Editing Catalan language (section)

=== Number of speakers ===
The number of people known to be fluent in Catalan varies depending on the sources used. A 2004 study did not count the total number of speakers, but estimated a total of 9–9.5&nbsp;million by matching the percentage of speakers to the population of each area where Catalan is spoken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/Llengcat/menuitem.b318de7236aed0e7a129d410b0c0e1a0/?vgnextoid=11a1d4b73920b110VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=11a1d4b73920b110VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&newLang=en_GB |title=Sociolinguistic situation in Catalan-speaking areas. Tables. Official data about the sociolinguistic situation in Catalan-speaking areas: Catalonia (2003), Andorra (2004), the Balearic Islands (2004), Aragonese Border (2004), Northern Catalonia (2004), Alghero (2004) and Valencian Community (2004) |publisher=[[Generalitat of Catalonia]] |date=7 August 2008 |access-date=13 March 2012 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314032229/http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/Llengcat/menuitem.b318de7236aed0e7a129d410b0c0e1a0/?vgnextoid=11a1d4b73920b110VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=11a1d4b73920b110VgnVCM1000008d0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&newLang=en_GB |url-status=live}}</ref> The web site of the [[Generalitat de Catalunya]] estimated that as of 2004 there were 9,118,882 speakers of Catalan.<ref>{{Citation |title=Catalan, language of Europe |url=http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/Llengcat/Documents/Publicacions/Catala%20llengua%20Europa/Arxius/cat_europa_angles_07.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222153758/http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/Llengcat/Documents/Publicacions/Catala%20llengua%20Europa/Arxius/cat_europa_angles_07.pdf |publisher=[[Generalitat of Catalonia]] |access-date=13 March 2012 |archive-date=22 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> These figures only reflect potential speakers; today it is the native language of only 35.6% of the Catalan population.<ref name="habitual">[http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=3&V3=3325&V4=3326&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=25&CTX=B Población según lengua habitual. Datos comparados 2003–2008. Cataluña. Año 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102013451/http://www.idescat.cat/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=3&V3=3325&V4=3326&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=25&CTX=B |date=2 November 2013 }}, Encuesta de Usos Lingüísticos de la población (2003 y 2008), Instituto de Estadística de Cataluña</ref> According to ''[[Ethnologue]]'', Catalan had 4.1&nbsp;million [[First language|native speakers]] and 5.1&nbsp;million [[Second language|second-language speakers]] in 2021.<ref name="e25" />

[[File:Llengua catalana al món.svg|thumb|upright=1.13|Geographical distribution of Catalan language by official status]]
According to a 2011 study the total number of Catalan speakers was over 9.8&nbsp;million, with 5.9&nbsp;million residing in Catalonia. More than half of them spoke Catalan as a second language, with native speakers being about 4.4&nbsp;million of those (more than 2.8 in Catalonia).<ref>{{Citation |title=Informe sobre la situació de la llengua catalana |date=2011 |url=http://www.demolinguistica.cat/arxiu/web/informe/informe2011.pdf |trans-title=Report on the situation of the Catalan language |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123162105/http://www.demolinguistica.cat/arxiu/web/informe/informe2011.pdf |publisher=Xarxa CRUSCAT |archive-date=23 January 2013 |language=ca}}</ref> Very few Catalan [[monoglot]]s exist; virtually all of the Catalan speakers in Spain are [[bilingual]] speakers of Catalan and Spanish, with 99.7% of Catalan speakers in Catalonia able to speak Spanish and 99.9% able to understand it.<ref>{{cite conference |url=https://www.plataforma-llengua.cat/media/upload/arxius/ambits-treball/Drets%20Ling%C3%BC%C3%ADstics/Seminari%20Internacional%20sobre%20les%20lleng%C3%BCes%20en%20l'%C3%A0mbit%20de%20la%20salut.pdf |title="Can you understand me, doctor?" Dealing with linguistic rights in public health systems in Catalan-speaking areas of Spain |last1=Ibáñez Ferreté |first1=Òscar-Adrià |date=November 2020 |publisher=[[Åbo Akademi University]] |location=[[Vaasa]], Finland |conference=Seminarium om social- och hälsovård för språkliga minoriteter [Seminar on social and health service for linguistic minorities]}}</ref>

