Catalan Language Use Plummets to 51% in Upper Pyrenees and Aran

Catalan language use has fallen sharply across all social domains in the Upper Pyrenees and Aran over the past two decades, dropping more than 20 points to 51.1% as the habitual language in 2023 from 71.7% in 2003, according to the 2025 Linguistic Usage Survey.

The survey, with most fieldwork in 2023, indicates Catalan has lost its position as the primary language—either exclusively or predominantly—in every context compared to 2003. With friends, exclusive use declined to 15%, while exclusive Spanish rose to 31%. As the dominant language among friends, Catalan now accounts for under 30%, behind Spanish.

In the Upper Pyrenees and Aran, Catalan is now the main language in just 29% of friend groups, down from over 40%, trailing Spanish at 41.7%. Usage remains higher but limited elsewhere: 31.6% in neighbourhoods, 32% among work colleagues, 36.4% with school peers, 36.6% in small retail, and 30% in large commerce.

The drop in Catalan has not been offset equally by Spanish gains, with third languages rising markedly. Home conversations in other languages increased from 2.4% to 13.2%; with friends, from 1.9% to over 10%; and among students, from 3.8% to 13.8%. Growth was less pronounced in commerce, local administration, and financial services.

Dual language identity has grown, with 14.6% now identifying with both Catalan and Spanish, up from 5%. Exclusive Catalan identification fell from 44% to 30%, and exclusive Spanish from 47% to 40%.

Agreement that speech varieties in the Balearic Islands, Valencian Country, Andorra, and Catalonia represent the same language eased slightly from 75% in 2008 to 70.4%, with disagreement rising from 5.9% to 9.3%.

The trend mirrors a broader decline across Catalonia, including a drop from 89.4% to 66.5% in Ebre Lands and from 72.2% to 59.6% in Central Catalonia.