Somali is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by ethnic Somalis in Somalia , Djibouti , Ethiopia , Yemen and Kenya , as well as by the Somali diaspora around the world -- an estimated total population of between 10 and 16 million speakers . The Somali language is spoken by ethnic Somalis in Somalia , Somaliland , Djibouti , Ethiopia , Yemen and Kenya , and by the Somali diaspora .