic and Swahili each have well over 100 million speakers in Africa, and Swahili is a working language of the African Union. Major African languages also include Hausa, Yoruba, Amharic, Oromo and Zulu.
For world rankings, see which language has the most native speakers.
Sources
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