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List of Welsh areas by percentage of Welsh-speakers

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This is a list of subdivisions of Wales by the percentage of those professing some skills in the Welsh language in the 2011 UK census. The census did not record Welsh-speakers living outside Wales.

The census determined that 18.56% of the population could speak Welsh and 14.57% could speak, read and write in the language.[1] In the most recent census in 2021, 17.8% reported being able to speak Welsh.[2]

Census breakdown

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The Census produced a detailed breakdown of skills as:[3]

  • Understands spoken Welsh (no other skills)
  • Speaks but does not read or write Welsh
  • Speaks and reads but does not write Welsh
  • Speaks, reads and writes Welsh
  • Other combination of skills; e.g. Can read but not speak.
  • No knowledge of Welsh.

Those with the ability to speak Welsh

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The second table includes only those people who stated in the 2011 Census that they are able to speak the Welsh language. It was these statistics that were reported by the press when the first data samples were released in 2012.[4]

List of principal areas by Welsh speakers[citation needed]
Area Able to speak Welsh Unable to
speak Welsh
Population total % of those
who can
speak Welsh
% of those
unable to
speak Welsh
Blaenau Gwent 5,316 64,498 69,814 7.61% 92.39%
Bridgend 13,223 125,955 139,178 9.50% 90.50%
Caerphilly 19,448 159,358 178,806 10.88% 89.12%
Cardiff 37,194 308,896 346,090 10.75% 89.25%
Carmarthenshire 78,914 104,863 183,777 42.94% 57.06%
Ceredigion 34,964 40,958 75,922 47.35% 52.65%
Conwy 30,933 84,295 115,228 26.85% 73.15%
Denbighshire 22,491 71,243 93,734 23.99% 76.01%
Flintshire 19,463 133,043 152,506 12.76% 87.24%
Gwynedd 78,412 43,462 121,874 64.34% 35.66%
Isle of Anglesey 39,129 30,622 69,751 56.10% 43.90%
Merthyr Tydfil 5,083 53,719 58,802 8.64% 91.36%
Monmouthshire 8,831 82,492 91,323 9.67% 90.33%
Neath Port Talbot 20,843 118,969 139,812 14.91% 85.09%
Newport 13,124 132,612 145,736 9.01% 90.99%
Pembrokeshire 23,016 99,423 122,439 18.80% 81.20%
Powys 24,187 108,789 132,976 18.19% 81.81%
Rhondda Cynon Taf 28,123 206,287 234,410 12.00% 88.00%
Swansea 26,532 212,491 239,023 11.10% 88.90%
The Vale of Glamorgan 13,325 113,011 126,336 10.55% 89.45%
Torfaen 8,704 82,371 91,075 9.56% 90.44%
Wrexham 16,805 118,039 134,844 12.46% 87.54%
Totals 576,462 2,494,956 3,063,456 18.56%

Those with knowledge of the Welsh language

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For the purpose of the first table, all combinations other than "no knowledge of Welsh" have been combined, giving a percentage of people that state they have some communication skills in the Welsh language rather than an ability to speak Welsh. The totals include children whose parents have filled in the Census details on this behalf.

