Introduction

According to the latest available data from 2021, approximately 7 million people in South Africa speak Afrikaans as their first language. Afrikaans is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa and is widely spoken in regions such as the Western Cape, Northern Cape, and parts of Gauteng. This rich linguistic heritage plays a significant role in building and sustaining South African identity.

Language Statistics from the CIA World Factbook

The latest data from the CIA World Factbook shows the official languages of South Africa, including their prevalence. Some key figures from this data include:

isiZulu or Zulu: 25.3% isiXhosa or Xhosa: 14.8% Afrikaans: 12.2% Sepedi or Pedi: 10.1% Setswana or Tswana: 9.1% English: 8.1% Sesotho or Sotho: 7.9% Xitsonga or Tsonga: 3.6% siSwati or Swati: 2.8% Tshivenda or Venda: 2.5% isiNdebele or Ndebele: 1.6%

Afrikaans in Context

The table from Wikipedia provides detailed figures on Afrikaans speakers in South Africa:

Zulu L1: 11,587,374, L2: 15,700,000, Total: 27,300,000 Xhosa L1: 8,154,258, L2: 11,000,000, Total: 19,150,000 Afrikaans L1: 6,855,082, L2: 10,300,000, Total: 17,160,000 English L1: 4,892,623, L2: 14,000,000, Total: 19,640,000

These figures highlight the significant number of South Africans, particularly those of Dutch extraction, Cape Coloureds, and the bilingual 'other white folk,' who speak Afrikaans as either a first or second language. Furthermore, Afrikaans continues to gain prominence and spread beyond South African borders, with instances such as an Afrikaans church service in Essex, UK.

Further Estimates

There are several estimates for Afrikaans speakers in South Africa:

Statistics South Africa estimates that there are around 6.8 million Afrikaans home language speakers, representing approximately 6.8% of South Africa's population. Ethnologue estimates that there are 17 million Afrikaans speakers worldwide, with a majority (around 13 million) residing in South Africa. The South African Institute of Race Relations estimates that around 5.8 million people speak Afrikaans as a home language, or approximately 11.6% of South Africa's population.

These estimates collectively indicate that there are likely between 6 to 7 million individuals who speak Afrikaans as a home language in South Africa, representing about 13-17% of the population. In the province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg, estimates suggest there are between 723,972 and 824,000 Afrikaans home language speakers, making up around 8-9% of the provincial population.

Conclusion

Afrikaans, as one of the official languages of South Africa, has a substantial presence not only in the country but also globally. The language continues to evolve and play a crucial role in shaping South African culture and society.