In [[Roussillon]], only a minority of French Catalans speak Catalan nowadays, with French being the majority language for the inhabitants after a continued process of [[language shift]]. According to a 2019 survey by the Catalan government, 31.5% of the inhabitants of Catalonia predominantly spoke Catalan at home whereas 52.7% spoke Spanish, 2.8% both Catalan and Spanish and 10.8% other languages.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2019/07/08/catalunya/1562592970_754956.html |title=El uso del catalán crece: lo entiende el 94,4% y lo habla el 81,2% |last=Geli |first=Carles |date=8 July 2019 |work=El País |access-date=8 July 2019 |language=es |issn=1134-6582 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708163015/https://elpais.com/ccaa/2019/07/08/catalunya/1562592970_754956.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Spanish Language|Spanish]] was the most spoken language in Barcelona (according to the linguistic census held by the Government of Catalonia in 2013) and it is understood almost universally. According to 2013 census, Catalan was also very commonly spoken in the city of 1,501,262: it was understood by 95% of the population, while 72.3% over the age of two could speak it (1,137,816), 79% could read it (1,246.555), and 53% could write it (835,080).<ref>{{cite web |author1=Departament d'Estadística. Ajuntament de Barcelona |title=Coneixement del català: Evolució de les característiques de la població de Barcelona (Knowledge of Catalan in Barcelona) |url=http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |website=Ajuntament de Barcelona |access-date=13 November 2015 |language=ca |date=2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231210119/http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |archive-date=31 December 2015}}</ref> The share of Barcelona residents who could speak it (72.3%)<ref>{{cite web |title=Coneixement del català: Evolució de les característiques de la població de Barcelona (Knowledge of Catalan in Barcelona) |url=http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |website=Ajuntament de Barcelona |access-date=13 November 2015 |language=ca |date=2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231210119/http://www.bcn.cat/estadistica/catala/dades/tpob/pad/evo/ev11.htm |archive-date=31 December 2015}}</ref> was lower than that of the overall Catalan population, of whom 81.2% over the age of 15 spoke the language. Knowledge of Catalan has increased significantly in recent decades thanks to a [[language immersion]] educational system. An important social characteristic of the Catalan language is that all the areas where it is spoken are bilingual in practice: together with French in Roussillon, with Italian in Alghero, with Spanish and French in Andorra, and with Spanish in the rest of the territories.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Territory !! State !! Understand {{ref|a|1}}<ref name="speakers">Sources:

