Wellbeing of Wales, 2023 - A more equal Wales

Author: Scott Clifford

A more equal Wales: A society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances (including their socio-economic background and circumstances).

This chapter aims to bring together equality breakdowns for the indicators where these are available. However, there are equality data throughout this report on how Wales is progressing to being a more equal Wales. Alongside this year’s main report, there is also a supplementary report that focuses on ethnicity. For that reason, most indicator breakdowns by ethnicity will be covered in that supplementary report rather than this chapter.

In June 2022 the Welsh Government published its Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) which includes guidance on Anti-Racist language. This chapter uses a range of data sources employing different categorisations of ethnic group and, as such, may not necessarily align with the ARWAP guidance. However, where possible, we have used language in this chapter that aligns with Anti-Racist language.

In 2002 the Welsh Government adopted the social model of disability. This model sets out a different way to view disability. Rather than defining people as disabled by their impairment (i.e. the medical model of disability), people with impairments are considered to be disabled by physical, attitudinal and organisational barriers created by society.

The data reported here are derived from a range of sources reflecting the most reliable, recent data available. Many of these sources use definitions of disability which are informed by the medical model in line with the Equality Act 2010 definition. In the Equality Act a disability means a physical or a mental condition which has a substantial and long-term impact on your ability to do normal day to day activities. However, where possible, we have used language in this chapter that aligns with the social model of disability.

Age

• Children continue to be the population group most likely to be in relative income poverty. Latest figures show that this was the case for 28% of children in Wales compared to 18% of pensioners.
• Provisional estimates for 2021, show a decrease in young people’s participation in education and the labour market largely driven by an increase in the economic inactivity rate (excluding students) for 16 to 18 year olds. It is too soon to assess the full impact of the pandemic on this trend.

Disability

• The employment rate among disabled adults aged 16 to 64 remains lower than among those who are not disabled. 49.1% of disabled adults aged 16 to 64 were employed in the year ending March 2023.
• In 2022-23 one in four (25%) disabled people lived in a household in material deprivation. This is more than twice as high as for people who are not disabled (11%).
• The disability pay difference in Wales was 9.7% in 2022, down from 11.4% in 2021. This means that disabled people in Wales earned, on average, 9.7% less per hour than non-disabled people.
• There were 864 hate crimes recorded by police in 2021-22 in which someone being disabled was considered a motivating factor, increasing by 71% from 504 in the previous year. These accounted for 14% of all recorded hate crimes.

Ethnicity

• Children from some ethnic groups continue to achieve better on average in school compared to others, with greater proportions of GCSE entries by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils awarded A*-A and A*-C grades in summer 2022 than White British pupils.
• There was a 27% increase in recorded race hate crimes between 2020-21 and 2021-22, although the proportion of hate crimes with race as a motivation factor decreased slightly.

Gender

• Girls continue to achieve better educational outcomes at GCSE. In summer 2022, girls were awarded more grades at A*-C than boys. The largest grade disparity was at the A* and A grade: girls were awarded 6.5 and 4.5 percentage points, respectively, more than boys. The grade disparity at A* widened in 2022.
• In April 2022, the (full-time) gender pay gap was 6.1%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Gender identity

• Data from the 2021 Census shows that more than 10,000 people (0.4% of the population) indicated that their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.

Marital status

• It remains true that those who are married are less likely to be in material deprivation than those who are separated or divorced.
• In 2020, marriage rates in England and Wales fell to their lowest level since 1862. While marriage rates had been declining since 2016, the large decrease between 2019 and 2020 is likely due to the pandemic restrictions that were in place for parts of the year.

