Turkish Becomes Second Most Spoken Language in Germany
🇹🇷 Turkish becomes second most spoken language in Germany
Turkish has emerged as the most widely spoken language in Germany after German, highlighting the country’s rich migration history and growing linguistic diversity.
According to Germany’s statistical office, in 2024 around 15.5 million residents mainly spoke a language other than German at home. Of these, 14% primarily used Turkish, followed by Russian (12%) and Arabic (9%).
Among Germany’s 21.4 million people with an immigrant background, 55% speak at least one other language alongside German, while only 22% use German exclusively at home.
🇩🇪🇹🇷 A historic diaspora
Germany is home to over 3 million people of Turkish origin, one of the country’s largest diaspora communities, many tracing their roots to labor migration agreements from the 1960s that brought Turkish workers to support West Germany’s postwar economy.
“The Turkish‑German community is a testament to six decades of connection — from guest workers to integral contributors in every field of society.”
- 🗣️ Turkish: 14% of non‑German home languages
- 🇷🇺 Russian: 12% | 🇸🇦 Arabic: 9%
- 👥 21.4M with immigrant background (2024)
- 🤝 55% speak at least one other language at home
- 📅 labour migration since 1961
📌 only 22% of immigrant‑background residents use German exclusively at home
© 2026 – language demographics Germany · destatis data 2024 · published feb 2026
🌍 Turkish‑German community: 3+ million · 60+ years of shared history
