Only two out of ten young people in Barcelona primarily speak Catalan, and three never speak it at all.
Catalan has lost twenty points in ten years as the usual language among Barcelona residents aged 15 to 34, 40% of whom are foreigners.
BarcelonaCatalan is plummeting among young people in Barcelona. Only 17.8% of citizens between 15 and 34 years old primarily speak Catalan in their lives; one in four young people (25%) predominantly speak Catalan if we include bilinguals. The decline of Catalan over the last ten years is abrupt: in 2015, 37.7% of young people stated that Catalan was their everyday language, a figure that dropped to 28.4% in 2020. By 2025, it will fall another ten points. In other words, Catalan among young people in Barcelona has fallen twenty points in ten years. Three out of ten young people never speak it: there are more young people who never speak Catalan than young people who speak it regularly. Spanish is clearly the predominant language for conversations among young people, although 7% primarily use a third language, according to the 2025 Barcelona Youth Survey, conducted with 1,500 people aged 15 to 34 who have lived in the city for more than six months. Demographics largely explain these figures. Only 30% of young people have always lived in Barcelona, while 43% have lived there for less than five years. 42% of young people are foreign nationals (six points higher than in 2020), and 55% have both parents of foreign origin. Catalan is never the predominant language among foreigners, who prefer Spanish and combinations with other languages. Looking at young people of Spanish nationality, Catalan is the predominant language for 30% of respondents.
In the family setting, Catalan is present (alone or with other languages) in 21-23% of cases as the language spoken to parents. The survey shows how bilingualism is becoming more established among young people. Catalan is the exclusive language of 14% of young people with partners, but it appears alongside other languages in 23% of cases. This is even more pronounced when these young people have children: of those who responded about the language they speak to their children, Catalan is present in 27% of cases, but it is the exclusive language in only 12% of households. Only 15% of young people speak exclusively Catalan with friends, a figure that rises to 34% if we include the use of Catalan and other languages. Catalan is gaining ground in the workplace and academic settings, reaching 45%, although Spanish predominates in all contexts analyzed.
Housing problems
On the other hand, six out of ten young people over 24 have university or postgraduate degrees, and 67% are employed, the vast majority with stable contracts, although a third report having experienced job insecurity at some point. Eighty percent of young people have an income, averaging €1,227, 35% higher than in 2020, with salaries significantly higher than those in the EU. Forty-four percent of young people consider themselves middle class, and 27% lower-middle class. More than 40% consider themselves to belong to a lower social class than their parents. The average household income for young people is almost €3,000 net per month. Although socioeconomic indicators and incomes are improving, housing remains the primary life pressure for young people. 60.4% of young people aged 18 to 24 live with their parents, and among those aged 25 to 34, the figure is 18%. The main reason is a lack of financial resources, followed by the high cost of housing. 70% of those who have left home rent. 20% live with a partner and 8% with friends or roommates, mostly out of necessity, as they cannot afford not to share an apartment: only 7% live alone. Housing expenses average €1,000 per month, 20% more than five years ago. Mental health has improved in relation to the pandemic: the risk has decreased by 11 points compared to 2020, reaching 27.8%. Young people spend 5 hours a day connected to [unclear - possibly "phones" or "computers"].smartphone And more than 80% know they are exposed to misinformation.
According to the survey, young people are satisfied with life in Barcelona, giving it a 7.76 out of 10. Teenagers aged 15 to 19 give their lives an average rating of 8. Six out of ten young people are very happy, and only one is happy with their economic situation.