Population and religionWhether from land or sea, Mozambique has been colonized by waves of people from radically different origins. From Bantu-speaking peoples in the 1st and 4th centuries to Arab voyagers and Portuguese explorers in 15th century, Mozambique’s resources have also lured traders and prospectors seeking gold - and slaves.
Today, Mozambique is an ethnic patchwork of groups such as the Makua, the Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau) and the Shangaan (Tsonga) among others. Caucasians of Portuguese ancestry, Chinese, a minority of Mozambicans with mixed Bantu and Portuguese heritage, and people of Indian, Pakistan and Arab origins add to a diverse national ethnic portrait.
While Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language in Mozambique, Bantus speak Swahili, Makhuwa and Sena, which have many Portuguese-origin words. More than 75% of the population engages in small scale agriculture.
Data from 1997 shows that 18% of the population is Muslim, about 19% Zionist, 35% are Christians of different affiliations, 24% are non-religious and the remainder are classified as “other”.