Religion

• Census 2021 data shows that for the first time in Wales, the proportion of the population stating they had no religion (46.5%) was higher than the proportion identifying as Christian (43.6%). 2.2% of the population identified as Muslim and 1.4% with another religion (other than Christianity or Islam).
• The number of police recorded hate crimes reported to have been motivated by religion increased by 51% between 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Sexual orientation

• Data from the 2021 Census shows that 3.0% of the Welsh population identified as gay or lesbian, bisexual or another sexuality (other than heterosexual).
• There were 151 same-sex marriages in 2020, whilst same-sex civil partnerships have reduced substantially to around 30 a year.
• The latest National Survey for Wales results available (2022-23) indicate that people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are about twice as likely to report feeling lonely  than others.
• There were 1,329 hate crimes recorded by police in which sexual orientation was considered a motivating factor in 2021-22, increasing by 50% from 884 in the previous year. The proportion of hate crimes with sexual orientation as a motivation factor increased slightly.

Socio-economic disadvantage

• Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, over a fifth of the population (21%) were living in relative income poverty after paying their housing costs.
• In 2022-23, 16% of adults were classed as materially deprived (that is, unable to afford certain things such as keeping the house warm enough, making regular savings, or having a holiday once a year). Over half (56%) of single parents were in material deprivation in 2022-23 and 3% of households said they had received food from a food bank during 2022-23.
• Data on housing affordability shows that for the latest financial years for which data is available (2019-20 to 2021-2022) 18% of households spend 30% or more of their income on housing costs.

There seems to have been limited progress towards achieving the goal, with many of the More Equal Wales indicators and related equality data showing little sign of improvement in the last 5 years.

The recent cost of living crisis and longer term impacts from the pandemic are both likely to have exacerbated inequality for people who were already disadvantaged. However, the ongoing impacts of these events may not yet be fully reflected in recent data trends.

• The national indicator on relative income poverty shows that the percentage of people living in relative income poverty has been relatively stable in Wales for over 17 years.
• Those who are divorced, separated or never married are still more likely to struggle financially, with single parent households most likely to be in material deprivation.
• There remains a gap in educational outcomes of children in school eligible for free school meals and those who are not, with the gap at GCSE level widening in the last 6 years.
• There is a national milestone to eliminate the pay gap for gender, disability and ethnicity by 2050. The gender pay gap has generally been narrowing. Latest data also shows that the ethnicity pay gap has increased but estimates are volatile. On average, ethnic minority employees earn around 16.8% per hour less than White British employees. The disability pay gap, which rose between 2014 and 2019 now appears to be reducing.
• In 2022-23, life satisfaction scores continued to be similar to pre-pandemic levels for all age groups except those aged 16 to 24 years and 25 to 44 years. People aged 16 to 24 are still more likely to report being lonely than those aged 65 and over.
• Other than young people, there are some other groups who are more likely to report feeling lonely. These include disabled people with a limiting long-standing impairment, Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, and people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual.
• Children from some ethnic minority communities continue to achieve better on average in school compared to others, with greater proportions of GCSE entries by Black, Asian and minority ethnic pupils awarded A*-A and A*-C grades in summer 2022 than White British pupils.
• Race is still judged to be a motivating factor in nearly two-thirds of all recorded hate crime. There was a rise in recorded race hate crimes in 2021-22, however this rise was lower than those seen for the other motivating factors.
• There is a longer term trend for fewer people to identify their religion as Christian and more people to state they had no religion. These remain the largest categories whilst the proportion of people identifying as Muslim has remained between 1% and 2%.
• The number of same-sex marriages decreased to 151 in 2020 (from 397 in 2019). However, this decrease is likely due to the pandemic restrictions that were in place for parts of the year.
• Hate crimes recorded by police in which sexual orientation was considered a motivating factor have continued to increase and now account for over one fifth of all recorded hate crimes.
• Employment rates for disabled people remain steady at just under 50%. The employment rate among disabled adults (aged 16 to 64) remains lower than among those who are not disabled.
• Households including someone who is disabled are still more likely to struggle financially.
• In general, educational outcomes for children with special educational needs or additional leaning needs have remained consistent.

Overall poverty rates have remained relatively stable in Wales for over 17 years. The impact of the cost of living crisis will have particularly affected people on low incomes. However, this impact may not yet be fully reflected in the latest available data.

