ITV News analysis of census data found that in 2001 there were 229 neighbourhoods where more than half of residents spoke Welsh. By the most recent census in 2021, that had fallen to just 141 – a decline of 38%.
The fall has been similarly steep in the communities with the very highest concentrations of Welsh speakers. In 2001, there were 66 communities where more than 70% of residents spoke Welsh. Twenty years later, there were only 40.
Why is this happening? The answer seems to be a fairly rapid demographic change.
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