Lifestyle

Where the dialect still survives: the regions of Italy that best preserve its use.

Ranking of Italian regions where the dialect is still most spoken, according to Istat.

Published

February 6, 2026

A new report from Istat reveals in detail where Italians speak the dialect most often—with family, friends, and even strangers.

The Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) released the report at the end of January 2026. “The use of the Italian language, I gave dialects and foreign languages, year 2024” (The use of the Italian language, dialects and foreign languages, year 2024)The document outlines the current linguistic landscape of the country, revealing the habits of Italians in their use of the official language, as well as... dialects and foreign languages.

Among the most relevant data is the list of regions where the dialect is still spoken most frequently. The research considers three contexts: at home, among friends, and with strangers.

Dialect in the family environment

For indoor use, the Calabria It leads with 64% of respondents saying they speak dialect with relatives. Next comes:

Sicilia: 61,5%
campania: 61%
Veneto: 55,3%
Basilicata: 54,7%

The data refers to the combined use of dialect and Italian, not exclusively.

Use among friends

When it comes to talking with friends, the leadership passes to the campania, with 61,3% of respondents stating they use dialect. The following are:

Calabria: 60,1%
Sicilia: 57,9%
Veneto: 57,9%
Basilicata: 47%

Dialect with strangers

The use of dialect in interactions with strangers is more limited, but still relevant in the following regions:

campania: 29%
Calabria: 27,8%
Veneto: 24,4%
Sicilia: 19%
Basilicata: 15,1%

Overall decline in the use of dialects.

The report also shows a sharp decline in the exclusive use of dialect in recent decades. In 1988, 32% of Italians used only dialect at home. By 2024, that number had fallen to 9,6%.

A similar situation occurs in conversations with friends, which dropped from 26,6% to 8%, and with strangers, from 13,9% to just 2,6%.

The mixed use of Italian and dialect is also decreasing, according to Istat, indicating a consolidation of Italian as the dominant language in all social contexts.