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Languages

Languages of Tanzania

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Languages, writing systems and language context

Tanzania
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
Kiswahili
Swahili
Text direction: LTR

Kiswahili and English are used for official and business communication in Tanzania, while Kiswahili is the country's principal national language and the dominant public-language reference.

2
Core languages shown
Country-level reference set
Swahili
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

SwahiliEnglish

Read the Characters

Swahili · 26 characters

Swahili · 26 characters
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
E
e
F
f
G
g
H
h
I
i
J
j
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
Q
q
R
r
S
s
T
t
U
u
V
v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z
z

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in Tanzania?

Kiswahili and English are used for official and business communication in Tanzania, while Kiswahili is the country's principal national language and the dominant public-language reference.

What writing systems are used in Tanzania?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about Tanzania

Explore Tanzania across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

Public HolidaysPublic holidays 2026 and 2027→Digital AdoptionInternet, payments and digital government→Population & DemographicsPopulation, age structure and projections→Economy SnapshotGDP, trade and economic structure→Currency & ExchangeCurrency, exchange rates and money→Human DevelopmentHDI and quality-of-life indicators→Geography & EnvironmentLand, climate and environment→Practical Country InfoTime, driving, electricity and codes→EducationSchool system and education data→

Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics: 2022 PHC youth report

Current official statistical publication stating that Kiswahili and English are the most widely spoken languages and are used for official and business communication.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.