Between 2019-20 and 2021-22, over a fifth of the population (21%) were living in relative income poverty after paying their housing costs.

In December 2021, a national milestone was set to reduce the poverty gap between people in Wales with certain key and protected characteristics (which mean they are most likely to be in poverty) and those without those characteristics by 2035. Income poverty estimates for people in Wales with protected characteristics can be found later in this chapter.

In 2022-23, 16% of adults were classed as materially deprived (that is, unable to afford certain things such as keeping the house warm enough, making regular savings, or having a holiday once a year). Single parent households are more likely to be materially deprived than other types of households. Over half (56%) of single parents were materially deprived in 2022-23.

Across all tenures, for the latest financial years for which Family Resources Survey data is available (2019-20 to 2021-22) 18% of households spend 30% or more of their income on housing costs. This percentage has been fairly consistent over the period 2011-12 to 2020-21, but varies by housing tenure. Further analysis of this indicator can be found in the A More Prosperous Wales chapter of this report.. The costs of domestic energy use such as gas and electricity are excluded from these housing costs as data on such costs are not collected in the FRS, but latest fuel poverty estimates are provided below.

In 2022-23, 3% of households said they had received food from a food bank due to a lack of money in the last 12 months, with a further 3% saying they hadn’t but had wanted to.

An estimated 14% of households of Wales were living in fuel poverty in October 2021. Despite interventions to mitigate the impact, up to 45% (614,000) of households could be in fuel poverty following the price cap increase on April 2022.

At GCSE level there remains a gap in educational outcomes of children in school eligible for free school meals and those who are not. The gap in entries achieving A*-A grades at GCSE has widened in the last three years, with the gap in entries achieving A*-C grades being relatively stable.

Figure 4.1: Gap between percentages of pupils eligible for FSM and pupils not eligible for FSM achieving A*-A, A*-C and A*-G at GSCE, 2015/16 to 2021/22 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4.1: A line chart showing the gap between percentages of students eligible for free school meals and students not eligible for free school meals achieving A*-A, A*-C, and A*-G at GCSE from 2015/16 to 2020/21. Between 2020/21 and 2021/22, the gap increased for the A*-C and A*G grade ranges but decreased for A*-A.

Source: Examination results, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Between dashed lines indicate when qualifications were awarded using centre assessed or determined grades.

Girls continue to achieve better educational outcomes at GCSE and are more likely to continue in full time education beyond age 16. The gender pay gap increased in Wales in 2022, and employment rates remain lower for women than men.

Life expectancy is still longer for women than for men, but the proportion of life spent in good health is higher for men. For more in-depth information on life expectancy by gender see a healthier Wales chapter.

In 2022-23, mental wellbeing (as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for adults) was slightly higher for men than women, with males having a mean score of 48.4 and females having a mean score of 48.1 Suicide rates, however, remain more than three times higher for men than women.

Girls continue to achieve better educational outcomes at GCSE. In summer 2022, girls were awarded more grades at A*-C than boys. The largest grade disparity was at the A* and A grades: girls were awarded 4.4 and 4.0 percentage points, respectively, more than boys.

Figure 4.2: Gap between boys and girls achieving A*-A, A*-C and A*-G at GSCE, 2015/16 to 2021/22 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4.2: A line chart showing the gap between percentages of girls and boys achieving A*-A, A*-C, and A*-G at GCSE. The gap at A*-A peaked in 2020/21 and then decreased between 2020/21 and 2021/22. The gap at A*-C decreased again between 2020/21 and 2021/22. The gap at A*-G increased but remains small.

Source: Examination results, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Between dashed lines indicate when qualifications were awarded using centre assessed or determined grades.

A higher proportion of females aged 16 to 18 than males remain in full-time education. This is also the case for those aged 19 to 24 years old.

In terms of the working age population, females are more likely to hold qualifications at or above level 4, whereas there are higher proportions of males than females with no qualifications in age groups up to and including 35 to 49 year olds. However, a higher proportion of females hold no qualifications in the 50 to 59 and 60 to 64 age groups.

