Proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales drops to record low

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales has dropped to a record low, new figures show.

In 2021 an estimated 538,000 people in Wales aged three years and over (17.8 per cent) reported being able to speak Welsh.

That is a decrease since 2011 when 562,000 - or 19 per cent - spoke the language, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS said one of the main factors contributing to the overall decrease is fewer Welsh speakers aged three to 15.

The data was collected by asking people to assess their own ability to understand spoken Welsh, and to speak, read and write Welsh.

In 2016 the Welsh Government set a target to have one million speakers in Wales by 2050.

Opposition politicians described the new data as "deeply disappointing" and said the Welsh Government had got further behind in meeting the language target.

Samuel Kurtz, Welsh Conservative shadow minister for the Welsh language, said: "This is a deeply disappointing statistic that shows the Labour Government is further off meeting its Cymraeg 2050 ambition than it was when it set the target of reaching a million speakers in 30 years' time.

"What lies behind this? Self-reporting is a flawed model of measurement, and with such a long-term strategy, with responsibility being handed from minister to minister as we approach 2050, there is little accountability around decisions impacting the language.

"While we fully support the ambitions of the Cymraeg 2050 target, the Census' data shows the stark reality of a tired Government, in power for too long and out of ideas.

"Positivity around the language, showing that it is cool, modern and useable in day-to-day life is that way we can ensure the most beautiful language on Earth can flourish in its homeland."

Delyth Jewell, chair of the Senedd culture, communications, Welsh language, sport and international relations committee, said: "Today's announcement is without doubt disappointing.

"The data confirms that it will take a long time and sustained support to reverse decades of decreases in the number of Welsh speakers. It shows the true urgency of need to stop this decline.

"The great Welsh historian Raymond Williams once said, 'To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.'

"The Welsh Government must now be truly radical in its goal of achieving a million Welsh speakers. A goal that is shared by all parties.

"This means being clear and robust of what is expected of us all in Wales and putting in place increased levels of funding and resource to meet the challenge.

"Without it, it is hard to see how we will achieve the shared aim by 2050."