Which languages are most widely spoken in Mozambique besides Portuguese?

While Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique, the vast majority of the population speaks languages belonging to the Niger-Congo family, specifically the Bantu branch.1

The most widespread of these indigenous languages include:

• Makua and Lomwe: These are the most dominant, spoken by nearly half of the total population, primarily in the northeast.1
• Tsonga: Spoken by approximately one-seventh of the population, this language is concentrated south of the Save River.1
• Shona: Used by more than one-tenth of the population, this language is prevalent in the region between the Save River and the Zambezi valley.1
• Other significant languages: The country also features widespread use of Sena, Chuabo, Swahili, Yao, Makonde, and Chewa dialects of Nyanja.1

Due to historical population movements, Mozambique shares many of these linguistic ties with its neighboring countries, contributing to the nation's significant cultural and linguistic diversity.1