List of territorial entities where German is an official language - wikipedia List of territorial entities where German is an official language Legal statuses of German in Europe : `` German Sprachraum '' : German is ( co - ) official language and first language of the majority of the population German is a co-official language, but not the first language of the majority of the population German ( or a German dialect ) is a legally recognized minority language ( Squares : Geographic distribution too dispersed / small for map scale ) German ( or a variety of German ) is spoken by a sizable minority, but has no legal recognition Approximate distribution of native German speakers ( assuming a rounded total of 95 million ) worldwide. Germany ( 78.3 % ) Austria ( 8.4 % ) Switzerland ( 5.6 % ) Italy ( 0.4 % ) Other ( 7.3 % ) The following is a list of the territorial entities where German is an official language. It includes countries, which have German as ( one of ) their nationwide official language ( s ), as well as dependent territories with German as a co-official language. Contents 1 German as an official language 1.1 Dependent entities 2 Other legal statuses 3 International institutions 4 Notes 5 References German as an official language German is the official language of six countries, all of which lie in central Europe. These countries ( with the addition of South Tyrol ) also form the Council for German Orthography and are referred to as the German Sprachraum ( German language area ). Country Population 2014 / 2015 Speakers Notes ( native ) ( second ) Germany 81,083,600 74,430,000 ( 91.8 % ) 5,600,000 ( 6.9 % ) Sole nationwide official language Belgium 11,245,629 73,000 ( 0.6 % ) 2,472,746 ( 22 % ) De jure nationwide co-official language ( majority language only in German speaking community ) Austria 8,602,112 7,999,964 ( 93 % ) 516,000 ( 6 % ) De jure sole nationwide official language Switzerland 8,256,000 5,329,393 ( 64.6 % ) 395,000 ( 5 % ) Co-official language at federal level ; de jure sole official language in 17, co-official in 4 cantons ( out of 26 ) Luxembourg 562,958 11,000 ( 2 % ) 380,000 ( 67.5 % ) De jure nationwide co-official language Liechtenstein 37,370 32,075 ( 85.8 % ) 5,200 ( 13.9 % ) De jure sole nationwide official language Total 109,787,669 87,875,432 9,368,946 Total speakers : 97,244,378 Dependent entities German, or one of its dialects, is a co-official language in several dependent entities. In each of these regions, German, along with the official language of the host nation, is an official language on the administrative level. Region Country Population 2006 / 2011 Native speakers Notes Autonomous Province of South Tyrol Italy 511,750 354,643 ( 69.3 % ) Co-official language on province level ; equal to Italian Opole Voivodeship ( 28 communes ) Silesian Voivodeship ( 3 communes ) Poland 250,000 ~ 50,000 ( ~ 20 % ) Auxiliary language in 31 communes ; also national minority language Espírito Santo ( 5 municipalities ) Santa Catarina ( 2 municipalities ) Rio Grande do Sul ( 2 municipalities ) Brazil 205,000 N / A Co-official language in 9 municipalities ( as `` German '', `` Pomeranian '', and `` Hunsrückisch '' ) ; also statewide cultural language in Espírito Santo In the two Slovak villages of Krahule / Blaufuss and Kunešov / Kuneschhau ( total population 530 ) the percentage of ethnic Germans exceeds 20 %, therefore making German a co-official language according to Slovak law. However, due to the size of the villages and the approximate number of native German speakers ( ~ 100 ), the administrative impact is negligible. Other legal statuses Legal statuses of German in the world ( see preceding image for color descriptions ) See also : Geographical distribution of German speakers There are other political entities ( countries as well as dependent entities ) which acknowledge other legal statuses for the German language or one of its dialects. While these may cover minority rights, support of certain language facilities ( schools, media, etc. ), and the promotion of cultural protection / heritage, they do not encompass the establishment of German as an `` official '' language, i.e., being required in public offices or administrative texts. Brazil ( cultural language in Espírito Santo ; also co-official in 9 municipalities in southern Brazil ) Bosnia and Herzegovina ( national minority language ) Czech Republic ( national minority language ) Denmark ( minority