Spread of the Somali language

Somali is an Afro-Asian language that belongs to the Cushitic subgroup and is spoken primarily in Somalia, as well as in parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

With 18.7 million speakers and a population share of 98%, it is by far the most important language in Somalia. It is also the official language here.

The language is used as a mother tongue by around 27.7 million people in the countries around the Horn of Africa.

The geographical distribution of Somali reflects the migration patterns and past dispersal of Somali peoples. While the language is mainly spoken in Somalia, significant groups of speakers can also be found in neighboring areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. As a result of civil war and economic difficulties, many Somalis have also left their homeland and formed diaspora communities in countries such as the USA, Canada and Sweden.

Origins and historical development

The basic features of the Somali language can be traced back to the first millennium AD. It developed from earlier Cushitic languages in the region. Somali has existed since at least the 10th century in the form of poetry and oral traditions, although written records were not made until much later.

The written Somali language, on the other hand, has a relatively recent history. Until the 20th century, there was no standardized written form. This only changed in 1972 with the official introduction of the Latin alphabet for Somali by the Somali government.

The language has absorbed many Arabicisms over the centuries, which is due to the long contact with Arabic-speaking traders and the common Islamic religion. Despite these influences, Somali retains its grammatical and phonetic features that clearly distinguish it from its Semitic and other Afro-Asiatic cousins.

Country	Official language	Distribution	Total
Somalia	yes	98.3 %	18,686,000
Ethiopia	no	4.1 %	5,414,000
Kenya	no	5.2 %	2,935,000
Djibouti	no	53.8 %	629,000

Unless otherwise described in the text, this page is about native speakers — not the total number of speakers. How many people understand or speak Somali as a subsequently learned language is not the subject of this page. Countries where native speakers make up only a few thousand, or even a few hundred people, or countries with a percentage well below 1% are unlikely to be listed here.

Official language, national language or lingua franca: explanation of frequently used terms