Employment rates in Wales are lower for females than for males (70.6% and 75.4% respectively in the year ending March 2023). Economic inactivity rates (excluding students) are higher for females (24.7%) than males (17.8%) over this period. However, this difference is likely driven by caring responsibilities being among the potential reasons for economic inactivity.

Figure 4.3: Employment rate (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) in Wales by sex and year, 2005 to 2023 (rates for year ending March)

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Description of Figure 4.3: A line chart showing employment rates for those aged between 16 and 64 by sex between 2005 and 2023. The employment rate gap narrowed in 2023 as the employment rate for men decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 75.4%, while the employment rate for women increased slightly to 70.6%.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics                        

The gender pay gap, based on median hourly full-time earnings (excluding overtime), stood at 6.1% in 2022, slightly increasing from the previous year. However, for part-time employees in Wales, women were paid 3.5% more than men on average (an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous year).

When considering both full time and part time employees, the gender pay gap remains considerably higher at 11.4% in 2022. This is higher than for each of full-time employees and part-time employees, because women fill more part-time jobs, which in comparison with full-time jobs have lower hourly median pay. Of the 11 UK countries and regions where men earn more than women (full-time employees), Wales has the third smallest pay gap.

The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living. In 2022, the proportion of women earning a real living wage (63.7%) is much lower than for men (71.6%), again largely reflecting the fact that women are more likely to work part-time and part-time jobs tend to be lower paid.

Following increases between 2016 and 2020, the percentage of men in employment earning a real living wage has fallen in the last two years back to a similar level to 2016 (71.4%). However, the comparative percentage for women in employment has not seen an equivalent decrease to 2016 levels (59.5%)

In 2022-23, a higher percentage of females (19%) relative to males (12%) were classed as materially deprived.

Our satisfaction with life tends to be higher in the older age groups. Relative income poverty is higher in the working population than in pensioner households.

Initial results from the 2021 Census reveal the trend in population ageing has continued, with more people than ever before in older age groups in Wales. The proportion of the population who were aged 65 years or older in March 2021 was 21.3% (up from 18.4% in 2011). The size of the population aged 90 years or older in Wales (29,700, 1.0%) has increased since 2011 (when 25,200 (0.8%) were 90 years or older).

Subjective wellbeing tends to be higher in the older age groups. In 2022-23 the highest average life satisfaction scores are for the 75 and over age group (8.0) and for the 65 to 74 age group (7.9), and the lowest are for those aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 44 (7.5). Life satisfaction for people aged 16 to 24 years and 25 to 44 years remains lower in 2022-23 compared with prior to the pandemic (2019-20), life satisfaction scores for other age groups have broadly returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Figure 4.4: Life satisfaction by age group, 2022-23

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Description of Figure 4.4: A bar chart showing mean life satisfaction by age group. Working age groups (16-24, 25-44, 45-64) have lower mean satisfaction scores than those aged 65+. The age group 75+ has the highest mean satisfaction score (8.1).

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

Children are the population group most likely to be in relative income poverty. The most recent figures show that this was the case for 28% of children in Wales compared to 18% of pensioners.

In recent years a higher proportion of the working-age population has been in relative poverty than pensioner households.

A national milestone on participation in education and the labour market by 16-24 year olds was set in 2021. Provisional estimates for 2021 show a slight decrease in young people’s participation in education and the labour market compared to the previous year.

Alongside this year’s main report, there is a supplementary report that focuses on ethnicity, for that reason, the bulk of indicator breakdowns by ethnicity will be covered in that report rather than this chapter.

Children from some ethnic groups (for example, Asian and children with a mixed ethnic background) tend to achieve better on average in school compared to others. However, employment rates and average pay remain lower for people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people from these groups are more likely to be in relative income poverty.

