Nigerian Pidgin language becomes Africa’s most spoken in 2025 with 121 million speakers, fueled by pop culture, trade, and urban growth, says Ethnologue
Nigerian Pidgin language has officially become the most spoken language in Africa in 2025, with a remarkable 121 million speakers, according to new data from Ethnologue compiled by Visual Capitalist.
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The ranking, which counts both first and second-language users, places Pidgin 14th globally, ahead of heavyweight African languages like Hausa, Swahili, and Egyptian Arabic.
Only 5 million speak it natively, but a massive 116 million use it as a second language a clear sign of its growing importance as a powerful bridge language.
In Nigeria, where over 500 languages coexist, Nigerian Pidgin serves as a unifying lingua franca* widely used in urban life, markets, social media, Nollywood, and Afrobeats.
Its informal, flexible nature makes it accessible across classes and generations, even extending to parts of West Africa through trade and migration.
Despite its popularity, Nigerian Pidgin still lacks official recognition. It’s rarely used in government or schools, though its cultural influence is undeniable.
The rise of Nigerian popular culture, along with urbanization and digital media, has propelled the language beyond borders, echoing global trends where second-language use defines linguistic power much like English, which tops the global chart due to its vast non-native speaker base.
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With languages like Hausa (94 million speakers) also ranking high due to second-language adoption, Nigerian Pidgin’s growth signals a linguistic shift on the continent one shaped not just by numbers, but by culture, mobility, and influence.
