The official language of Botswana is English, while Setswana is considered to be a national language. English, which was inherited from colonial rule, is the language of official business and most written communication. Most of the population speak Setswana, but over 20 smaller languages are also spoken. Some of the country's languages are in danger of becoming extinct.

Official and national languages The official written language of Botswana is English. Most written communication and official business texts are written in English. The language of the Tswana people—Setswana—is the country's national language, and is spoken by most of the population.

Other languages Aside from English and Setswana, other languages are spoken in the country. Over 90% of the population speak a Bantu language as their first language, according to the CIA's World Factbook. The most common Bantu languages spoken are Setswana (73.3% of the population), Kalanga (17.2%), Kgalagadi (2.4%), Shona (1%) Mbukushu (1.6%) and Ndebele (1%). 1.7% speak Tshwa (a Khoe language) and 0.1% speak !Xóõ, a Tuu language (both non-Bantu). English is spoken by 2.8% as their first language, and a small number speak Afrikaans.

The number of individual languages listed for Botswana is 31. All are living languages. Of these, 26 are indigenous and 5 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 4 are institutional, 9 are developing, 8 are vigorous, 9 are in trouble, and 1 is dying.

Languages spoken at home in Botswana Source:

Main language 2001 2011 2022 Setswana 79.3 77.3 77.5 Kalanga 7.9 7.4 4.9 English 2.1 2.8 3.6 Shekgalagari 2.8 3.4 2.5 Zezuru 0.7 2.0 1.5 Sesarwa 1.9 1.7 1.4 Ndebele 0.5 1.0 0.8 Thimbukushu 1.7 1.6 0.8 Otjiherero 0.7 1.0 0.6 Afrikaans 0.4 0.4 0.3 Chisubia 0.4 0.3 0.2 Sheyeyi 0.3 0.2 0.1 Other 1.1 0.9 1.7 Not Stated 0.2 0.0 4.1

Languages spoken

Afrikaans Ani Birwa Chichewa English Gana Gciriku Gwi Haiǁom Herero ‡Hua Ju|’hoansi Kalanga Kgalagadi Khoekhoe Khwedam Kua Kuhane Kung-Ekoka Lozi Mbukushu Nambya Naro Ndebele Setswana Shua Tshuwau Tswapong !Xóõ Yeyi Zezuru isiXhosa

See also Khoisan languages

References

Sources

Further reading

External links Ethnologue listing of Botswana languages A list of endangered languages in Botswana from the Endangered Languages Project (ELP) The Kalahari Basin area: a 'Sprachbund' on the verge of extinction, from the Kalahari Basin area project (KBA)