93.8% of the Welsh population (2.9 million usual residents) identified within the high-level ethnic group category “White” on Census day 2021. This compares with 95.6% in 2011.

The second largest high-level category in Wales in 2021 was “Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British”, with 2.9% of the population (89,000 people) identifying within this category (compared to 2.3% in 2011).

1.6% of the population (49,000 people) in Wales identified within the high-level category “Mixed or multiple ethnic groups”, 0.9% of the population (28,000) identified within the high-level category “Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African” and 0.9% of the population (26,000 people) identified within the high-level category “Other ethnic group” (compared with 1.0%, 0.6% and 0.5% respectively in 2011).

GCSE results for 2021/22 show that 32.6% of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils achieved A*-A grades compared to 25.1% of White pupils. This gap has been widening since 2015/16 (from 4.5 percentage points in 2015/16 to 7.5 percentage points in 2021/22). The gap in pupils achieving A*-C grades has also widened (from 0.9 percentage points in 2015/16 to 4.5 percentage points in 2021/22).

Figure 4.5: Gap between percentage of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils and White pupils achieving A*-A, A*-C and A*-G at GSCE, 2015/16 to 2021/22 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4.5: A line chart showing the gap between percentages of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and White students achieving A*-A, A*-C, and A*-G at GCSE in 2021/22. The gap increased in all three grade ranges between 2020/21 and 2021/22. The difference at A*-G remains very small.

Source: Examination results,  Welsh Government

[Note 1] Between dashed lines indicate when qualifications were awarded using centre assessed or determined grades.

Data from Census 2021 shows that people in the high-level “Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British” ethnic group were most likely to hold a qualification at Level 4 or above (43.9%) whilst those in the high-level “White” ethnic group were the least likely (31.0%).

People who identified as “White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller” were the most likely to hold no qualifications out of all ethnic groups (58.8%), followed by “White: Roma” (31.8%) and “Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British: Bangladeshi” (30.9%). 

Employment rates (year ending March 2023) among the Welsh population aged 16 to 64 are slightly higher among individuals from a White ethnic background (73.1%) than for individuals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (71.4%).

The ethnicity pay difference in Wales was £2.23 (or 16.8%) in 2022. This means that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees earned, on average £2.23 less per hour than White employees. This compares to an ethnicity pay difference of £0.85 (or 6.9%) in 2021. However, there is particularly high volatility in the ethnicity pay difference data in Wales and therefore short-term changes should be considered alongside longer-term trends where possible.

Being part of an ethnic minority group is linked with a greater likelihood of relative income poverty. For the period 2017-18 to 2021-22 there was a 40% likelihood of people whose head of household comes from an ethnic minority group to be living in relative income poverty. This compares to a 22% likelihood for those whose head of household comes from a White ethnic group.

Race was judged to be a motivating factor in 62% of all hate crimes recorded in Wales in 2021-22, a slightly lower proportion to that in 2020-21. However, numbers of police-recorded race hate crimes increased by 27% in 2021-22 compared with 2020-21.

Figure 4.6: Hate crime offences in Wales by motivating factor, 2012-13 to 2021-22 [Note 1]

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Description of Figure 4.6: A line chart showing the number of hate crime offences reported in Wales between 2012-13 and 2021-22 by motivating factor. Reported hate crimes increased for all motivations in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21. Race remains the primary motivating factor, accounting for around two thirds of reported crimes.

Source: Home Office

[Note 1] A crime may be flagged with more than one motivating factor. Therefore, the sum of the categories of hate crime is higher than ‘all offences’.

Note that data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for 2018-2020 suggests that only around half of all hate crime incidents come to the attention of the police in England and Wales.

On Census day 2021, 1.4 million usual residents in Wales reported that they had “No religion” (46.5% of the population, up from 32.1% in 2011). For the first time, more people reported “No religion” than any single religious affiliation.

43.6% of usual residents described their religion as “Christian” in 2021. This religious affiliation had previously been selected by over half of residents in Wales (57.6%) in the 2011 Census.

