Language in Zambia

English is Zambia's official language and the default language of national administration, legislation and the justice system. The Constitution also requires the state to respect, promote and protect linguistic diversity. Non-English languages may serve as media of instruction or be used in legislative, administrative and judicial settings where the relevant rules provide for them. The 2022 Census recorded the language most commonly used at home as the language of communication. Bemba accounted for 34.0% of responses, followed by Tonga at 12.8%, Nyanja at 11.4%, Chewa at 6.7%, Lozi at 5.4%, Nsenga at 2.6%, Tumbuka at 2.5%, Kaonde at 2.3%, Lunda from North-Western Province at 2.1%, English at 1.9% and Luvale at 1.6%. The census measure excluded people who were too young, people with speech impairments and nonresponses, so it describes reported home-language use rather than every language a person can speak. Language use varies by region and mobility. Bemba is especially widespread in the Copperbelt, Luapula, Northern and Muchinga provinces and is also a major transregional urban language. Nyanja, Chewa and Nsenga are prominent in Lusaka and Eastern Province, with Nyanja often serving as an urban lingua franca in Lusaka. Tonga is particularly associated with Southern Province, while Lozi is prominent in Western Province. Lunda, Luvale and Kaonde are widely used in North-Western Province alongside Luchazi, Mbunda and Chokwe. Central Province has mixed use of Bemba, Lala, Lenje and Tonga. Urbanisation and internal migration commonly produce multilingual repertoires. Many additional languages remain important in particular communities even when their national census share is below one percent. Mambwe, Lungu, Namwanga, Wina and Tambo are grouped within the Mambwe language area in census reporting. Language use can correlate strongly with ethnic affiliation, but the two are not identical: Nyanja, for example, is also used across ethnic groups. Education policy is changing. The 2023 Zambia Education Curriculum provides for English-medium education at all levels while encouraging code-switching in foundation learning. Earlier policy used seven zonal languages in Grades 1 to 4 and English from Grade 5, so implementation may differ during the transition. The Ministry of Education maintains Zambian-language syllabuses for Forms 1 to 4 and a Zambian Sign Language syllabus for Grades 1 to 3. Zambian Sign Language, abbreviated ZSL, is the established sign-language medium for a learner whose first language is sign language or who has a special educational need under section 99 of the Education Act. Courts generally operate in English, but language access is protected in criminal proceedings. An accused person must receive information about the charge in a language they understand and must receive a free interpreter when they do not understand the language used at trial. In subordinate courts, the court may appoint a suitable interpreter when a party or witness cannot speak or understand English. This protection depends on the language barrier being established and does not create a general free interpreter service for every public interaction. ZNBC Radio 1 broadcasts in Lozi, Tonga, Luvale, Nyanja, Lunda, Bemba and Kaonde. TV1 also carries local-language news in these seven languages. The Independent Broadcasting Authority requires community broadcasting to reflect cultural, linguistic and demographic needs. Parliament and ZNBC have used Silozi and Chinyanja radio dramas for civic information, helping reach people who do not follow English-language communication. Local languages remain central to family life, community ceremonies and traditional cultural content, while public-service interpreter availability can vary by province, district, institution and court.