Languages
Native
Lingala
35%
Swahili
30%
Tshiluba
18%
Kikongo
15%
Secondary languages
French
33%
Language Samples
Mbote! Ndenge nini?
Hello! How are you?
Nazali malamu, merci.
I am well, thank you.
Moko, míbalé, mísambo, mínei, mitáno, motóba, nsambo, mwambe, libwa, zómi.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Linguistic History
The DRC is Africa's most linguistically diverse large country, with over 200 languages spoken across its vast equatorial territory. Four Bantu languages were elevated to 'national language' status after independence: Lingala (dominant in the capital Kinshasa and along the Congo River), Swahili (eastern DRC), Tshiluba (Kasai region), and Kikongo (west and southwest). French remains the official language of government, education, and formal media. Lingala gained prestige partly through its association with the Congolese National Army and the vibrant Kinshasa music scene that gave the world soukous and rumba congolaise.
Similar Languages
Swahili
45%
Kikongo
40%
Lomongo
55%
Kituba
38%
Media
Kinshasa on the Congo River, where Lingala is the dominant street language of Africa's second-largest city by population.
Photo: Francis Shok Mweze · CC BY-SA 4.0
Did You Know
01
The Congo River basin is home to more than 200 distinct languages, making the DRC one of the most linguistically complex nations on Earth.
02
Kinshasa and Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) face each other across the Congo River — the two closest capital cities in the world — yet use different lingua francas: Lingala dominates in Kinshasa, Kituba in Brazzaville.
03
Congolese rumba, rooted in Lingala-language songs, was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021 and influenced music across Africa and beyond.