THERE are now more Welsh speakers than ever in Cardiff, according to a new report.
The report, which was presented to Cardiff Council during its full council meeting shows the percentage of Cardiff’s citizens who can speak Welsh has increased from 23.8% in June 2023 to 26.4% in December 2025. The 26.4 percentage roughly equates to 96,800 people in Cardiff.
During the meeting held on Thursday, the leader of the council, Cllr Chris Weaver, said this was “the highest figure now for any local authority in Wales”.
The report added: “674 pupils were allocated reception places at Welsh-medium primary schools for September 2025, which made up 19.5% of the total intake across the city.”
Cllr Bethan Proctor (Labour) said: “The reason this is good, the reason why we put so much effort and resources into the Welsh language is because the Welsh language is a link to our history, our literature, our traditions and our community life.”
Cllr Proctor, who holds the cabinet position for social justice, cohesion and digital, also pointed out the tourism benefits of a strong Welsh language sector in Cardiff.
She said: “The language is a major attraction for visitors, helping to create a unique sense of place that people come to Wales to experience.”
Despite the overwhelming praise received by the report from all councillors in the chamber, some members of the city’s Liberal Democrats group questioned whether the number of Welsh-medium schools are sufficient.
Cllr Rhys Taylor said: “The council must be far more proactive in supplying Welsh-medium education. We must continue with the immersion (of Welsh language) in English-medium schools to move them along the language continuum”.
By Kieran Molloy, local democracy reporter.
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