German is a popular and widely spoken language, with a significant number of first and second-language speakers. In this WordsRated article we explore these figures more deeply, while also looking at the number of German learners and even the language’s popularity online.
- As of 2023, estimates suggest that over 170 million people speak German as a first or second language.
- This makes it the 12th most common language in the world.
- Upwards of 90 million people are estimated to speak German as a first-language.
- However, this number does include 71 million who live in Germany.
- Overall, this makes German the most spoken native/first-language in the EU.
- An additional 80 million people are estimated to speak German as a second or foreign language.
- 15.40 million people are estimated to be learning the German language as of 2020.
- 72.66% of these are understood to be based in Europe and Russia.
- 3 countries list German as an official language (Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein), 2 countries list it as co-official language (Switzerland, Belgium), and 1 country lists German as an administrative language (Luxembourg).
- As of 2024, the German language represents a 4.80% share of content for websites, behind Spanish (2nd) and English (1st).
Total German native speakers by country (estimate)
The total number of German native speakers includes all those who speak the language as a mother tongue. Due to this, they are more prevalent in countries where German is listed as an official language.
- Estimates suggest that Germany has 71.00 million native speakers, which is more than in any other country.
- Austria and Switzerland follow, with 7.12 million and 5.16 million native speakers respectively.
- Brazil has 3.34 million native German speakers, more than any other South American Country.
- This is in part due to Brazil being the main immigration country for German-speaking immigrants during the 19th and early-20th centuries.
- The United States has 0.96 million speakers, more than any other North American country.
| Country | Speakers | % of population | German language status |
| Germany | 71.00 million | 84.73% | Official language |
| Austria | 7.12 million | 88.60% | Official language |
| Switzerland | 5.16 million | 62.80% | Co-official language |
| Brazil | 3.34 million | 1.62% | Not an official language |
| France | 1.20 million | 1.77% | Not an official language |
| United States | 0.96 million | 0.30% | Not an official language |
| Canada | 0.43 million | 1.10% | Not an official language |
| Argentina | 0.40 million | 0.87% | Not an official language |
| Israel | 0.20 million | 2.09% | Not an official language |
| Spain | 0.19 million | 0.40% | Not an official language |
| Paraguay | 0.17 million | 2.51% | Not an official language |
| Bolivia | 0.16 million | 1.31% | Not an official language |
| Poland | 0.10 million | 0.20% | Not an official language |
| Australia | 0.08 million | 0.40% | Not an official language |
| Belgium | 0.08 million | 0.70% | Co-official language |
| Sweden | 0.07 million | 0.73% | Not an official language |
| Russia | 0.04 million | 0.03% | Not an official language |
| New Zealand | 0.04 million | 0.90% | Not an official language |
| Czech Republic | 0.04 million | 0.40% | Not an official language |
| Hungary | 0.04 million | 0.40% | Not an official language |
| Chile | 0.04 million | 0.20% | Not an official language |
| Liechtenstein | 0.03 million | 91.50% | Official language |
| Kazakhstan | 0.03 million | 0.20% | Not an official language |
| Uruguay | 0.03 million | 0.88% | Not an official language |
| Romania | 0.03 million | 0.10% | Not an official language |
| Namibia | 0.02 million | 0.78% | Not an official language |
| Denmark | 0.02 million | 0.40% | Not an official language |
| Luxembourg | 0.01 million | 3.10% | Administrative language |
| South Africa | 0.01 million | 0.02% | Not an official language |
| Belize | 0.01 million | 2.70% | Not an official language |
| Finland | 0.01 million | 0.13% | Not an official language |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0.01 million | 0.10% | Not an official language |
| Slovakia | 0.01 million | 0.09% | Not an official language |
| Ukraine | 4.00 thousand | 0.01% | Not an official language |
| Croatia | 3.00 thousand | 0.07% | Not an official language |
| Serbia | 2.00 thousand | 0.03% | Not an official language |
| Slovenia | 2.00 thousand | 0.08% | Not an official language |
| Cyprus | 1.00 thousand | 0.10% | Not an official language |
| Lithuania | 0.50 thousand | 0.01% | Not an official language |
| Estonia | 0.50 thousand | 0.04% | Not an official language |
| Latvia | 0.20 thousand | 0.01% | Not an official language |
| Montenegro | 0.10 thousand | 0.02% | Not an official language |
Number of German learners over time
Since the 1990s, The German language has maintained a steady number of learners. Although there has been some fluctuation, the popularity of German with those who would like to learn a new language has not shown significant declines on the whole.
