Somali and Afar are the most widely spoken tongues, and Arabic and French serve as the official languages.

According to the 2018 report from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Djibouti has 50% French speakers.

[1] French is the main language of schooling, from primary to university, alongside Arabic.

[2] Northern Somali is the main dialect spoken in the country and neighbouring Somalia.

French was inherited from the European colonization period and is the primary language of instruction.