IsiSwahili, esibuye saziwa ngegama laso lesiSwahili, siwulimi lwesiBantu kanye nolimi lwendabuko lwabantu baseSwahili. Ingolunye lwezilimi ezimbili ezisemthethweni (olunye kuyisiNgisi) zamazwe ase-East African Community (EAC), okuyiBurundi, iKenya, iRwanda, iSouth Sudan, iTanzania ne-Uganda. Kuwulimi olusetshenziswa kwezinye izindawo esifundeni sase-Afrika e-Great Lakes naseMpumalanga naseNingizimu Afrika, okuhlanganisa izingxenye ezithile zeDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, kanye neZambia. IsiSwahili siphinde sibe ngolunye lwezilimi ezisetshenziswa yiNhlangano Yamazwe ase-Afrika kanye ne-Southern African Development Community. Inani eliqondile labakhuluma isiSwahili, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi abakhuluma ulimi lwesibili, lilinganiselwa phakathi kwezigidi ezingu-50 kuya kwezingu-150. Amaphesenti ayishumi nesithupha kuya kwamashumi amabili wesilulumagama sesiSwahili amagama emali ebolekwayo esi-Arabhu, okuhlanganisa negama elithi swahili, elisuka ku-Arabic sawāḥilī. Amagama emalimboleko yesi-Arabhu asukela ekuxhumaneni nabahwebi base-Arabia nabantu baseBantu abahlala ogwini olusempumalanga ye-Afrika emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka, okwakuphinde kube yilapho isiSwahili sivela njengolimi olusetshenziswayo. Ngo-2018, iNingizimu Afrika yagunyaza ukufundiswa kwesiSwahili ezikoleni njengesifundo ongasikhetha esizoqala ngo-2020.