The next largest religious affiliation in Wales was “Muslim”, with 2.2% of the population (67,000 usual residents) identifying as “Muslim” in 2021. This was an increase from 1.5% in 2011.

There was little change from 2011 in the proportions of the population identifying with other religious groups included within the tick boxes included on the Census form.

A higher proportion of women than men identified as having a religion (53.9% compared with 46.6%). The proportion of people identifying as having a religion generally increased by age group. However, those aged 15 and under and 16 to 24 were slightly more likely to identify as having a religion than the 25 to 34 age group. The Muslim population has a younger age profile than most other religions in Wales.

Religion was judged to be a motivating factor in 4% of hate crimes recorded in Wales in 2021-22, up from 3% in 2021-22. A total of 227 religious based hate crimes were recorded by police in Wales in 2021-22, 77 more than in 2020-21.

Employment rates for those who identify as Christian or with no religion were broadly similar (at 73.5% and 73.0% respectively) in the year ending March 2023.

A voluntary question on sexual orientation was asked for the first time in Census 2021. Respondents aged 16 and over were asked their sexual orientation, and the different options that they could choose from included “Straight/Heterosexual”, “Gay or Lesbian”, “Bisexual”, and “Other sexual orientation”. If the respondent selected “Other sexual orientation”, they were asked to write in the sexual orientation they identified with.

On Census day 2021, 2.3 million people (89.4% of the population aged 16 years and over) described themselves as “Straight/Heterosexual”. Whereas 38,000 (1.5%) described themselves as “Gay or Lesbian” and 32,000 (1.2%) described themselves as “Bisexual”. A further 7,000 (0.3%) wrote in a different sexual orientation.

Overall, 77,000 usual residents in Wales (3.0% of the population aged 16 or over) selected an LGB+ sexual orientation in 2021.

The remaining 194,000 people aged 16 years and over (7.6%) did not answer the question on sexual orientation.

The number of same-sex marriages decreased in 2020 (to 151 from 397 in 2019). However, this decrease is likely due to the pandemic restrictions that were in place for parts of the year. Same-sex marriages continue to be more common than same-sex civil partnerships.

In 2022-23 a lower proportion of adults who identified as heterosexual were in material deprivation (15%) compared with those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (25%).

The latest National Survey for Wales results available (2022-23) indicate that people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are about twice as likely to report feeling lonely than others.

Sexual orientation was judged to be a motivating factor in 1,329 hate crimes recorded by police in Wales in 2021-22, up 50% from 884 in 2020-21. This represents 21% of all recorded hate crimes, a slightly higher proportion than in recent years.

A voluntary question on gender identity was asked for the first time in Census 2021. Respondents aged 16 and over were also asked “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?” and had the option of selecting either “Yes” or selecting “No” and writing in their gender identity.

There were responses from 2.4 million people in Wales (93.7% of the population aged 16 years and over) to this question.

93.3% of respondents aged 16 years and over answered “Yes”, indicating that their gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth.

More than 10,000 people (0.4%) answered “No”, indicating that their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth. 

1,900 people identified as a trans man, 1,900 people identified as a trans woman, and 1,500 people identified as non-binary. 4,000 people answered “No” but did not provide a write-in response.

The School Health Research Network’s Student Health and Wellbeing survey collects data on mental wellbeing for 11-16 year olds, as measured by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Breakdowns by gender showed those self-identifying as neither a boy nor a girl reported the lowest mental wellbeing, and girls reported lower mental wellbeing than boys.

Transgender identity was judged to be a motivating factor in 247 hate crimes in Wales in 2021-22, equivalent to 4% of all hate crime recorded in Wales. This is an increase of 43% (74 more recorded crimes) compared with 2020-21.

Whilst over time employment rates for disabled people have been rising, a disability pay gap remains and households including someone who is disabled are still more likely to struggle financially.

