The state of Catalan, in 9 charts
We compile the most relevant results of the Generalitat's Survey of Language Uses
BarcelonaWho knows Catalan at the moment? Who speaks it? How does this vary according to age or origin? These and many other questions are answered in the Survey of Language Uses, the exhaustive five-year report prepared by the Generalitat on the health of Catalan and its evolution. Idescat and the Department of Language Policy have made public this Wednesday the results of the survey for 2023. These are the most relevant graphs that emerge from it.
Evolution of the initial language
Data on the evolution of the initial language, the first one learned at home, show a decline in Catalan (from 31.5% to 29%) and Spanish (from 52.7% to 49.2%) and a notable increase in the population that has both languages as their initial language, which goes from 2.8% in 2018 to 2018. As a result of migration, the percentage of the population that has other languages as their initial language also increases: from 10.8% to 11.7%.
Evolution of the habitual language
One of the most significant figures to take into account is that of people who have Catalan as their habitual language, the one that is mainly used. Catalan, in this sense, has taken steps backwards. Only 32.6% of people have it as their habitual language, when in 2018 it was 36.1%. In line with what happens with the initial language, the percentage of the population that has Castilian as their habitual language also decreases (from 48.6 to 46.5%) and the percentage of the population that has both languages as habitual is increasing (from 7.4% to 9.4%). On the other hand, the percentage that has other languages as habitual remains intact (from 4.4% to 4.5%).
Habitual language according to age
The analysis by age group shows that Catalan is decreasing from those over 65 years old to young adults (30 to 44 years old) as the initial and only habitual language, but it is increasing among the youngest (15 to 29 years old). It should not be forgotten that it is in the intermediate age groups where the majority of the population arriving in recent years is concentrated and that, on the contrary, the youngest age group is the one that benefits the most from access to Catalan at school, according to the department. However, only 29.2% of the lowest age group has Catalan as their only habitual language.
Knowledge of Catalan
Regarding knowledge of Catalan, the data remains stable despite experiencing a slight decline. Thus, 93.4% of the population understands Catalan (in 2018 it was 94.4%), 80.4% can speak it (81.2%), 84.1% can read it (85.5%) and 65.6% can write it (65.3%).
Population by place of birth
Knowledge and use of Catalan is closely linked to the place of birth of the population. Thus, the population born in Catalonia has gone from 64.7% to 63% of the total. And while the number born in the rest of the State has dropped from 17.7% to 14.6%, the population born outside of Spanish territory has shot up from 18.2% to 22.5%. The origin of the population has a strong impact on the decrease in the percentages of use of Catalan.
Usual language according to place of birth
When analysing the habitual use of the language based on the origin of the population, we also see a decline in Catalan, especially among the population born in Catalonia. If in 2018 55.4% had it as their habitual language, this percentage drops to 50.9%. Among those born in Catalonia, on the other hand, the number of those who have both Catalan and Spanish as their habitual language is increasing (from 9.2% to 12.6%). Of those born in the rest of the State, only 9.9% have Catalan as their habitual language (10.1% five years ago), a percentage that falls to 4.1% in the case of those born abroad (4.6%).
Knowledge of Catalan according to place of birth
As regards knowledge of the language according to their place of birth, the figures are fairly stable, although with some nuances. 97.8% of those born in Catalonia can speak Catalan and 87.5% can write it, compared to 98.2% and 87.2% five years ago. Among those born in the rest of the State, 63.1% can speak Catalan (61.1% in 2008) and 32.6% can write it (27.9%), and of those born abroad only 50.5% can speak it (51%) and 35.4%.
Intergenerational linguistic transmission
As regards intergenerational transmission, the Department of Language Policy highlights that the transmission of Catalan from parents to children has increased by 7 points in favour of Catalan. In other words, there are more people who speak Catalan to their children than those who spoke it to their mother. This chain is key because a language has continuity.
Language uses in personal and social spheres
The situation of Catalan in society is very diverse. If we only look at the majority use, it should be noted that it is strong in the home or in the local and Catalan administration. It is only used among friends in 29% of conversations, but, on the other hand, if we add bilingual conversations here it rises to 46%. By sphere of consumption, it is in large commerce where Catalan is felt to be the least, a short distance from interactions with the staff of a bar or restaurant. In small commerce (36.6%), with medical personnel (37.1%) and with financial institutions (38.9%) the weight of Catalan is greater, but in none of the cases does it exceed Castilian.
