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Language data for Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with over 500 languages spoken. The official language is English, but it is spoken less frequently in rural areas and amongst people with lower education levels. Other major languages spoken include: Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulfulde, Ibibio, Kanuri, and Tiv. Nigerian Sign Language, Hausa Sign Language, and Bura Sign Language are all used in Nigeria. The maps, documents, and datasets below provide information about languages spoken in the northeast part of the country.

Language map northeast Nigeria

Curated datasets
Coming soon

Other sources of language data
Wikipedia
Glottolog
An Atlas of Nigerian Languages

Tools
Why we need to collect data on the languages of crisis-affected people (PDF)

Rapid Guide to Localizing and Translating Survey Tools (EN, FR, PT)

Language data allows humanitarian organizations to better understand the languages people speak and understand, leading to better programming and accountability. We’re working with University College London’s Centre for Translation Studies and others to make language data more easily accessible and usable.

For more information, read about the project on our blog or contact [email protected].

Maps and resources:


Language map northeast Nigeria

Northeast Nigeria language map

An interactive map of languages spoken by LGA in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states. Language data is from the 2019 Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment and is only based on sites that were accessible to REACH data collection teams.

language map northeast nigeria

Northeast Nigeria language map: individual languages

An interactive map of individual language distribution by LGA in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states. Language data is from the 2019 Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment and is only based on sites that were accessible to REACH data collection teams.

communications dashboard northeast Nigeria

Northeast Nigeria communications dashboard

This interactive map and dashboard provide data related to language and communication preferences by site in Northeast Nigeria. Data collected from IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix team.

Northeast Nigeria report

The words between us: how well do enumerators understand the terminology used in humanitarian surveys?

This report from November 2018 highlights language barriers in humanitarian data collection in northeast Nigeria. It found that language is not a routine consideration in survey design and enumerators often do not understand the words they are being asked to translate in surveys.

language data northeast Nigeria

MSNA language data can help humanitarians communicate better with affected people


This blog summarizes key language and communication findings from the 2019 Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment.

News

TWB welcomes the RWS Foundation as Sapphire sponsor for 2023

February 28, 2023

Celebrating 100,000 TWB community members

August 8, 2022

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April 5, 2022

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    • Crisis Response
      • European refugee response
      • Global COVID-19 response
      • Mozambique
      • Northeast Nigeria
      • Rohingya response
      • The Democratic Republic of Congo
    • Gamayun Language Initiative
    • Language Data Initiative
    • TWB Platform
    • TWB Chatbots
    • TWB Glossaries
    • Resources
  • Support us
    • Donate to Translators without Borders
    • Become a Fundraiser
    • Corporate Sponsorships
      • Give financial support
      • Give pro bono support
      • Our sponsors
  • Volunteer
    • Meet the TWB Community
    • Join the TWB Community
    • TWB language volunteer role
    • Community Recognition Program
  • Partner with us
    • TWB Partner Program
    • Apply to be a Partner
  • News & Blog
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    • Press
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