How many native speakers of German are there?

It's difficult to give an exact number for native German speakers, as there are different ways to define "native speaker" and data sources vary.

Here's a breakdown of some commonly cited figures:

* Around 78 million people speak German as their first language in Germany.

* Around 100 million people speak German as their native language worldwide, including Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and some parts of Italy, Belgium, and France.

* Around 130 million people are estimated to speak German as a first or second language globally.

So, depending on how you define "native speaker," the number can range from 78 million to over 130 million.

Remember that these are estimations and not exact figures.