Language data for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with over 200 languages spoken in the country. While French is the official language and widely used in education and government, there are four national languages: Kikongo (Kituba), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba. Francophone African Sign Language and American Sign Language are both used. The maps and datasets below provide information about what languages are spoken throughout the country.
While French is the official language and widely used in education and government, there are four national languages: Kituba (Kikongo), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba. This map shows the distribution of speakers of each language in each of the country’s territories.
Même si la langue officielle du pays est le français, utilisé par le gouvernement et dans les écoles, la RDC compte quatre langues nationales : le kituba (kikongo), le lingala, le swahili et le tshliuba. Les cartes ci-dessus montrent la distribution des personnes parlant chacune de ces quatre langues dans les territoires du pays.