Catalan is spoken mainly in parts of Spain, Andorra, southern France, and a small area of Italy.

Core regions

  • Spain : Eastern and northeastern Spain, especially Catalonia (including Barcelona), the Valencian Community (where it is often called Valencian), and the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera).
  • Andorra : Catalan is the sole official language of the country and used in government, education, and daily life.

Other areas where Catalan is spoken

  • Aragon and Murcia (Spain) : In the strip of eastern Aragon (La Franja) and a small enclave in Murcia (El Carxe), there are traditional Catalan-speaking communities.
  • France : Spoken in “Northern Catalonia,” roughly today’s PyrĂ©nĂ©es-Orientales department, historically known as Roussillon.
  • Italy : Present in the city of Alghero on the island of Sardinia, where a local variety called Alguerese Catalan is used.

Names and dialects

  • The same language is often called Valencian in the Valencian Community and has local varieties like Balearic, Roussillonnais (France), and Alguerese (Alghero).
  • Altogether, these Catalan-speaking territories are sometimes referred to as the “PaĂŻsos Catalans” (Catalan Countries).

How many people speak Catalan?

  • Roughly 9–10 million people can speak Catalan across Spain, France, Andorra, and Alghero, with the majority living in Spain.
  • There are several million more who understand it even if they use another primary language in daily life.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.