* Catalonia: Statistic data of 2001 census, from {{lang|ca|Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya, Generalitat de Catalunya}} [http://www.idescat.net/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=3&V3=876&V4=17&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=1&CTX=B] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306011428/http://www.idescat.net/territ/BasicTerr?TC=5&V0=3&V1=3&V3=876&V4=17&ALLINFO=TRUE&PARENT=1&CTX=B|date=6 March 2007}}.
* Land of Valencia: Statistical data from 2001 census, from {{lang|ca|Institut Valencià d'Estadística, Generalitat Valenciana}} {{cite web |title=Població |url=http://ive.infocentre.gva.es/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/IVE_PEGV/CONTENTS/cvcifras/2004/val/cvx2004_02.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906084332/http://ive.infocentre.gva.es/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/IVE_PEGV/CONTENTS/cvcifras/2004/val/cvx2004_02.pdf |archive-date=6 September 2005 |access-date=23 June 2005}}.
* Land of Valencia: Statistical data from 2001 census, from {{lang|ca|Institut Valencià d'Estadística, Generalitat Valenciana}} [http://www.ive.es/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216011800/http://www.ive.es/|date=16 February 2015}}.
* Balearic Islands: Statistical data from 2001 census, from {{lang|ca|Institut Balear d'Estadística, Govern de les Illes Balears}} [http://www.caib.es/ibae/demo/catala/t2.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101133851/http://www.caib.es/ibae/demo/catala/t2.htm|date=1 January 2006}}.
* Northern Catalonia: {{lang|fr|Media Pluriel}} Survey commissioned by Prefecture of [[Languedoc-Roussillon Region]] done in October 1997 and published in January 1998 {{cite web |title=Information_catalan |url=http://www.linmiter.net/information_catalan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050414192723/http://linmiter.net/information_catalan.html |archive-date=14 April 2005 |access-date=23 June 2005}}.
* Andorra: Sociolinguistic data from Andorran Government, 1999.
* Aragon: Sociolinguistic data from Euromosaic [http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/catala/an/e19/e19.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051127151122/http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/catala/an/e19/e19.html|date=27 November 2005}}.
* Alguer: Sociolinguistic data from Euromosaic [http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/homect/index2.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112153819/http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/homect/index2.html|date=12 November 2005}}.
* Rest of World: Estimate for 1999 by the {{lang|ca|Federació d'Entitats Catalanes}} outside the Catalan Countries.</ref>
! Can speak {{ref|b|2}}<ref name=speakers />
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| Catalonia || Spain || 6,502,880 || 5,698,400
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| Valencian Community || Spain || 3,448,780 || 2,407,951
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| Balearic Islands || Spain || 852,780 || 706,065
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| [[Roussillon]] || France || 203,121 || 125,621
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| Andorra || Andorra || 75,407 || 61,975
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[La Franja]] ([[Aragon]]) || Spain || 47,250 || 45,000
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| [[Alghero]] ([[Sardinia]]) || Italy || 20,000 || 17,625
|- style="background:#fff;"
| [[Carche]] ([[Region of Murcia|Murcia]]) || Spain || ~600 || 600<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martínez |first=D. |date=26 November 2011 |title=Una isla valenciana en Murcia |language=es |trans-title=A Valencian island in Murcia |work=ABC |url=http://www.abc.es/20111226/comunidad-valencia/abcp-isla-valenciana-murcia-20111226.html |access-date=13 July 2017 |archive-date=21 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621063418/http://www.abc.es/20111226/comunidad-valencia/abcp-isla-valenciana-murcia-20111226.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| colspan="2" | Total [[Catalan Countries|Catalan-speaking territories]] || 11,150,218 || 9,062,637
|- style="background:#fff;"
| colspan="2" | Rest of World || No data || 350,000
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| colspan="2" | Total || 11,150,218 || 9,412,637
|}
:1.{{note|a}} The number of people who understand Catalan includes those who can speak it.
:2.{{note|b}} Figures relate to all self-declared capable speakers, not just native speakers.

==== Level of knowledge ====
{| style="margin: 0 0 0.5me 1.4me; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; float: center;" border=1
|- style="font-size:110%; color: black; background-color: lawngreen;"
! Area
! Speak
! Understand
! Read
! Write
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Catalonia<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.idescat.cat/novetats/?id=3329 |title=Enquesta d'usos lingüístics de la població. 2018 |date=2019 |website=IDESCAT/Generalitat de Catalunya |language=ca |trans-title=Survey of the linguistic usage of the population. 2018 |access-date=8 July 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708210510/https://www.idescat.cat/novetats/?id=3329 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align: right;" | 81.2
| style="text-align: right;" | 94.4
| style="text-align: right;" | 85.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 65.3
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Valencian Community
| style="text-align: right;" | 57.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 78.1
| style="text-align: right;" | 54.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 32.5
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Balearic Islands
| style="text-align: right;" | 74.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 93.1
| style="text-align: right;" | 79.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 46.9
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Roussillon
| style="text-align: right;" | 37.1
| style="text-align: right;" | 65.3
| style="text-align: right;" | 31.4
| style="text-align: right;" | 10.6
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Andorra
| style="text-align: right;" | 78.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 96.0
| style="text-align: right;" | 89.7
| style="text-align: right;" | 61.1
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Franja Oriental of Aragón
| style="text-align: right;" | 88.8
| style="text-align: right;" | 98.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 72.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 30.3
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Alghero
| style="text-align: right;" | 67.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 89.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 50.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 28.4
|}
(% of the population 15 years old and older).

