Significant Gains for Welsh in Language Survey

The BBC recently reported that a pre-census survey by the Welsh Office of National Statistics shows 874,700 people are able to speak the language, up from 726,600 in 2008. Roughly a 20% increase. The data was published as part of the “Annual Population Survey” as a run up to the full census to be taken in 2021.

The survey shows an increase the number of Welsh speakers in every local authority except for a minor decrease in Torfaen, where there was a 0.5% decrease, and Flintshire, where numbers fell by about 6.2%.

Welsh Language Minister Eluned Morgan said the results of the survey were very encouraging ahead of the census.  These sentiments were echoed by the Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws who told BBC Cymru Fyw: "The figures are encouraging and suggests we are moving in the right direction in our efforts of increasing the number of people who are Welsh speakers.  It's also encouraging seeing the overall picture is pretty consistent throughout Wales."

“According to the survey, the number of Welsh speakers for the population rose in every local authority apart from two, Flintshire, where numbers fell by about 6.2%, and Torfaen, where there was a 0.5% decrease.  Gwynedd remains the area with the highest percentage of Welsh speakers, making up 76.4% of the population. While Pembrokeshire saw the largest increase in the number of people who claim they can speak the language, with almost 10% more of the population now able to speak it compared to in 2008.” - BBC

Read the Full Article Here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45611374