As in 2011, Census 2021 asked usual residents to report if they had a long-term health condition or illness, lasting or expected to last 12 months or more. However, the question was worded slightly differently from 2011, to collect data that more closely aligned with the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010). Respondents who reported a long-term physical or mental health condition and whose day-to-day activities are limited were defined as disabled.

In 2021, the proportion of disabled people in Wales was 21.1% (670,000 people). This proportion has decreased (by 2.3 percentage points) from 2011, when it was 23.4% (696,000 people).

The proportion of non-disabled people has increased (78.9%, 2.44 million) from 76.6% (2.37 million) in 2011.

National Survey for Wales data (2022-23) shows that life satisfaction was generally lower for people aged 16+ with a limiting long-standing illness or disability (their mean score was 7.0) than for those without (8.0).

National Survey for Wales data (2022-23) also indicates that disabled adults or those with a limiting long-standing illness are much more likely to say they feel lonely most or all of the time (22%) compared with those without such illnesses or disabilities (7%).

The educational outcomes of pupils with special educational needs or additional learning needs have fluctuated over the past 8 years but broadly mirror the pattern seen in all pupils. In 2021/22, 90% of GCSE entries by pupils in year 11 with a special educational need were awarded a grade at A* to G, down from 96% in 2020/21.

Figure 4.7: Percentage of Pupils with SEN or ALN provision achieving A*-G in Key Stage 4, for pupils in year 11 in all subjects, 2015/16 to 2021/22 [Note 1] [Note 2]

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Description of Figure 4.7: A line chart showing the percentage of students with a statement of special educational need achieving A*-G at GCSE in 2021/22. After a steep increase in 2019/20, the percentage decreased slightly in 2020/21 and then decreased further in 2021/22 to the lowest value in the time series.

Source: Examination results, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Chart axis does not start at zero.

[Note 2] Between dashed lines indicate when qualifications were awarded using centre assessed or determined grades.

Of the working-age population, disabled people (16%) are more likely to have no qualifications than non-disabled people (5%) and are less likely to hold qualifications above level 2.

In the latest period (2019-20 to 2021-22), 31% of children who lived in a household where there was someone who was disabled were in relative income poverty compared with 26% in households where no-one was disabled. Similarly, 28% of working-age adults who lived in a household where there was someone who was disabled were in relative income poverty compared with 16% of those who lived in a household where no-one was disabled.

In 2022-23, disabled people or people with a limiting long-standing illness were more than twice as likely to live in a household in material deprivation than those who are not disabled. One in four disabled people or people with a limiting long-standing illness (25%) lived in a household in material deprivation compared with 11% of people who were not disabled.

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the employment rate among disabled people aged 16-64 in Wales was 49.1% whilst the rate for people who are not disabled was 82.2%. The disability employment gap for 2023, of 33.1 percentage points, is reduced compared to 7 years ago when it was 35.4 percentage points.  

The disability pay difference in Wales was £1.32 (9.7%) in 2022. This means that disabled people in Wales earned, on average, £1.32 less per hour than non-disabled people. The difference has continued to steadily decrease from a peak of 15.1% in 2019.

Figure 4.8: Disability employment rate gap, year ending 31 March 2016 to year ending 31 March 2023

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Description of Figure 4.8: A bar chart showing the disability employment rate gap for the years ending 31 March 2016 to 2023. Following a decrease between 2018 and 2019, the gap has remained broadly stable between 32 and 33 percentage points.

Source: Summary of economic activity in Wales by year and disabled status, from April 2013, StatsWales

Whether someone was disabled was judged to be a motivating factor in 14% of hate crimes recorded in Wales in 2021-22, a higher proportion compared to recent years. The Crime Survey for England and Wales found that in the year ending March 2022, a significantly higher proportion of disabled adults in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse (10.3%), compared to non-disabled adults (4.0%).

Being married is associated with higher satisfaction with life and a lower likelihood of being materially deprived. Single parent households continue to face challenges, being more likely to be materially deprived than other types of households.

