How many people in Wales speak Welsh?

purcy

Population 2,798.200 20% speak Welsh http://users.cs.cf.ac.uk/Robert.Evans/Places/Wales.html/ Jan 26 08, 1:18 PM

great2beme

Out of 611, 000 people in Wales, 62% use it daily and 88% are fluent use it daily. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_language Jan 26 08, 1:26 PM

billythebrit

Think the guy above's figures are way out. The population of Wales is around 3 million (like purcy says), a lot higher than your figure suggests. See here, http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/people.shtml Jan 26 08, 1:40 PM

Baloo55th

I think great2 is quoting a figure of people who regard themselves as Welsh speakers. The main part of the actually Welsh-speaking population is in North Wales, although children are taught Welsh throughout Wales. Only a small percentage ever actually use the Welsh they are taught - a bit like the French taught in English schools...... Source: personal experience of Wales and members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg. Jan 26 08, 2:06 PM

star_gazer

Thank you all. This paragraph seems to be the most clear answer: Wales is a country with two languages: Welsh and English. Welsh is spoken by around 20% of the population. Although the north west has the highest ratio of Welsh to English speakers, a greater number of Welsh speakers live in the more populous south. Most areas are far from completely Anglicised, and the language is strong across Wales. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/culture/sites/aboutwales/pages/culture.shtml Jan 26 08, 5:04 PM