Languages of Benin

Languages of Benin
Sign in French and Tammari, Benin
Official	French
National	Fon, Yom, Yoruba, Gen, Kabiyé, Tammari, Bariba, Fulfulde, Others
Foreign	English French Spanish Arabic Portuguese German
Signed	Francophone African Sign Language

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Benin is a diverse country linguistically.^[1] Of those, French is the official language, and most of the indigenous languages are considered national languages.^[2]

Benin is a Francophone country, and in 2023, French is spoken by 4.6 million people out of 13.7 million (33.68%).^[3]

Of the Beninese languages, Fon (a Gbe language) and Yoruba are the most important in the south of the country. In the north there are half a dozen regionally important languages, including Bariba (a Gur language) and Fulfulde.

Education for the deaf in Benin uses American Sign Language, introduced by the deaf American missionary Andrew Foster.

The multilingual character of Beninese society is characterized by the number of languages spoken, ethno-linguistic diversity, stratification of language use (whereby French is used officially and other languages used in other spheres of activity), and by the fact that many Beninese are polyglots.^[4]