Welsh language 'is dying out' The number of fluent Welsh speakers is dropping by around 3,000 people every year. A report by the Welsh Language Board found that the number of people learning the language was not keeping pace with the 6,500 speakers who die each year and the 5,200 who move away from Wales. About 300,000 people say they speak Welsh fluently. Meirion Prys Jones, head of the Board, said that Welsh was "dying" as a community language and called for a cash injection from the Government to support its development.