Analysis of Welsh language skills by area deprivation (Census 2021, WIMD 2019)

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Table

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Data valuesData descriptionDeprivation groupWelsh language skills
5.1Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10% of LSOAs in WalesCan speak Welsh
7.1Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10% of LSOAs in WalesCan do at least one of read Welsh, write Welsh, understand spoken Welsh
10.8Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10% of LSOAs in WalesNo skills in Welsh
6.6Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10-20% of LSOAs in WalesCan speak Welsh
8.4Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10-20% of LSOAs in WalesCan do at least one of read Welsh, write Welsh, understand spoken Welsh
10.8Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 10-20% of LSOAs in WalesNo skills in Welsh
7.9Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 20-30% of LSOAs in WalesCan speak Welsh
9.5Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 20-30% of LSOAs in WalesCan do at least one of read Welsh, write Welsh, understand spoken Welsh
10.1Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 20-30% of LSOAs in WalesNo skills in Welsh
22.2Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 30-50% of LSOAs in WalesCan speak Welsh
20.5Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 30-50% of LSOAs in WalesCan do at least one of read Welsh, write Welsh, understand spoken Welsh
19.3Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupMost deprived 30-50% of LSOAs in WalesNo skills in Welsh
58.2Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupLeast deprived 50% of LSOAs in WalesCan speak Welsh
54.6Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupLeast deprived 50% of LSOAs in WalesCan do at least one of read Welsh, write Welsh, understand spoken Welsh
49.0Percentage of people living in the deprivation groupLeast deprived 50% of LSOAs in WalesNo skills in Welsh

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Metadata

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Next update expected:This dataset is not expected to be updated or replaced in the future

Updates

13th February 2026
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
No designation
Data provider 1
Welsh Government
Data source 1
Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD)
Data provider 2
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Data source 2
2021 Census

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

This analysis uses Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2019 and Census 2021 data to estimate the proportions of population groups living in areas within each WIMD 2019 deprivation grouping. It identifies where people from various groups are most likely to live in terms of small area (Lower Super Output Area or LSOA) relative deprivation and whether this varies across groups.

This analysis presents an overview of how different populations were distributed across Wales at the time of the 2021 Census. It does not take into account the interaction of different characteristics with each other or with deprivation. For example, older age groups have a smaller likelihood of living in the most deprived areas, which may affect populations with different age profiles such as certain ethnic groups, veterans or those in poor health. Results should be interpreted in simple terms of how likely the population was to live in the various deprivation areas of Wales at the time of the 2021 Census, rather than attempting to establish a relationship between specific characteristics and deprivation.

Data collection or calculation

The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) is the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in Wales. WIMD is designed to identify small areas in Wales where there are the highest concentrations of several different types of deprivation. WIMD 2019 ranks all small areas in Wales from 1 (most deprived) to 1,909 (least deprived). The small areas are otherwise known as Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs). This geography is built from Census 2011 data and represents small areas each with a population of around 1,600 people. The index is calculated from eight types or domains of deprivation, each compiled from a range of different indicators (or measures).

Census 2021 was conducted in Wales and England on 21 March 2021

The estimates in this article have been produced by linking Census 2021 LSOA data from the Office for National Statistics’ create a custom dataset tool to WIMD 2019 LSOA overall deprivation rankings. Due to statistical disclosure control methods employed by the ONS for this tool, percentages for the breakdowns presented in this article may not sum to 100.0%.

Statistical quality

Quality information on the 2021 Census can be found on the ONS website.

Background and quality information on WIMD 2019 can be found on the WIMD 2019 index guidance webpage.

More quality and methodology information can be found in the related report.

Rounding applied

Percentages rounded to 1 decimal place.

Related reports

Published by

Organisation
Welsh Government
Contact email
statsinclusion@gov.wales