Which African countries speak English as an official language?

Written by

Amy McKenna

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 7, 2026 •History

In Africa, English is an official language in many countries that were colonized by Great Britain and even in some that were not. There are now 22 African countries that have English as their official language or as one of multiple official languages. The language is also widely spoken in other African countries and sometimes has a different status.

African countries with English as an official language

Many of these countries were British colonies, some of which were also once part of British West Africa or British East Africa administrative groupings. Exceptions are Liberia, which was founded by the American Colonization Society in the 19th century for formerly enslaved people, and Rwanda and Burundi, which had formed part of German East Africa and later came under Belgian administration after World War I (1914–18) as the League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. Rwanda and Burundi later added English as an official language to foster regional integration.

In some African countries, English has a different status. In Sudan and South Sudan, for example, English is designated as an official working language. Other countries that have no official language include Eritrea, which has English included as one of its de facto working languages of government, and Seychelles, which has national languages, of which English is one.