Languages of Rwanda

Rwanda has four official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French, and Swahili. Kinyarwanda is the national language and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. English is the sole medium of instruction from primary school through university and serves as the primary working language in government and business. French, which served as the main administrative language during the colonial period, remains in limited use in diplomacy and cultural contexts. Swahili was adopted as an official language in 2017 to promote regional communication within the East African Community.