Annual Population Survey - Frequency of speaking Welsh by local authority and year

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Data descriptionShown in tableAll 2 valuesChange values
Frequency of speaking WelshShown in tableAll 4 valuesChange values
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Table

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Standard shorthand is used in this table: [u] = low reliability, [x] = not available.

Data valuesData descriptionFrequency of speaking WelshLocal AuthorityYear
448,775NumberDailyWales31st December 2025
431,678NumberDailyWales30th September 2025
432,117NumberDailyWales30th June 2025
423,912NumberDailyWales31st March 2025
425,993NumberDailyWales31st December 2024
426,303NumberDailyWales30th September 2024
433,891NumberDailyWales30th June 2024
443,778NumberDailyWales31st March 2024
458,471NumberDailyWales31st December 2023
456,319NumberDailyWales30th September 2023
453,494NumberDailyWales30th June 2023
458,366NumberDailyWales31st March 2023
458,796NumberDailyWales31st December 2022
462,015NumberDailyWales30th September 2022
449,861NumberDailyWales30th June 2022
451,313NumberDailyWales31st March 2022
451,345NumberDailyWales31st December 2021
459,962NumberDailyWales30th September 2021
466,545NumberDailyWales30th June 2021
478,510NumberDailyWales31st March 2021
493,819NumberDailyWales31st December 2020
490,112NumberDailyWales30th September 2020
490,823NumberDailyWales30th June 2020
486,776NumberDailyWales31st March 2020
NumberDailyWales31st December 2019
Showing 1 to 25 of 13,984 rows
Page 1 of 560

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Metadata

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Next update expected:January 2026

Updates

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
March 2007 to December 2025

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

This dataset shows how often people aged 3 or older say they speak Welsh, by local authority and year ending date.

The information is broken down by:

  • Local authority – the area where people live.
  • Year ending – the period the estimate relates to (for example, year ending 31 March 2023).
  • Frequency category – how often people say they speak Welsh (e.g. daily, weekly, less often, never).
  • Measure – the estimated number or percentage of people in each frequency category.

You can use this dataset to compare how often Welsh is spoken in different parts of Wales and how this 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.

Related reports

Published by

Organisation
Welsh Government
Contact email
welshlanguagedata@gov.wales