DE
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Summary:
Germany is a country in Europe that is home to 84,220,000 people. It is also home to 20 living indigenous languages. One of these, Standard German, is the official language of the country. Germany was also home to 1 indigenous language that is now extinct. In addition, 8 living non-indigenous languages are established within the country. In formal education, 2 indigenous languages are used as languages of instruction.
Dashboard
Want to Know More?
Ethnologue Subscriptions
Looking for deeper insights into the languages of Germany? Upgrade to an Essentials or Standard subscription for unlimited access to Ethnologue’s complete collection of country and language profiles—featuring expert-vetted data, interactive maps, and statistics on over 7,000 languages worldwide.
Perfect for researchers, linguists, and anyone passionate about language diversity
View SubscriptionsEthnologue Country Digests
Explore all 28 languages used in Germany with Ethnologue: Languages of Germany—a downloadable PDF document that provides detailed analysis presented in formats not available in the online version of Ethnologue. It includes:
- Comprehensive country overview.
- Statistical summaries by language status, size, and family.
- Alphabetical listing of languages in the country, with in-depth descriptions.
- Full-color language map(s) for visual reference.
- Listings by population, status, family, and region.
- Indexes of ISO 639 codes and alternate language names.
Want to explore more countries? Visit our online store for additional Ethnologue Country Digests! Or upgrade to a Standard subscription for unlimited access to the entire collection
Indigenous Languages
Families
The indigenous languages of Germany belong to the following families.
Indo-European (19) Mixed language (1) Sign language (1)
Language Policy Conventions
Germany has adopted the following international conventions which speak to indigenous language rights.
