South Africa

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of South Africa}}
[[File:South Africa 2011 dominant language map (hex cells).svg|right|thumb|{{Collapsible list
| title = Map showing the dominant [[Languages of South Africa|South African languages]] by area|{{legend|#80b1d3|[[Zulu language|Zulu]] (22.7%)}}|{{legend|#fb8072|[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] (16.0%)}}|{{legend|#8dd3c7|⁠[[Afrikaans]] (13.5%)}}|{{legend|#ffffb3|[[South African English|English]] (9.6%)}}|{{legend|#fdb462|[[Pedi language|Pedi]] (9.1%)}}|{{legend|#fccde5|[[Tswana language|Tswana]] (8.0%)}}|{{legend|#b3de69|[[Sotho language|Southern Sotho]] (7.6%)}}|{{legend|#ffed6f|[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]] (4.5%)}}|{{legend|#bc80bd|[[Swazi language|Swazi]] (2.5%)}}|{{legend|#ccebc5|[[Venda language|Venda]] (2.4%)}}|{{legend|#bebada|[[Southern Ndebele language|Southern Ndebele]] (2.1%)}}|{{legend|#d0d0d0|None dominant}}|{{legend|#ffffff|Areas of little or no population}}
}}]]

South Africa has 12 official languages:<ref name="parliament.gov.za"/> [[Zulu language|Zulu]], [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]], [[Afrikaans]], [[South African English|English]], [[Northern Sotho|Pedi]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 – Chapter 1: Founding Provisions {{!}} South African Government|url=https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#5|access-date=26 July 2020|website=www.gov.za|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518042037/https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions#5|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tswana language|Tswana]], [[Sotho language|Southern Sotho]], [[Tsonga language|Tsonga]], [[Swazi language|Swazi]], [[Venda language|Venda]], and [[Southern Ndebele language|Southern Ndebele]] (in order of first language speakers), as well as South African Sign Language which was recognised as an official language in 2023.<ref name="parliament.gov.za"/>In this regard it is fourth only to [[Bolivia]], [[Official languages of India|India]], and [[Zimbabwe]] in number. While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2022 census, the three most spoken first languages are Zulu (24.4%), Xhosa (16.6%), and Afrikaans (10.6%).<ref name="auto1"/> Although English is recognised as the language of commerce and science, it is only the fifth most common home language, that of only 8.7% of South Africans in 2022; nevertheless, it has become the de facto [[lingua franca]] of the nation.<ref name="auto1"/> Estimates based on the 1991 census suggest just under half of South Africans could speak English.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/south-africa-fast-facts/geography-facts/languages|title=South Africa's languages|date=6 November 2007|access-date=21 February 2020|archive-date=26 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626173847/https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/south-africa-fast-facts/geography-facts/languages|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the second most commonly spoken language outside of the household, after Zulu.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/319760/these-are-the-most-spoken-languages-in-south-africa-in-2019/|title=These are the most-spoken languages in South Africa in 2019|author=Staff Writer|website=businesstech.co.za|access-date=21 February 2020|archive-date=21 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221184630/https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/319760/these-are-the-most-spoken-languages-in-south-africa-in-2019/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other languages are spoken, or were widely used previously, including [[Fanagalo language|Fanagalo]], [[Khoe language|Khoe]], [[Lobedu language|Lobedu]], [[Nama language|Nama]], [[Northern Ndebele language|Northern Ndebele]], and [[Phuthi language|Phuthi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.info/about/people/language.htm|title=The languages of South Africa|publisher=SouthAfrica.info|date=4 February 1997|access-date=7 November 2010|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304001836/http://www.southafrica.info/about/people/language.htm|archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> Many of the unofficial [[Khoisan languages|languages of the San and Khoekhoe]] peoples contain regional dialects stretching northwards into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from the Bantu people who make up most of the Black Africans in South Africa, have their own cultural identity based on their [[hunter-gatherer]] societies. They have been marginalised, and the remainder of their languages are in danger of becoming [[Extinct language|extinct]].

White South Africans may also speak European languages, including Italian, Portuguese (also spoken by black Angolans and Mozambicans), Dutch, German, and Greek, while some Indian South Africans and more recent migrants from South Asia speak [[Languages of India|Indian languages]], such as Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. French is spoken by migrants from [[African French|Francophone Africa]].