language in Syddanmark ) Hungary ( national minority language ) Italy ( outside South Tyrol ) ( minority language in Trentino ( as `` Cimbrian '' & `` Mòcheno / Fersentalerisch '' ) ; Piedmont / Valle d'Aosta ( as Walser German ) ; Friuli - Venezia Giulia ( various dialects ) ) Kazakhstan ( national minority language ) Namibia ( national language ; co-official language 1984 -- 90 ) Poland ( national minority language ; also auxiliary language in 31 communes ) Romania ( national minority language ) Russia ( minority language in the Azov German National District ) Slovakia ( national minority language ; also co-official in 2 villages ) Ukraine ( national minority language ) Although in France, the High German varieties Alsatian and Moselle Franconian are identified as `` regional languages '' according to the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages of 1998, the French government has not yet ratified the treaty, and those varieties have no official legal status. The constitution of South Africa identifies German as a `` commonly used '' language and the Pan South African Language Board is obligated to `` promote and ensure respect '' for it. Due to the German diaspora, other countries with sizable populations of ( mostly bilingual ) German L1 speakers include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay, as well as the United States. However, in none of these countries does German or a German variety have any legal status. In the Netherlands, the Limburgish, Frisian, and Low German languages are protected regional languages according to the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, however they are widely considered separate languages and neither German nor Dutch dialects. International institutions German is an official language of the following international institutions : European Patent Organisation -- EPO European Space Agency -- ESA European Union - EU Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe - OSCE Reporters Without Borders -- RWB World Association of Newspapers -- WAN Numerous international sports associations : European Handball Federation -- EHF Fédération Internationale de Basketball -- FIBA Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing -- FIBT Fédération Internationale de Football Association -- FIFA Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique -- FIG Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course -- FIL Fédération Internationale de Ski -- FIS International Biathlon Union -- IBU Union of European Football Associations -- UEFA Notes Jump up ^ While several specific laws, e.g., § 23 VwVfG or $184 GVG, specify German as the administrative language in Germany, the Grundgesetz does not specifically mention it as federal official language. References Jump up ^ See : List of countries and dependencies by population ^ Jump up to : Eurobarometer 2012 - Annex Jump up ^ `` German, Standard ''. Ethnologue. ^ Jump up to : Ammon, Ulrich ( November 2014 ). `` Die Stellung der deutschen Sprache in der Welt '' ( in German ) ( 1st ed. ). Berlin, Germany : de Gruyter. ISBN 978 - 3 - 11 - 019298 - 8. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ Census of South Tyrol 2011 Jump up ^ Polish census 2011 ( note that ethnic associations allow only for a very rough estimate of first language distribution ) Jump up ^ `` Map on page of Polish Commission on Standardization of Geographical Names '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 20 June 2015. ^ Jump up to : Council of Europe - List of ratifications of the Charter for regional / minority languages Jump up ^ `` IPOL realizará formação de recenseadores para o censo linguístico do município de Antônio Carlos - SC ''. e-ipol.org. ^ Jump up to : Legislative Assembly of the state of Espírito Santo ( Commissioner for Culture and Social Communication - Addition to the constitutional amendment number 11 / 2009 establishing the Pomeranian dialect as well as German as cultural heritage of the state ( February 2011 ) Jump up ^ Úrad splnomocnenca vlády SR pre národnostné menšiny ( The Government Council of the Slovak Republic for National Minorities and Ethnic Groups ) - List of Slovakian municipalities with > 20 % minority population ( 2011 ) Jump up ^ National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World. Willard, Ohio : R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company. April 2006. pp. 257 -- 299. