Andorra's Government Acknowledges Decline in Catalan Despite New Language Law

Andorra's new Official Language Law has so far failed to reverse the decline of Catalan in several areas of everyday life. The findings of the 2026 Survey on Language Knowledge and Usage, presented on Monday, November 2, reveal declining Catalan proficiency, a reduction in its prevalence as a mother tongue, and an increasing use of Spanish in family and social relationships.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Mònica Bonell and Joan Micó, coordinator of the sociology research group at Andorra Recerca i Innovació (ARI), presented figures highlighting the challenges facing the government's language policies amid significant demographic changes in the Principality.

Despite these findings, the government has defended its policies, arguing that the positive effects of the new legislation will become more visible in the coming years.

A comparison with the 2022 survey reveals a significant shift. Four years ago, 44% of respondents identified Catalan as their mother tongue, compared with 40.3% who identified Spanish. By 2026, the situation had reversed, with Spanish reaching 46.9% and Catalan falling to 38.9%.

These figures come from a multiple-response question, meaning respondents could select more than one language and the percentages are not mutually exclusive.

Catalan proficiency falls from 8.3 to 7.9 while Spanish remains dominant

One of the most concerning findings for the government's language policy is the decline in Catalan proficiency.

According to the 2026 survey, Catalan receives an average proficiency score of 7.9 out of 10, compared with 9.4 for Spanish.

The difference becomes particularly significant when compared with the 2022 results, when Catalan proficiency stood at 8.3 and Spanish at 9.3.

This means that over the past four years, Catalan proficiency has fallen by 0.4 points, while Spanish proficiency has increased by 0.1 points.

The indicator combines respondents' ability to understand, speak, read and write each language.

These developments raise questions about the effectiveness of the language policies introduced during the current parliamentary term, particularly following the adoption of Law 6/2024 on Andorra's Own and Official Language, which strengthened linguistic obligations across several sectors.

The legislation introduced new requirements for businesses, workers and residents, but the latest overall figures do not yet demonstrate a broad recovery in Catalan proficiency.

However, the survey compares data from 2022 and 2026 and does not isolate the specific effects of the new law, which has only been in force for part of that period.

Spanish overtakes Catalan in Andorran households and among friends

The survey also reveals significant changes in everyday language use.

Spanish is now the most widely used language at home, accounting for 38.8% of respondents, compared with 31.9% for Catalan.

The comparison with 2022 is particularly striking. At that time, Catalan was the main household language for 40.1% of respondents, while Spanish accounted for 27.6%.

Over four years, Catalan has therefore lost 8.2 percentage points as the main language spoken at home, while Spanish has gained 11.2 points.

A similar trend can be observed in friendships.

Some 38.2% of respondents primarily use Spanish with friends, compared with 34.7% who use Catalan. Portuguese accounts for 3.3%, while French represents 1.8%.

These figures suggest that Catalan has lost ground in two areas considered essential for a language's long-term social continuity: family life and personal relationships.

The situation contrasts with the government's stated objective of promoting Catalan beyond formal and institutional settings.

Catalan loses ground as a mother tongue as government points to immigration

Minister Mònica Bonell acknowledged that the survey results reflect the significant demographic changes Andorra has experienced in recent years.

According to the government, the increasing number of Spanish-speaking foreign residents partly explains the declining proportion of people who identify Catalan as their first language.

The findings show that 46.9% of the adult population identifies Spanish as a mother tongue, compared with 38.9% for Catalan.

Portuguese ranks third at 12.8%, followed by French at 8.4% and English at 3.5%.

The government attributes this development to changes in the country's demographic structure and the growing number of residents whose native language is not Catalan.

However, this explanation also raises questions about the relationship between immigration policy, population growth and the preservation of Andorra's official language.

If demographic expansion continues to alter everyday language use, protecting Catalan may require more than additional legal obligations.

It also depends on the country's capacity to promote effective language learning, encourage linguistic integration and create opportunities for residents to use Catalan in their daily lives.

Government defends new language law despite worsening indicators

Despite declining Catalan proficiency and reduced usage in several social settings, the government has defended the measures introduced over recent years.

Mònica Bonell stated that the findings reinforce the need to continue expanding the resources available for learning the official language.

