List of Language Spoken in Namibia

Upon Namibian independence in 1990, English was enshrined as the nation’s sole official language in the constitution of Namibia.

Overview of Languages in Namibia

Thirteen languages have been recognized in Namibia as national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages spoken by 87.8% of the population and 3 Indo-European languages spoken by 11.2% of the population.

The 10 indigenous languages include Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Rukwangali, Otjiherero, Rugciriku, Thimbukushu, Silozi, and Setswana, all belonging to the Bantu language group, and Khoekhoegowab and Ju/’hoan which belong to the Khoesan language group. The three Indo-European languages include English, German, and Afrikaans.

Afrikaans is spoken by 9.5% of the population, German by 0.9%, and English by a mere 0.8% (Brock-Utne and Holmarsdottir 2001; Pütz 1995). Ironically, English, the first language of the smallest percentage of Namibia’s population, is the official language of the country, used in all of its formal domains.

List of Languages Spoken by Namibians

English

German

Afrikaans

Oshikwanyama

Oshindonga

Rukwangali

Otjiherero

Rugciriku

Khoekhoegowab

Ju/’hoan

Thimbukushu

Silozi

Setswana

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are questions related to Namibian languages and their answers;

Which language is widely spoken in Namibia?

The most widely spoken languages used in households are Oshiwambo dialects, by 49% of the population, Khoekhoegowab by 11%, Afrikaans by 10%, RuKwangali by 9%, and Otjiherero by 9%.

How many different languages are spoken in Namibia?

Thirteen languages have been recognized in Namibia as national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages spoken by 87.8% of the population and 3 Indo-European languages spoken by 11.2% of the population.

Do they speak German in Namibia?

About 31,000 Namibians speak German as a mother tongue, and several tens of thousands of Namibians, either white native speakers of English or Afrikaans or metropolitan black Namibians, speak German as a second language.

Where does the name Namibia come from?

The name of the country is derived from the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world. The name Namib itself is of Nama origin and means “vast place”.

Who spoke Afrikaans first?

Afrikaans language, also called Cape Dutch, West Germanic language of South Africa, developed from 17th-century Dutch, sometimes called Netherlandic, by the descendants of European (Dutch, German, and French) colonists, indigenous Khoisan peoples, and African and Asian slaves in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.

Is Namibia a poor country?

It is the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is rich in mineral resources, including diamonds and uranium. Political stability and sound economic management have helped anchor poverty reduction and allowed Namibia to become an upper-middle income country.

Do they speak Afrikaans in Namibia?

Afrikaans is also widely spoken in Namibia. Before independence, Afrikaans had equal status with German as an official language. Since independence in 1990, Afrikaans has had constitutional recognition as a national, but not official, language.

Why Germans come to Namibia?

The reason Germany selected Namibia as its “protectorate” was influenced by the fact that a tobacco merchant from Bremen, Franz Luderitz, bought up coastal land in the area in 1882. This resulted in Germany actively establishing itself in the African country by 1884. They occupied Herero lands.

Is Namibia bigger than Germany?

Germany is approximately 357,022 sq km, while Namibia is approximately 824,292 sq km, making Namibia 131% larger than Germany.

Is Afrikaans similar to Dutch?

An estimated 90 to 95% of Afrikaans vocabulary is ultimate of Dutch origin, and there are few lexical differences between the two languages. Afrikaans has a considerably more regular morphology, grammar, and spelling. There is a degree of mutual intelligibility between the two languages, particularly in written form.