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Data on sexual identity is produced by the Office for National Statistics from the Annual Population Survey (APS). This bulletin includes headline figures for Wales for 2018.

The main points below are drawn from the latest bulletin as well as our additional analysis of a pooled dataset which combines 3 years of Annual Population Survey data.

Due to small sample sizes, care should be taken in interpreting these figures

Main points

  • In 2018, 95.2% of people in Wales aged 16 and over identified as heterosexual/straight. This compares to 1.5% who identified as gay/lesbian, 0.8% who identified as bisexual, and 0.8% who identified as other. Whereas 1.7% of people did not know, answer or respond to the question.
  • Over the last five years, the proportion of the Welsh population identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) has steadily increased from 1.6% in 2014 to 2.3% in 2018.
  • Of those people in Wales who identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual, over two thirds (70.6%) were between 16 and 44 years of age. This compares with under half (43.0%) of the overall population.
  • Around twice as many males as females identified as gay/lesbian whilst just over 60% of people who identified as bisexual were females.
  • People who identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual were more likely to be single than married or in a civil partnership.
  • Of those people who identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual, 60.4% lived in South East Wales (compared with 48.4% of the overall population). Whereas 13.9% lived in North Wales (compared with 22.3% of the population).
  • People identifying as gay/lesbian/bisexual were over three times as likely to live in a large town as opposed to a small town or village.

Data

Datasets and interactive tools

Contact

Scott Clifford

Telephone: 0300 025 3234

Rydym yn croesawu galwadau a gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg / We welcome calls and correspondence in Welsh.

Media

Telephone: 0300 025 8099

Rydym yn croesawu galwadau yn Gymraeg / We welcome calls in Welsh.