Niger Languages

Niger has eleven official languages and French is by far the most widely used official language in the country. French became the official language after Niger gained independence from France. The other ten official languages are Fulfulde, Hausa, Tamasheq, Arabic, Tassawaq, Kanuri, Tebu, Buduma, Gourmanchéma, Zarma, and Songhai. The ten official languages are further divided into local dialects. The local dialects are spoken in different regions in Niger. The Hausa language has the most users in the country.

55.4% of the population of Niger speaks Hausa. Zama-Songhai is spoken by 21.1% of the population while 9.3% of the population speaks Tuareg. 8.5% of the populating speaks Fulani, and 4.7% of the population speaks Kanuari. The other languages are spoken by 1.1% of the population. French, which is the official language, is spoken by people mainly in the urban areas.

Some of the phrases used in Hausa language in Niger include words like “sannu da zuwa” which means welcome, "sannu" which means hello, and "kana lahiya" which means "how are you?"

The main languages spoken in Niger represent ethnic groups which are made up of local dialect languages. Some of the local dialects in each ethnic group have very few speakers compared to other dialects. These local dialects with fewer speakers are the minority languages in Niger. They are Dazaga spoken in the eastern part of Niger near Nguigmi, although it has speaker in the neighboring countries like Chad, Libya, and Sudan. Tamahaq is another minority language in Niger that belongs to the northern Tuareng language family and also spoken in other neighboring countries like Algeria and Libya. Other minority languages include Tahaggart, Tagdal, Kanuri, Bilma, Kanuri, Tumari among others.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Niamey
Languages	French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Ethnic Groups	Hausa 53.1%, Zarma/Songhai 21.2%, Tuareg 11%, Fulani (Peul) 6.5%, Kanuri 5.9%, Gurma 0.8%, Arab 0.4%, Tubu 0.4%, other/unavailable 0.9% (2006 est.)
Religion	Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Independance	3 August 1960 (from France)
Area	1,267,000.00 km²
Water Area	300.00 km²
Land Area	1,266,700.00 km²
Population	18,638,600.00 Majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin
Location	Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
No. Bordering Countries	7
Bordering Countries	Algeria 951 km, Benin 277 km, Burkina Faso 622 km, Chad 1,196 km, Libya 342 km, Mali 838 km, Nigeria 1,608 km
GDP(PPP)	$20,150,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$1,100.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are France, Nigeria, and China.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, and onions.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are France, China, and Nigeria.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, and petroleum.
Climate	Desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain	Predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Learn More	Niger

Niger Languages

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