Mostly depending on the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties with a disputed status as separate languages (e.g., Low German/Plautdietsch[1]), it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language,[2][3][4] 10–25 million as a second language,[2][3] and 75–100 million as a foreign language.[2][5] This would imply approximately 175–220 million German speakers worldwide.[6]