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7922 - 3662 - 7. Jump up ^ Annual of Language & Politics and Politics of Identity - Language Policy of Slovak Republic ( Zdeněk Škrobák ) Jump up ^ `` National Council of the Slovak Republic - 184 Act ( dated 10 July 1999 ) on the use of languages of national minorities ''. kbdesign.sk. Jump up ^ Carolin Zwilling ( European Academy Bolzano - Bozen, 2004 ) - Minority Protection and Language Policy in the Czech Republic Jump up ^ `` European Centre for Minority Issues - Bonn - Copenhagen Declarations ''. ecmi.de. Jump up ^ Die deutsche Minderheit in Dänemark - Sprache -- Identität und Schlüssel ( German ). Letzter Zugriff am 3. Mai 2015 Jump up ^ `` Deutsche Botschaft Budapest - Die deutsche Minderheit in Ungarn ''. Retrieved 3 May 2015. Jump up ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Budapest - The national and ethnic minorities in Hungary Jump up ^ `` Tutela delle comunità linguistiche storiche -- Provincia Autonoma di Trento -- Minoranze Linguistiche ''. provincia.tn.it. Jump up ^ Sprachminderheiten in Italien - Autonome Region Trentino - Südtirol Jump up ^ L.R. n. 26 del 10 aprile 1990 - Tutela, valorizzazione e promozione della conoscenza dell'originale patrimonio linguistico del Piemonte - B.U. n. 16 del 18 aprile 1990 Jump up ^ Loi constitutionnelle n ° 4 du 26 février 1948 STATUT SPECIAL POUR LA VALLEE D'AOSTE Jump up ^ Sprachminderheiten in Italien - Friuli Venezia Giulia Jump up ^ `` German as recognized language in Kazakhstan according to Language Law, No. 151 - 1, 11 July, Articles 4, 6, 7 ( 1997 ) ''. Ethnologue. Jump up ^ `` Deutsch in Namibia '' ( PDF ) ( in German ). Supplement of the Allgemeine Zeitung. 18 August 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2008. Jump up ^ `` Die deutsche Sprache in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz ''. google.de. Jump up ^ `` УСТАВ АЗОВСКОГО РАЙОННОГО СОВЕТА ОТ 21.05. 2002 N 5 - 09 УСТАВ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ `` АЗОВСКИЙ НЕМЕЦКИЙ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ РАЙОН ОМСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ ( ПРИНЯТ РЕШЕНИЕМ АЗОВСКОГО РАЙОННОГО СОВЕТА ОТ 21.05. 2002 N 5 - 09, ЗАРЕГИСТРИРОВАН ПОСТАНОВЛЕНИЕМ ЗС ОТ 25.06. 2002 N 106 ) ''. bestpravo.com. Jump up ^ `` Charte européenne des langues régionales : Hollande nourrit la guerre contre le français ''. Le Figaro. Jump up ^ `` Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1 : Founding Provisions ''. www.gov.za. Jump up ^ German L1 speakers outside Europe Countries and languages lists Countries By languages Spoken Countries by spoken languages Official Countries by the number of recognized official languages Arabic Chinese Dutch / Afrikaans English French German Malay Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Tamil Endonyms Countries and capitals in native languages Exonyms Country names in various languages A -- C D -- I J -- P Q -- Z Languages of the European Union Languages By continent Africa Americas North South Asia East South Europe Oceania By country Official languages by state List of languages without official status Countries by the number of recognized official languages Languages by the number of countries in which they are recognized as an official language By population By number of native speakers By number of total speakers Languages in censuses By family Language families Language - based geopolitical organizations Arab League ( Arabic ) Dutch Language Union ( Dutch ) English Speaking Union Francophonie ( French ) Community of Portuguese Language Countries ( Portuguese ) Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa ( Portuguese ) Latin Union ( Romance ) Hispanidad ( Spanish ) Turkic Council ( Turkic ) International Organization of Turkic Culture ( Turkic ) See also Lists of languages Category : Languages Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_territorial_entities_where_German_is_an_official_language&oldid=802454183 '' Categories : German - speaking countries and territories Lists of administrative territorial entities by language German as official language German language German diaspora in Europe Cultural regions Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Беларуская Italiano ქართული مصرى Русский اردو Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 06 : 48. 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Question: countries where german is the only official language
Answer: Germany