Sexual orientation: 2019

The main points below are drawn from the latest Office for National Statistics 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 2019, 94.4% of people in Wales aged 16 and over identified as heterosexual/straight. This compares to 1.9% who identified as gay/lesbian, 1.0% who identified as bisexual, and 1.0% 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 2.9% in 2019.
• Of those people in Wales who identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual, over two thirds (71.2%) were between 16 and 44 years of age. This compares with under half (42.8%) of the overall population.
• Around twice as many males as females identified as gay/lesbian whilst just over 65% 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, 59.5% lived in South East Wales (compared with 48.3% of the overall population). Whereas 14.0% lived in North Wales (compared with 29.3% of the population).
• 75.5% of people identifying as gay/lesbian/bisexual live in a large town as opposed to a small town or village (compared with 67.8% of the population).