Southern Sudan is composed of more than 200 ethnic groups and is; along with the adjacent Nuba Hills; one of the most linguistically diverse regions of Africa.

The official languages are Arabic and English. Colloquial Arabic is spoken widely; though Juba Arabic; a pidgin; is spoken around the capital. The most populous language by native speakers is Dinka; a dialect spoken by 2-3 million people. Dinka is a Western Nilotic language; closely related to Southern Sudan's second most populous language; Nuer; and a bit more distant is Shilluk. Major Eastern Nilotic languages are Bari and Otuho. Besides the Nilotic family; Zande; Southern Sudan's third most populous language; is Ubangian.