- Most Mozambicans (78%) say they trust their relatives “somewhat” or “a lot,” while 55% express confidence in their neighbours. About half have faith in people of other religions (51%) and from other ethnic groups (50%), but fewer than half express trust in other compatriots (47%) and other acquaintances (42%). o Better-off citizens, rural residents, Muslims, and adults who lack formal schooling are more trusting than their counterparts.
- Most Mozambicans express tolerant attitudes toward people of different ethnicities (83%), religions (81%), political affiliations (75%), and nationalities (72%). Nearly nine in 10 (88%) say they would like it or not mind if a member of their family married someone from a different ethnic group. A slimmer majority (52%) would welcome having a homosexual neighbour. o Urban residents and Muslims are generally somewhat more tolerant than those living in the countryside and followers of other creeds. Tolerance levels increase with respondents’ wealth.
- More than seven in 10 respondents say they “feel strong ties” with other Mozambicans (73%) and believe that other citizens “think of me as a Mozambican just like them” (75%).
- Almost half (47%) of respondents say they feel equally attached to their national and ethnic identities, while 35% feel “only Mozambican” or more Mozambican than their ethnicity. Only 18% say they value their ethnic identity more than their national identity.
- About one-quarter (26%) of citizens say the government “often” or “always” treats their ethnic group unfairly, while another 29% say this happens “sometimes.”
- Fewer than one in 10 respondents say people join extremist groups in Cabo Delgado because of religious radicalisation or beliefs (6%), ethnic divisions (1%), discrimination
Mozambique boasts a rich tapestry of cultural diversity (Minority Rights Group, 2020). The Makua, more than 4 million strong, make up the largest ethnic group in the country, followed by the Sena with more than 1.7 million people. Smaller ethnic groups include the Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Ndau, Yao, Nguni, Chokwe, and Maravi, some of which have populations living in neighbouring countries. In addition, Mozambique is home to about 45,000 Europeans and 15,000 South Asians (World Atlas, 2018).
Different ethnic groups are concentrated in different regions of the country. The Makua are predominantly found in the provinces of Zambezia, Cabo Delgado, Niassa, and Nampula; the Makonde are prominent in the far North; the Sena and Ndau mostly occupy the Zambezi Valley; the Tsonga and Nguni live primarily in southern Mozambique; and the Europeans and South Asians are concentrated in urban centres (Global Security, 2017).
Portuguese is the country’s official language, but just half of the population speak it (Chaaya, 2024). More than 40 local languages are spoken, including five that are officially recognised: Makhuwa, Sena, Tsonga, Lomwe, and Shona.
Religion in Mozambique is also marked by diversity. According to the World Population Review (2025), 56.1% of Mozambicans practise Christianity, 17.9% practise Islam, and 26% either follow a different religion or identify as agnostic or atheist. Christians are more likely to be found in the South and Muslims in the North.
In 2017, a violent insurgency broke out in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, spearheaded by the militant Islamist group Ahlu-Sunnah wal Jama’a. Escalating terrorist activity, which has killed at least 4,000 people and displaced about 1.3 million, has been described as having ethnic and religious undertones (de Almeida, 2024; Louw-Vaudran, 2022). However, a 2022 study by the Institute for Security Studies in the region found that only 2% of respondents saw ethnic differences as the main driver of the insurgency. Instead, residents pointed to regional inequities and corruption as being at the root of the conflict, which they say has been fuelled by the discovery of valuable resources such as natural gas and rubies (Louw-Vaudran, 2022).
This dispatch looks at Mozambicans’ attitudes toward others, perceptions of ethnic discrimination, and emphasis on national vs. ethnic identity based on a 2022 Afrobarometer survey.
Survey findings show that large majorities of Mozambicans express tolerance toward people of other religions, ethnicities, nationalities, and political affiliations, while slightly more than half are welcoming of homosexuals. Muslims are more tolerant than followers of other faiths.
At least half of citizens say they trust their relatives, neighbours, people from other religions, and people from other ethnicities. But fewer report trusting their compatriots in general and their acquaintances.
Almost half assign equal weight to their Mozambican and ethnic identities; the remainder are more likely to identify with their nationality than their ethnicity. But more than half of citizens also say the government treats their ethnic group unfairly at least “sometimes.”
Fewer than one-tenth of respondents identify ethnic divisions or religious radicalisation as the main reasons why people join extremist groups in Cabo Delgado; citizens are more likely to cite poverty, unemployment, and persuasion by extremist networks as factors.
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