Language

The proportion of adults using English as their main language and a breakdown of other languages used in the UK and the multilingual population.

Spotlight

In Wales, a question about Welsh language has been included in the census since 1891; people self-assessed their own Welsh language skills, or the skills of others if they were responding on someone else's behalf, such as parents or guardians reporting on behalf of children.
In Census 2021, people self-assessed whether they could understand spoken Welsh, and speak, read or write Welsh; people could select a single skill, multiple skills, or no Welsh language skills.
In 2021, an estimated 538,000 usual residents in Wales aged three years and over (17.8%) reported being able to speak Welsh, which is a decrease since 2011 (562,000, 19.0%).

In 2021, 91.1% (52.6 million) of usual residents, aged three years and over, had English (English or Welsh in Wales) as a main language (down from 92.3%, or 49.8 million, in 2011).
In 2021, a further 7.1% (4.1 million) of the overall population were proficient in English (English or Welsh in Wales) but did not speak it as their main language.
The most common main languages, other than English (English or Welsh in Wales), were: Polish (1.1%, 612,000), Romanian (0.8%, 472,000), Panjabi (0.5%, 291,000), and Urdu (0.5%, 270,000).

Welsh skills (detailed), Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their overall Welsh language skills. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
Welsh skills (reading), Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their ability to read Welsh. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
Welsh skills (speaking) and resident age, Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their ability to speak Welsh by age. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
Welsh skills (speaking), Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their ability to speak Welsh. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
Welsh skills (understanding), Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their ability to understand Welsh. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
Welsh skills (writing), Wales: Census 2021

Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Wales by their ability to write Welsh. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Language, England and Wales: Census 2021

Main language, English language proficiency, and household language in England and Wales, Census 2021 data.
Welsh language, Wales: Census 2021

The ability of usual residents aged three years and over living in Wales to understand spoken Welsh, and to speak, read or write Welsh, Census 2021 data.

2011 Census

We look at the main language of UK residents, and their ability to speak English if English isn't their main language. We also look at how the self-reported ability to speak English related to general health. English (or Welsh in Wales) was the main language for 92% of UK residents. Of the remaining 8% who had a different main language, the majority could speak English "well" or "very well". People who couldn’t speak English "well" or "at all" had a lower proportion of "good" general health than those with English as their main language.
Language in England and Wales

Using data from the 2011 Census, we take a closer look at language within England and Wales. Those who reported English (or Welsh in Wales) as their main language accounted for 92.3% of the population, except in London where proportion was much lower. Those who reported another main language accounted for 7.7% of the population, with Polish topping the list of "other" main languages. London and the West Midlands saw the highest percentage of people who could not speak English "well" or "at all".

Includes population, identity, housing, people in or out of work, education and health.