==== Social use ====
{| style="margin: 0 0 0.5me 1.4me; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; float: center;" border=1
|- style="font-size:110%; color: black; background-color: lawngreen;"
! Area
! At home
! Outside home
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Catalonia
| style="text-align: right;" | 45
| style="text-align: right;" | 51
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Valencian Community
| style="text-align: right;" | 37
| style="text-align: right;" | 32
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Balearic Islands
| style="text-align: right;" | 44
| style="text-align: right;" | 41
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Roussillon
| style="text-align: right;" | 1
| style="text-align: right;" | 1
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Andorra
| style="text-align: right;" | 38
| style="text-align: right;" | 51
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Franja Oriental of Aragón
| style="text-align: right;" | 70
| style="text-align: right;" | 61
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Alghero
| style="text-align: right;" | 8
| style="text-align: right;" | 4
|}
(% of the population 15 years old and older).

<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.noticies.cat/pnoticies/notitem.jsp?item=noticia&idint=223737 |title=El català no avança en la incorporació de nous parlants |date=23 October 2007 |website=Telenotícies |language=ca |trans-title=Catalan is not progressing in the incorporation of new speakers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124091243/http://www.noticies.cat/pnoticies/notItem.jsp?item=noticia&idint=223737 |archive-date=24 November 2007}}</ref>

==== Native language ====
To calculate the absolute number the figures have been proportioned to the whole population regardless of the age, rounded to the nearest 500.
{| class="wikitable sortable" | style="margin: 0 0 0.5me 1.4me; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; float: center;" border="1"
|- style="font-size:110%; color: black; background-color: lawngreen;"
! Area
! People
! Percentage
!Year
!Source
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Catalonia
| style="text-align: right;" | 3,101,500
| style="text-align: right;" | 40.6%
|2021
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=INEbase / Demografía y población /Cifras de población y Censos demográficos /Encuesta de Características Esenciales de la Población y las Viviendas / Microdatos |url=https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177092&menu=resultados&idp=1254735572981# |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=INE |language=es}}</ref>
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Valencian Community
| style="text-align: right;" | 1,271,000
| style="text-align: right;" | 25.4%
|2021
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref name=":0" />
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Balearic Islands
| style="text-align: right;" | 401,500
| style="text-align: right;" | 33.2%
|2021
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref name=":0" />
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Aragon
| style="text-align: right;" | 29,500
| style="text-align: right;" | 2.5%
|2021
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref name=":0" />
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
|Rest of Spain
| style="text-align: right;" |80,500
| style="text-align: right;" |0.3%
|2021
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref name=":0" />
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Andorra
| style="text-align: right;" | 35,000
| style="text-align: right;" | 44.1%
|2022
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-10 |title=L’estudi de coneixements i usos lingüístics indica que el català és la llengua de referència de la població en coneixement i ús |url=https://www.govern.ad/cultura/item/14986-l-estudi-de-coneixements-i-usos-lingueistics-indica-que-el-catala-es-la-llengua-de-referencia-de-la-poblacio-en-coneixement-i-us |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=web.archive.org |archive-date=10 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110151633/https://www.govern.ad/cultura/item/14986-l-estudi-de-coneixements-i-usos-lingueistics-indica-que-el-catala-es-la-llengua-de-referencia-de-la-poblacio-en-coneixement-i-us |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
|- style="background-color:#CCCCCC;"
| Roussillon
| style="text-align: right;" | 60,000
| style="text-align: right;" | 12.7%
|2015
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Enquesta d’usos lingüístics a la Catalunya del Nord |url=https://llengua.gencat.cat/web/.content/documents/dadesestudis/altres/arxius/EULCN_2015_principals_resultats.pdf}}</ref>
|- style="background-color:#E4E4E4;"
| Alghero
| style="text-align: right;" | 10,500
| style="text-align: right;" | 24.1%
|2015
| style="text-align: right;" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Els usos lingüístics a l’Alguer |url=https://llengua.gencat.cat/web/.content/documents/publicacions/btpl/arxius/BTPL_EULA_2015_IT.pdf |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=gencat.cat |language=ca-ES}}</ref>
|- style="background-color: white;"
| '''TOTAL'''
| style="text-align: right;" | '''4,989,500'''
| style="text-align: right;" |
|
|
|}