what's shocking about this German speaking stats: ...

What's shocking about this list is the presence of countries like Russia, the United States, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Canada, Poland, Italy, Belgium, and Romania having significant numbers of native German speakers. Usually, German is primarily associated with Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, so seeing countries outside Central Europe, including those far outside Europe like Brazil and the U.S., with hundreds of thousands or even millions of native German speakers is quite surprising. This reflects historical migration, diaspora communities, and perhaps past border changes or settlements of German-speaking communities abroad. For instance, Brazil's 1 million native German speakers is notably high, highlighting a substantial German-speaking minority there.

What's most striking about these statistics is the presence of countries you might not expect to have significant German-speaking populations:

Most surprising entries:

1. Russia (2.1M) - This likely reflects the historical presence of ethnic Germans who were invited to settle in Russia by Catherine the Great in the 18th century, plus communities that survived Soviet-era deportations and persecution.

2. Brazil (1M) - This represents descendants of German immigrants who arrived in large waves during the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in southern states like Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.

3. Kazakhstan (638k) - These are likely ethnic Germans whose families were forcibly relocated to Central Asia during Stalin's era, particularly during and after WWII.

4. Poland (475k) - Surprising given the complex German-Polish history, but reflects remaining German minorities and historical population shifts.

The scale is also notable:
- Russia has more native German speakers than Switzerland
- The U.S. has nearly as many German speakers as Russia
- These diaspora communities collectively represent millions of speakers outside the traditional German-speaking heartland

This data really illustrates how migration, both voluntary and forced, has spread German language communities far beyond Central Europe in ways that might not be immediately obvious to many people.

Several things might be shocking or surprising about this list:

* Russia's High Ranking: Many people wouldn't expect Russia to have such a large number of native German speakers (2.1 million), placing it fourth on the list. This is likely due to historical migrations of Germans to Russia and the Soviet Union, particularly to areas like the Volga region and Siberia.

* U.S. vs. Austria vs. Switzerland: The United States having a significantly lower number of native German speakers (2 million) in comparison to Austria (8.1 million) and Switzerland (5.6 million) may be surprising.

* Brazil's Presence: The inclusion of Brazil with 1 million native German speakers is unexpected. This is linked to significant German immigration to Brazil in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly to the southern states.

* Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan's relatively high number of native German speakers (638k) is unexpected. Like Russia, this is due to historical deportations and settlements of Germans in the region.

* Poland and Italy: The presence of Poland and Italy on the list, while not entirely shocking, might be surprising to some, highlighting historical German settlement and cultural connections in these regions.

* Belgium's Low Number: Despite bordering Germany, Belgium has a relatively low number of native German speakers (83k), highlighting linguistic separation within the country.