“The results encourage us to continue working to guarantee the use of our own and official language, and we are confident that the benefits of implementing the new law will become apparent over the years. Its objective is to change the trend towards the predominant use of Spanish,” the minister said.

The government believes that the legislation and the National Language Plan will gradually help reverse the current situation.

For his part, Joan Micó argued that the demographic impact on Catalan would have been more severe without the measures adopted, particularly when compared with previous periods of substantial immigration, such as those recorded in 1998 and 2004.

This interpretation introduces an important distinction: the government is not claiming that the situation is satisfactory, but rather that its policies may have prevented an even greater decline.

Nevertheless, that argument does not change the fact that several of the main linguistic indicators presented on Monday have deteriorated compared with 2022.

Catalan still leads some indicators but has weakened since 2022

Despite the negative developments, the survey also identifies areas where Catalan maintains a strong position.

According to government data, 55.9% of respondents say they regularly use Catalan when interacting with other people, compared with 55% who report using Spanish.

Because the question allows respondents to indicate combined language use, these percentages do not represent mutually exclusive groups.

However, a comparison with the previous survey reveals a concerning trend.

In 2022, 63.7% of respondents reported regularly using Catalan in interpersonal relationships, compared with 48.6% who used Spanish.

This means Catalan has lost 7.8 percentage points on this indicator, while Spanish has gained 6.4 points.

Catalan also remains the preferred language for communication between parents and children, accounting for 56.7%, approximately 12 points above Spanish.

Meanwhile, an indicator combining family and social language use places Catalan first at 45.3%, followed by Spanish at 41.4%.

These figures do not indicate that Catalan has been universally displaced by Spanish.

They do, however, reveal a significant decline in several important indicators compared with the previous survey.

Catalan improves in customer service but loses ground in everyday conversations

One of the positive developments highlighted by the government concerns customer service and interactions with the public.

According to the study, Catalan remains the most frequently used language in external professional relationships, particularly when dealing with customers and service users.

Spanish, however, continues to dominate internal workplace communication between employees.

The survey also identifies an improvement in Catalan usage in public-facing services across several sectors, including the public administration, compared with 2022.

The Department of Language Policy suggests that this development may reflect the first effects of the new legislation and greater awareness among businesses of Catalan's status as Andorra's official language.

Improved Catalan usage in customer service represents a positive outcome for the government, particularly given the law's stronger requirements for businesses and economic activities.

However, this progress contrasts with the decline in Catalan usage within families and friendships.

The figures highlight a distinction between complying with language requirements in professional settings and voluntarily choosing a language in everyday personal interactions.

Survey reignites debate over the effectiveness of Andorra's language policies

The publication of the survey comes at a time when the enforcement of Andorra's new language legislation has become an increasingly prominent subject of public debate.

Law 6/2024 expanded requirements for the use of Catalan in various business and administrative activities, with the stated objective of ensuring the effective presence of the country's only official language.

However, the 2026 findings raise a fundamental question: to what extent are legal requirements sufficient to restore the everyday use of Catalan in a country experiencing major demographic changes?

The figures demonstrate that Catalan usage can improve in customer service while simultaneously declining in personal relationships.

This contrast suggests that language normalization cannot depend solely on administrative requirements or enforcement measures.

It also requires effective language education, linguistic integration and genuine opportunities for residents to use Catalan in everyday situations.

The government maintains that more time will be needed to fully assess the impact of the new legislation.

Meanwhile, the available results show that improvements in certain professional settings coexist with declining Catalan usage in other essential areas of society.

Survey of 752 residents highlights Andorra's changing linguistic landscape

The 2026 Survey on Language Knowledge and Usage was conducted by Andorra Recerca i Innovació on behalf of the country's Language Policy Service.

Fieldwork took place between June 4 and June 19, 2026, with a sample of 752 residents aged over 14.

The study is the eighth edition of a long-running survey that has tracked linguistic developments in Andorra since 1995.

Its findings portray a complex situation.

Catalan continues to occupy an important position in linguistic identity, transmission between generations and public-facing services.

However, it is losing ground in average proficiency, as a first language and in several areas of everyday communication.

The central political contradiction is that, after years of measures aimed at protecting Catalan and the adoption of a new language law, the government is presenting results that continue to reveal signs of linguistic decline.

The Executive remains confident that the legislation will deliver more visible results over the coming years.