Editing Demographics of South Africa (section)

==Languages==
{{Main|Languages of South Africa}}
South Africa has twelve [[official language]]s:<ref>https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> [[isiZulu]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 24.4%, [[isiXhosa]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 16.3%, [[Afrikaans]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 10.6%, [[English language|English]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 8.7%, [[Sepedi language|Sepedi]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 10.0%, [[Setswana]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 8.3%, [[Sesotho]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 7.8%, [[Xitsonga]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 4.7%, [[siSwati]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 2.8%, [[Tshivenda]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 2.5%, [[Southern Ndebele language|isiNdebele]]<ref name="CIATONGA"/> 1.7% and [[South African Sign Language]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.parliament.gov.za/press-releases/na-approves-south-african-sign-language-12th-official-language#:~:text=The%20Committee%20noted%20that%20the,Board%20Act%2059%20of%201995.|title=The NA approves South African Sign Language as the 12th official language}}</ref>

In this regard, it is third only to [[Bolivia]] and [[Official languages of India|India]] in number. While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the [[2022 South African census|2022 census]], the three most spoken languages in the household are Zulu (24.4%), Xhosa (16.3%), and Afrikaans (10.6%).<ref name="census2022" />

Between 1996 and 2022, the proportion of Afrikaans speakers declined from 14.5% to 10.6% and English held steady at 8.7%, whle isiZulu grew from 22.8% to 24.4%, and Xhosa declined from 17.9% to 16.3%<ref>https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including [[Makholokoe Tribes|Sekholokoe]], [[Fanagalo language|Fanagalo]], [[Khwe language|Khwe]], [[Lobedu language|Lobedu]], [[Nama language|Nama]], [[Northern Ndebele language|Northern Ndebele]], [[Phuthi language|Phuthi]] and [[San language|San]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediaclub.co.za/landstatic/80-languages|title=The languages of South Africa|date=December 2011|website=Media Club South Africa|publisher=Brand South Africa|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041236/http://mediaclub.co.za/landstatic/80-languages|url-status=dead}}</ref> These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.

Many of the "unofficial languages" of the [[San people|San]] and [[Khoikhoi people]] contain [[Regional dialect|regional dialects]] stretching northwards into [[Namibia]] and [[Botswana]], and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming [[Extinct language|extinct]].

Many white South Africans also speak other [[European languages]], such as [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] (also spoken by black [[Angola]]ns and [[Mozambique|Mozambicans]]), [[German language|German]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and [[Greek language|Greek]], while some Indians and other Asians in South Africa speak [[South Asian languages]], such as [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Hindi]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Urdu language|Urdu]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]]. Although many South Africans are of [[Huguenots|Huguenot]] (French) origin, South African French is spoken by fewer than 10,000 individuals country-wide. Congolese French is also spoken in South Africa by migrants.

The primary sign language of [[deafness|deaf]] South Africans is [[South African Sign Language]]. Other [[Sign language|sign languages]] among indigenous peoples are also used.

<gallery mode="nolines" widths="220" heights="180" caption="Language maps in South Africa">
File:South_Africa_2011_Zulu_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Zulu language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Xhosa_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Xhosa language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Afrikaans_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Afrikaans|Afrikaans language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_English_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[English language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Northern_Sotho_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Northern Sotho|Pedi language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Tswana_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Tswana language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Sotho_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Sotho language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Tsonga_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Tsonga language]]
File:South_Africa_2011_Swazi_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Swazi language]] 
File:South_Africa_2011_Venda_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Venda language]] 
File:South_Africa_2011_Ndebele_speakers_proportion_map.svg|alt=|[[Southern Ndebele language]] 
</gallery>

===By ethnicity===
In 2011, the first language was [[Zulu language|Zulu]] for 28.1% of Black South African residents, [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] for 19.8%, [[Northern Sotho language|Sepedi]] for 11.2%, [[Tswana language|Tswana]] for 9.7%, [[Sesotho language|Sesotho]] for 9.3%, [[Tsonga language|Tsonga]] for 5.5%, [[Siswati|siSwati]] for 3.1%, [[Venda language|Venda]] for 2.9%, English for 2.8%, [[Southern Ndebele language|Southern Ndebele]] for 2.6%, [[Afrikaans]] for 1.5%, while 3.4% had another first language.<ref name=superweb>{{cite web|title=Community profiles > Census 2011 |url=http://interactive.statssa.gov.za/superweb |publisher=Statistics South Africa Superweb |access-date=21 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930103145/http://interactive.statssa.gov.za/superweb/ |archive-date=30 September 2013}}</ref>

Among whites, Afrikaans was the first language for 59.1% of the population, compared to 35.0% for English. Other languages accounted for the remaining 5.9%.<ref name=superweb/>