- As of 2020, there are 15.40 million people learning the German language.
- This number has stayed the same since 2015.
- Of this number, an estimated 90% are non-adults (13.86 million), and 10% are adults (1.54 million).
- The total number of German language learners has dropped by 10.98% since 1995.
- For the given data, the number of German language learners peaked at 20.10 million in 2000.
| Year | Number of learners | Change |
| 2020 | 15.40 million | |
| 2015 | 15.40 million | + 4.76% |
| 2010 | 14.70 million | – 11.98% |
| 2005 | 16.70 million | – 16.92% |
| 2000 | 20.10 million | + 16.18% |
| 1995 | 17.30 million |
A graph is given below to show the number of German learners over time:
German learners by region
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of German language learners are based in Europe and Russia. As the language is not widely-spoken outside of this region, European citizens have a higher incentive to learn it for communication.
- As of 2020, a significant percentage (72.66%) of German language learners are based in Europe and Russia.
- German is likely to be a more popular language to learn in Europe as the 6 countries that list it as an official or co-official language are also all based there.
- 11.48% of learners are located in Asia & Oceania, while 10.61% are based in Africa.
- Just 5.26% are situated in North & South America.
| Region | Percentage |
| Europe (including Russia) | 72.66% |
| Asia & Oceania | 11.48% |
| Africa | 10.61% |
| North & South America | 5.26% |
A graph is given below to show the number of German learners by region:
Number of Goethe Institutes by region
Goethe Institutes are non-profit cultural associations that allow students to learn more about German culture and language. Around 250,000 students are known to take part in the courses they host each year.
- As of 2022, there are 158 Goethe Institutes worldwide.
- 42 of these are in Northwest and Southwest Europe, which includes 12 in Germany itself.
- North America has 11 institutes and South America has 13 institutes.
- In addition, The Goethe-Institut helps to support around 600 “Partners for the Future” (PASCH) schools which are part of the national education systems in over 100 countries.
- The idea behind this initiative was to create a global network of schools which can help support the mission of Goethe Institutes.
| Region | Number of Goethe Institutes |
| Northwest Europe | 21 |
| Southwest Europe | 21 |
| North Africa / Middle East | 16 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 15 |
| South America | 13 |
| Southeast Asia / Oceania | 12 |
| Southeast Europe | 12 |
| South Asia | 11 |
| North America | 11 |
| East Asia | 9 |
| Central East Europe | 9 |
| East Europe / Central Asia | 8 |
Number of German language articles on Wikipedia
As a massive online encyclopedia, Wikipedia is seen as one of the most important websites on the internet due to its open collaboration. By tracking the number of articles it hosts in the German language, we can estimate the overall growth of the language online.
- As of 2023, there are 2.81 million German language articles available to read on Wikipedia.
- This is an increase of 4.11% over the previous year.
- Since 2010, the total number of German language articles on Wikipedia has increased 155.45% from 1.10 million.
| Year | Number of articles | Change |
| 2023 | 2.81 million | + 4.11% |
| 2022 | 2.70 million | + 3.97% |
| 2021 | 2.60 million | + 6.18% |
| 2020 | 2.44 million | + 5.71% |
| 2019 | 2.31 million | + 5.09% |
| 2018 | 2.20 million | + 4.76% |
| 2017 | 2.10 million | + 10.53% |
| 2016 | 1.90 million | + 5.56% |
| 2015 | 1.80 million | + 5.88% |
| 2014 | 1.70 million | + 6.25% |
| 2013 | 1.60 million | + 14.29% |
| 2012 | 1.40 million | + 7.69% |
| 2011 | 1.30 million | + 18.18% |
| 2010 | 1.10 million | + 14.70% |
| 2009 | 0.96 million | + 20.03% |
| 2008 | 0.80 million | + 27.64% |
| 2007 | 0.63 million | + 51.21% |
| 2006 | 0.41 million | + 78.45% |
| 2005 | 0.23 million | + 169.77% |
| 2004 | 0.09 million | + 405.88% |
| 2003 | 0.02 million | + 709.52% |