French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken in Kinshasa, the capital of the country.

It belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the Francophonie, which includes many African countries.

[9] Additionally, French has become a native language among the middle and upper class in cities like Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.

Kituba has become a vehicular language in many urban centres including Kikwit, Bandundu, Matadi, Boma and Muanda.

[17][18][19][20] Lingala is a language which gained its modern form in the colonial period, with the push of missionaries to standardize and teach a local lingua franca.

The most notable other languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are Mashi, Mongo, Lunda, Kilega, Tetela, Chokwe, Budza, Ngbandi, Lendu, Mangbetu, Yombe, Nande, Ngbaka, Zande, Lugbara, Kifuliiru and Komo.

As of 2010 the government decided to include Portuguese as an optional language at schools as a response to Brazil's increasing influence on the continent, and of the growing and considerable Angolan and Mozambican immigrant communities.

A good knowledge of the French language was necessary to obtain a promotion in the colony and the Dutch-speakers were therefore more dispersed in the provinces while the French-speakers were grouped together in the cities.

The measure is however strongly opposed by the Flemish and Catholic right which advocates the continuation of education in local languages, and supported by the French-speaking and anticlerical left.

In February 2014, the embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands indicated that there were approximately 420,000 Dutch speakers of all ages in the DRC, spread throughout the territory, with very isolated groups.