A report by the Office for National Statistics brought together a wide range of demographic information about the Welsh people - those living in Wales and elsewhere. Wales was found to have a growing but ageing population, with an increasing proportion of residents coming from outside its borders. National identity was strong, reinforced by the increase in people able to speak the Welsh language, particularly among the young. Despite this strength of identity, Wales had an increasingly diverse mix of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, centred around Cardiff and its other major towns and cities.
Source: Focus on Wales: Its People, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report | Report (Welsh) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan
Wales's population was projected to increase slowly over the next 20 years and to reach 3 million by 2016. By 2021, less than 18 per cent of the population was projected to be of school age, and nearly 23 per cent of retirement age (compared to around 20 per cent for both groups in 2004). A 17 per cent (or nearly 100,000) increase in those of retirement age, and a 60 per cent (or 35,000) increase in the very elderly (85+), was expected over the next twenty years.
Source: 2002-based National Population Projections, Government Actuary's Department (020 7211 2600)
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Statistical bulletin | WAG press release
Date: 2004-Jan