There were 4,039 marriages formed in Wales in 2020, down from 2019 (11,699). This decrease was likely due to the pandemic restrictions that were in place for parts of the year. The majority of marriages involved opposite-sex couples (96.3%) with 151 marriages between same-sex couples in Wales, with 60% (90) of these between female couples.

In 2021, there were 236 opposite-sex civil partnerships and 28 same-sex civil partnerships formed in Wales. This is the second year for which civil partnerships between opposite-sex couples have been reported following the change in legislation to extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples from 31 December 2019.   

In 2022-23, 22% of divorced adults and 36% of adults who are separated (but still legally married) were in material deprivation compared with 10% of adults who were married and 10% who were widowed. Over half (56%) of single parents were materially deprived.

National Survey for Wales results for 2022-23 confirmed that a higher proportion of the married population report a high satisfaction with life, feeling that the things they do in life are worthwhile and high levels of happiness compared to adults that have never married, the separated, divorced, or widowed.  

In 2022-23, people who were married were least likely to report being lonely (8%), while people who were separated but legally married were the most likely (21%). People who were single (that is, had never been married or registered in a civil partnership), divorced, or widowed were also more likely to report loneliness than people who were married (17%, 17% and 14% respectively).

Figure 4.9: Life Satisfaction by marital status, 2022-23

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Description of Figure 4.9: A bar graph showing mean life satisfaction score by marital status in 2022-23. Those who are married or in a civil partnership have the highest mean scores (8.0 and 8.1 respectively) while those who are separated but still legally married have the lowest (6.7). Those who are single, divorced or widowed have similar life satisfaction scores.

Source: National Survey for Wales

Of those aged between 16 and 64, people who were married or in a civil partnership had the highest employment rates (79.3%) in 2022-23 compared to people who were separated or divorced (69.7%), single (68.3%) or widowed (59.5%). Employment rates are generally lower for women than for men and this is particularly the case for women who are married or in a civil partnership. The employment rate in 2022-23 for married men was 84.8% compared to 74.2% for married women.

Is Wales Fairer? (2018) (Equality and Human Rights Commission)

Equality, Race and Disability Evidence Units Strategy

Report of the 2021/22 School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing Survey (School Health Research Network)

Centre for Equality and Inclusion (Office for National Statistics), GSS Equalities Data Navigator Tool

GSS Equalities Data Navigator Tool (GSS)

Cost of living and depression in adults, Great Britain (Office for National Statistics)

Sexual orientation, England and Wales: Census 2021 (Office for National Statistics)

National LGBT Survey 2017 Data viewer (Government Equalities Office)

Gender identity, England and Wales: Census 2021 (Office for National Statistics)

Disabled people's experiences with activities, good and services, UK (Office for National Statistics)

The following data sources were used in this narrative.

Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion in Wales (Census 2021)

Sexual orientation and gender identity in Wales (Census 2021)

Health, disability and provision of unpaid care in Wales (Census 2021)

Ethnic group differences in health, housing, education and economic status in Wales (Census 2021)

National Survey for Wales, on life satisfaction, sense of community, feeling of safety, material deprivation, use of food banks, mental wellbeing

Population and household estimates for Wales (Census 2021)

Health and wellbeing

Comparing findings from the 2019 and 2021 School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing survey (Student Health Research Network)

Screening Division Inequities Report 2020-21 (Public Health Wales)

Poverty

Relative income poverty

National Survey for Wales (StatsWales)

Fuel poverty

Mortality

Health state life expectancies (Office for National Statistics)

Suicides in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics)

Education

Exam results

Participation of young people in education and the labour market

Level of highest qualification held by working age adults

Labour market

Labour market statistics (Annual Population Survey)

Participation in the Labour Market (StatsWales)

Pay gaps

Gender Pay Gap (StatsWales)

Disability and ethnicity pay difference in Wales 2014 to 2022

Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Marriages in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics)

Crime and justice

Hate Crime, England and Wales (Home Office)

Hate Crime reporting rates (Crime Survey for England and Wales)