Proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales drops to record low of 17.8%

Welsh ministers under pressure as census shows decline since 2011, largely driven by fall among children and young people

Campaigners, teachers and politicians have expressed concern that the percentage of residents in Wales able to speak Welsh has dropped to the lowest proportion ever recorded in a census.

On census day, 21 March 2021, an estimated 538,300 Welsh citizens aged three and over were reported as being able to speak Welsh - about 17.8% of the population.