List of principal areas by people with some communication skills in the Welsh language[citation needed]
Area Can communicate
in Welsh
No knowledge
of Welsh
Population total % of those who
have some knowledge
of Welsh
% of those who
have no knowledge
of Welsh
Blaenau Gwent 7,808 62,006 69,814 11.18% 88.82%
Bridgend 23,532 115,646 139,178 16.91% 83.09%
Caerphilly 28,059 150,747 178,806 15.69% 84.31%
Cardiff 54,504 291,586 346,090 15.74% 84.25%
Carmarthenshire 105,032 78,745 183,777 57.15% 42.85%
Ceredigion 43,366 32,556 75,922 57.12% 42.88%
Conwy 44,614 70,614 115,228 38.72% 61.28%
Denbighshire 32,528 61,206 93,734 34.70% 65.30%
Flintshire 30,455 122,051 152,506 19.97% 80.03%
Gwynedd 88,853 33,021 121,874 72.91% 27.09%
Isle of Anglesey 47,821 21,930 69,751 68.56% 31.44%
Merthyr Tydfil 8,640 50,162 58,802 14.69% 85.31%
Monmouthshire 12,500 78,823 91,323 13.69% 86.31%
Neath Port Talbot 33,896 105,916 139,812 24.24% 75.76%
Newport 18,490 127,246 145,736 12.69% 87.31%
Pembrokeshire 32,930 89,509 122,439 26.90% 73.10%
Powys 36,602 96,374 132,976 27.53% 72.47%
Rhondda Cynon Taf 44,911 189,499 234,410 19.16% 80.84%
Swansea 45,085 193,938 239,023 18.86% 81.14%
Vale of Glamorgan 20,093 106,243 126,336 15.90% 84.10%
Torfaen 11,950 79,125 91,075 13.12% 86.88%
Wrexham 27,812 107,032 134,844 20.63% 79.37%
Totals 799,481 2,263,975 3,063,456 26.10% 73.90%

Annual Population Survey estimates

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In addition to official Census data, the Annual Population Survey publishes sample-based estimates on the number of self-proclaimed Welsh speakers several times a year based on estimates for the previous year. The third table displays uses this data to show estimates for the percentage of people who say they can speak Welsh at the time of each survey, from June 2016 onwards.[5] The 2020 survey reported that 28.6% of people in Wales aged three and over were able to speak Welsh.[6]

List of principal areas by Welsh speakers (%) (2016–17)[citation needed]
Area % Jun 2016 % Sep 2016 % Dec 2016 % Mar 2017 % Jun 2017 % July 2019
Blaenau Gwent 17.4 17.3 16.6 17.2 16.7 19.7
Bridgend 16.4 16.9 17.6 18.4 17.9 15.6
Caerphilly 24.1 23.2 22.2 20.9 21.2 23.7
Cardiff 15.5 16.5 17.9 18.9 19.5 23.7
Carmarthenshire 46.9 48.8 50.0 50.8 50.5 53.3
Ceredigion 53.8 55.3 55.8 56.1 56.6 59.6
Conwy 35.1 35.7 37.9 39.6 39.5 41.6
Denbighshire 35.0 36.2 36.7 35.4 39.5 37.3
Flintshire 21.1 20.2 19.6 19.2 19.7 23.1
Gwynedd 71.1 71.3 71.1 71.8 71.1 76.4
Isle of Anglesey 63.3 61.9 61.9 61.6 60.8 67.5
Merthyr Tydfil 20.8 19.4 19.5 20.5 22.0 18.5
Monmouthshire 15.7 15.6 16.4 16.3 16.9 17.6
Neath Port Talbot 21.7 22.4 21.9 21.2 21.7 25.3
Newport 18.9 18.4 18.7 19.0 19.6 20.9
Pembrokeshire 27.1 27.9 28.0 29.2 29.7 29.6
Powys 25.9 26.8 26.3 27.3 26.7 29.9
Rhondda Cynon Taf 20.8 21.3 22.8 23.6 23.2 22.3
Swansea 21.4 22.1 21.4 22.1 22.5 23.1
Torfaen 18.2 15.6 16.9 17.7 18.8 17.7
The Vale of Glamorgan 18.2 19.2 18.4 19.3 19.2 20.9
Wrexham 27.7 27.5 27.2 26.0 25.0 25.8
Wales 26.7 27.1 27.4 27.8 27.9 29.8

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2011 Census - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Welsh language, Wales - Office for National Statistics".
  3. ^ "2011 Census: Datacube - Welsh language skills by age and sex , unitary authorities in Wales" (Microsoft Excel). Office for National Statistics. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Census 2011: Number of Welsh speakers falling". bbc.co.uk. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Annual Population Survey estimates of persons aged 3 and over who say they can speak Welsh by local authority and measure". StatsWales. Annual Population Survey. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Welsh language data from the Annual Population Survey: July 2019 to June 2020". GOV.WALES. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
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