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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Population: Demographic Situation, Languages and Religions

United Kingdom - Wales

Last update: 9 December 2020
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Demographic situation

The total land area of the United Kingdom of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland (UK) is 241,930 km2.

Source: UK Profile in The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 2019.

Population estimates

The population of the UK at 30 September 2020 was estimated to be 66,796,807 of which the population of Wales was 3,152,879.

For further information on population statistics for the UK from the annual official set of mid-year estimates, provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (the national statistical institute of the UK), see the parallel article for England. This article also provides comparative mid-year population estimates for 2000, 2005, 2017 and 2019.

Labour market statistics

For information on estimates of employment, unemployment and economic inactivity in the UK, provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) (the national statistical institute of the UK), and derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), see the parallel article for England.

Languages

English

English is used in Wales by custom and practice.

Welsh

The Welsh language has official status in Wales, as confirmed by the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, which created a new legislative framework for the Welsh language. The Measure does not affect the status of the English language in Wales, which is not underpinned by legislation.

Around a fifth of the population of Wales is able to speak Welsh.

According to the 2011 Census, 19% of people aged 3 and over in Wales were able to speak Welsh (562,000). For those aged 3-15, this figure was 30% (169,000). The Census also recorded that 14.6% of the population in Wales were able to speak, read and write Welsh.

The Welsh Language Use Survey 2013-15 reported a slightly higher total of Welsh-speakers, with 24% of people aged 3 and over able to speak Welsh. For 3- to 15-year-olds, the figure was 41%. Of the Welsh-speaking population, almost half considered themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers.

The vast majority of Welsh speakers are bilingual. Even with very small children, the number of monoglot Welsh speakers is very small.

While Welsh speakers can be found throughout Wales, they have traditionally been concentrated in the ‘heartland’ areas of northwest and west Wales. However, the traditional patterns are changing. The number of communities in Wales where a high proportion of the population speaks Welsh has reduced significantly during the past decades. At the same time, the number of Welsh speakers in cities, especially Cardiff, has increased.

The Welsh Government's vision is to see the Welsh language thriving in Wales and for Wales to be truly bilingual. The Welsh Ministers have set out their strategy to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language in Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers, published in 2017. This sets out a vision to achieve a million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050 under three strategic themes:

  • increasing the number of Welsh speakers
  • increasing the use of Welsh
  • creating favourable conditions for the use of Welsh in terms of infrastructure and context.

In addition, the Welsh in Education: Action Plan 2017-2021 sets out the Welsh Government’s direction for the development of Welsh-medium and Welsh language education in support of Cymraeg 2050’s aims.

The language of instruction can be either English or Welsh. Depending on local factors, Welsh-medium and / or bilingual education is available alongside English-medium education. Welsh-medium and bilingual education play a major role in Welsh language development and maintenance. The goal of this provision is to develop children into bilingual individuals, whatever their home language. Many families who choose this provision for their children do not speak Welsh at home and, outside the areas where Welsh-speakers are concentrated, many Welsh-medium and bilingual schools have a majority of pupils from homes where both parents do not speak Welsh.

All pupils attending maintained schools in Wales must study Welsh as part of the compulsory curriculum.

Historical note: Welsh was the majority language in Wales until the industrial revolution, when increased immigration into Wales made English more prevalent. By the time of the 1911 Census, Welsh had become a minority language in Wales, with around 43% of the population reported as speaking it. As use of the language continued to decline, there was a concerted campaign, during the 20th century, to ensure the continued use of Welsh. Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, was founded in 1962. The Society campaigned for bilingual road signs among other measures. In 1967 the Welsh Language Act was passed, but the measures were limited. In 1982, a Welsh Language television channel was introduced, SC4. The Welsh Language Act 1993 made Welsh an equal language to English in Welsh public life. Since the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Welsh Government has conducted business bilingually where possible and legislation is produced bilingually. In addition to providing for the establishment of a new framework of statutory duties in relation to the Welsh language – for Welsh Ministers and public bodies in Wales, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 established the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner as an independent body to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.

Other languages spoken in Wales

An article published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in March 2013, and based on detailed information on the main languages spoken in England and Wales from the census conducted in March 2011 (Language in England and Wales: 2011) highlights that:

  • 7.7% of people (4.2 million) aged 3 and over in England and Wales reported a main language other than English (English or Welsh in Wales).
  • The most common other main language reported was Polish, accounting for 1% of the total population. The next most common main languages are: Panjabi; Urdu; Bengali (with Sylheti and Chatgaya); Gujarati; Arabic; and French.

Religions

The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales and an independent province of the Anglican Communion. Church and state separated in the early 1920s following the Welsh Church Act 1914.

The results of the 2011 Census show that 58% of residents of Wales gave Christianity as their religion, a 14 percentage point drop since 2001. Almost one third (32%) of the population in Wales stated they had no religion. 

This December 2012 article (Religion in England and Wales: 2011), published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and based on information from the March 2011 Census, provides a snapshot of religious affiliations in England and Wales. Key points are:

  • Despite falling numbers, Christianity remained the largest religion in England and Wales, with 59.3% of the population (33.2 million people) identifying as Christian.
  • The second largest religious group were Muslims with 4.8% of the population (2.7 million people).
  • Just over a quarter of the population, 25.1% (14.1 million people), reported no religion.

Churches retain considerable influence on education in Wales. Faith schools are funded by the Welsh Government. Faith in Education, published by the Welsh Government in 2011, states that around 14% of all maintained schools in Wales are faith schools, and most are associated with either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church in Wales. Religious education (RE) must be taught in all maintained schools (not just in faith schools). A daily act of collective worship must also be provided in all maintained schools.

 

Article last reviewed December 2020.