Catalan use in Barcelona falls to historic lows and concerns the authorities

Only 34.8% of Barcelona residents use Catalan every day. Marta Salicrú sees opportunities in digital content creation. The challenge: attracting young people and breaking with criticism of non-standard Catalan. What is happening in the city?

Catalan in Barcelona is going through one of its most delicate periods. According to the latest 2025 Municipal Services survey, only 34.8% of the city’s inhabitants use Catalan regularly, the lowest figure since 1989.

Despite this decline, Marta Salicrú, Barcelona’s commissioner for the Social Use of Catalan, believes there is still room to reverse the situation. She stresses that 70% of respondents say they can speak Catalan, which in her view shows that there is potential to increase its use in everyday life.

One of the major challenges is connecting with the younger population and motivating them to use Catalan. In this context, digital content creators play a fundamental role, although most currently opt for Spanish.

Salicrú advocates promoting digital content creation in Catalan through initiatives such as the Casa de la Creación de Contenido Digital en Catalán. She believes that producing in Catalan represents an opportunity, as there is less competition than in Spanish or English.

In culture, Catalan has become more present in musical genres such as trap and reggaeton, where many artists use non-standard forms, including barbarisms and colloquial expressions. However, these variants are not always well received.

The commissioner warns that criticism of non-standard Catalan has hampered its spread. She therefore argues for the need to give visibility and support to all kinds of cultural creation, both on digital platforms and in concert venues, so that the language reaches more audiences and remains alive in contemporary culture.