Annual Population Survey - Ability to read, write and understand spoken Welsh by age, sex and year
See what variables and values are shown in your table
| Variable | Visibility | Selected values | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welsh Skill | Shown in table | All 3 values | Change values |
| Age | Shown in table | All 8 values | Change values |
| Sex | Shown in table | All 3 values | Change values |
| Year | Shown in table | All 86 values | Change values |
| Data description | Shown in table | All 2 values | Change values |
Table
Standard shorthand is used in this table: [u] = low reliability.
| Data values | Data description | Welsh Skill | Age | Sex | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 726,200 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2004 |
| 25.6 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2004 |
| 727,200 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2005 |
| 25.7 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2005 |
| 721,900 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2005 |
| 25.5 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2005 |
| 722,800 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2005 |
| 25.5 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2005 |
| 710,500 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2005 |
| 25.0 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2005 |
| 711,700 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2006 |
| 25.0 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2006 |
| 713,700 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2006 |
| 25.0 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2006 |
| 712,300 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2006 |
| 25.0 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2006 |
| 711,600 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2006 |
| 24.9 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2006 |
| 704,100 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2007 |
| 24.6 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st March 2007 |
| 696,400 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2007 |
| 24.3 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th June 2007 |
| 693,400 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2007 |
| 24.2 | Percentage | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 30th September 2007 |
| 689,500 | Number | Read Welsh | Total | Total | 31st December 2007 |
Next update expected:January 2026
Updates
- 24th July 2026
Updated to include the latest quarter.
- 22nd April 2026
Updated to include the latest quarter. This update includes minor changes to the description of time periods within this data set (please see metadata for details).
- 21st January 2026
Updated to include new quarter.
- 9th October 2025
- 25th September 2025
- 25th September 2025
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Official statistics
- Data provider
- Office for National Statistics (ONS)
- Data source
- Annual Population Survey (APS)
- Time period covered
- December 2004 to March 2026
- Dataset ID
- 1c0792e0-8dd5-436b-9333-1c7a38005b97
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
This dataset shows how many people aged 3 or older say they can read, write, and understand spoken Welsh. Figures are for each year ending date.
The information is broken down by:
- Age group – the age range people belong to.
- Sex – whether people are male or female.
- Year ending – the period the estimate relates to (for example, year ending 31 March 2023).
- Measure – the estimated number or percentage of people aged 3 or older who report being able to read, write and understand spoken Welsh.
You can use this dataset to see how Welsh language skills differ between age groups, between men and women, and how it changes over time.
- Data collection or calculation
The data come from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is an annual dataset derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Local authority level data have been available since 2001, when an enhanced sample (around 350% larger than the standard survey) was introduced.
Since 2004, the APS has been produced on a rolling annual basis, with each rolling annual average covering a 12-month period and updated every three months. This provides more timely data while overlapping periods by nine months. The rolling dataset is boosted with additional sampled respondents to improve the robustness of estimates, particularly for local-level geographies.
For the years 2001–2003, Welsh-specific weights are applied to better reflect population figures for local authorities.
In mid-March 2020, APS interviews switched from face-to-face to telephone because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ONS monitored the impact and re-weighted the data accordingly. Face-to-face interviews were reintroduced in autumn 2023. Comparing pre-2020 face-to-face interviews with telephone interviews suggested a slight increase in respondents reporting Welsh-speaking ability, so caution is advised when interpreting trends across this period.
The survey collects information on the population’s ability to speak Welsh. Respondents aged 3 or older are asked whether they can speak Welsh, and estimates are presented as counts or percentages of Welsh speakers.
Standard analysis and weighting methods are applied to ensure the estimates are representative of the population.
- Statistical quality
These estimates were previously classified as accredited official statistics. Due to a fall in sample sizes in the Annual Population Survey (APS) in recent years, and because the survey has not been reweighted to the latest population estimates, this accreditation has been temporarily suspended. The estimates are now designated as official statistics.
The statistics remain suitable for use, but users should note that there is increased uncertainty, particularly for smaller geographic areas or population sub-groups, where estimates are less reliable. Trends should be considered alongside other sources of information on Welsh speakers, such as the National Survey for Wales. The Welsh Government considers the census of population to be the key source of information to measure the number of Welsh speakers in Wales.
All APS data are sample-based, meaning results are estimates rather than exact counts. The true value of any measure lies within a range around the estimate, with variability increasing as data become more detailed. For example, local authority-level estimates are subject to greater uncertainty than national-level estimates.
APS responses are weighted to official population projections. Initially, 2020 data were based on 2018 population projections, which did not account for changes from the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2021, APS data were reweighted using updated population estimates derived from HM Revenue and Customs Real Time Information (RTI), improving accuracy for overall rates and levels.
These changes reduce potential bias in higher-level aggregates, but some smaller breakdowns may still be affected due to reduced sample sizes during the pandemic, leading to more extreme variation in estimates.
- Rounding applied
Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 and so there may be some apparent slight discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and the totals as shown.
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- welshlanguagedata@gov.wales