Census 2022: The most spoken language in South Africa

The latest Census Report released by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) shows that, IsiZulu remains the most spoken language in South African households.

The report, unveiled in Pretoria, reveals that approximately 24.4 percent of households in the country use IsiZulu as their primary language.

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This data signifies an increase compared to the last three censuses conducted in 1996, 2001, and 2011. In 2011, the recorded figure for population distribution by language often spoken in most homes stood at 22.7 percent, indicating a gradual but notable rise.

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WHAT IS THE SECOND AND THIRD MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA ACCORDING TO CENSUS?

“IsiXhosa holds the second position as the most spoken language in the country, with 16.3 percent of households using it. Afrikaans comes in third at 10.6 percent,” said Statistics South Africa.

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The report also highlights the inclusion of select foreign languages for the first time in StatsSA’s data. Approximately 1.2 percent of people in South Africa were recorded as speaking Shona, while 0.2 percent use Portuguese, and 0.3 percent speak Chichewa/Chewa and Nyanja/Chinyanja, Bantu languages often spoken in Malawi and recognized in Zambia and Mozambique.

Moreover, Sign Language was officially declared as South Africa’s 12th official language in July 2023, with 0.02 percent of households using it.

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LARGEST GROUPS OF FOREIGN IMMIGRANTS

This linguistic diversity in South Africa is not only a reflection of its rich cultural heritage but also highlights the presence of various immigrant groups in the country.

Zimbabweans, in particular, have consistently been one of the largest groups of foreign immigrants in South Africa, as observed by Mosibudi Nhlapho, the head of content development at StatsSA.

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