Language in Mozambique

Portuguese in Mozambique

The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, but this is spoken only by the approximate quarter of the population that has received school education.

Portuguese is the language of the Mozambican education, business, and legal systems, which poses a problem for the great majority of the population who cannot read nor speak it.

Bantu Languages

Approximately 60 other languages and dialects are spoken in Mozambique. All are of Bantu origin, and can be roughly categorised by geography.

The 40% of the Mozambican population living north of the Zambezi speaks the endemic Makua-Longwe dialects. Tsonga predominates south of the Limpopo, and Tonga and Shona are spoken in the central region. Some people in the northern coastal regions also speak KiSwahili, a simplified Bantu language with Arabic influences.

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