4 Countries Where German Is the Official Language in 2024

Germany

Of the countries where German is the official language, few are as well-known for this language as a mother tongue as Germany itself. With at least 75.5 million native speakers, Germany is home to the highest number of native German speakers.

Within this county, 90 to 95 percent of citizens speak Stand German, or a dialect of this language, as their native language. This also includes several regional languages considered statistically to be German. German can fall into several different dialects and forms. This is because it is what is known as a pluricentric language. This can also be known as a polycentric language. What this means is that several different forms of the language can exist, most often distinguished by geography. For example, there is only one form of Russian. However, English varies greatly depending on whether it is spoken in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. Sometimes, the greatest differences are seen only in spelling, not pronunciation.

Austria

Austria is a Central European country located southeast of Germany. The two countries are adjacent, Because of this, and their interconnected history dating back hundreds of years, Austria has a large population of native German speakers. Large enough in fact that German is the official language of Austria. The main form of German spoken within this country is Austrian Standard German, or Austrian as it is commonly known. However, Standard German is the language most often spoken in the capital, Vienna, and surrounding regions. With that being said, other dialects of German are common throughout the country, especially Austrian Standard German and other dialects.

There are a few major differences between these dialects. Because of this, they are mutually intelligible. As a result, although citizens of Austria may not speak German exactly the same way, they can almost always understand each other. This is true for most German-speaking countries, including Germany itself, where different.

Belgium

Like Austria, Belgium is also adjacent to Germany. However, it is located to the west and northwest of Luxembourg. Belgium has a long and diverse history dating back hundreds of years. Much of this history has placed it in close contact with other German-speaking countries, whether through positive relationships or war. German is only one of three official languages spoken within Belgium. The other two languages are Dutch and French. Belgium lacks an official census that gauges the distribution of languages in the country. However, estimations place German as the least spoken of the three official languages, with Dutch being the most prevalent. However, recent estimations from the past decade state that there are around 78,144 German native speakers living in Belgium. Because of this, German is only the native language for around 1 percent of the population of this country.

Liechtenstein

Of the countries where German is the official language in 2024, Liechtenstein may be one of the least well-known. Much of this is because Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest country in the entire world. The local German dialect in Liechtenstein is Alemannic.