Did you know that German is also used in Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, as well as in parts of Belgium, Italy, France, Denmark, Russia, the Baltic States, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Namibia, South Africa, Israel and Australia? It seems logical to suggest that, when learning a foreign language, it is helpful to know exactly who speaks that language and where. The aim of this chapter is therefore to provide an overview of the various countries and regions where German is used.

Let us begin, however, by looking at some general facts and figures about German. How many German speakers are there today? And how does the use of German compare to other languages? It is, in fact, extremely difficult to estimate the exact number of speakers for any language but the total for German would appear to lie somewhere between 95 and 110 million (see table 3.1). This means that, in terms of the various languages spoken worldwide, German ranks about tenth – Chinese, by comparison, has approximately 770 million speakers, English, some 415 million, and Spanish, 300 million. In an international context, therefore, German cannot really be considered amongst the most widely used of modern languages. Moreover, it has definitely lost ground to English over the past hundred years or so, a trend which seems set to continue.