How many veterans are currently living in Flintshire and Wrexham?

A snapshot of England and Wales taken in March last year has already given us a much better picture of the make-up of our population.

And for the first time in 2021, census respondents were asked whether they had previously served in the UK armed forces in a bid to improve the treatment of veterans across the two nations through better data.

Figures have revealed that one in 20 people living in Flintshire is a veteran of the UK armed forces, the first figures of their kind reveal.

And that number is the same in Wrexham also.

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And for the first time in 2021, census respondents were asked whether they had previously served in the UK armed forces in a bid to improve the treatment of veterans across the two nations through better data.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show 6,772 people in Flintshire said they were a veteran at the time of the census – 5% of usual residents aged 16 and over.

Of them, 5,249 had served in the regular UK armed forces and 1,237 as a reserve.

The same figures show 5,066 people in Wrexham said they were a veteran at the time of the census – 5% of usual residents aged 16 and over.

Of them, 3,923 had served in the regular UK armed forces and 938 as a reserve.

The ONS said areas with larger rates of veterans tend to be near existing armed forces bases.

Across Wales as a whole, 5% of people who responded to the census were ex-forces.

It added that better information on the veteran population will help service providers and others to support veterans, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation to treat veterans and their families fairly.

National statistician Sir Ian Diamond said: “For the first time our data is able to show the vast scale of our armed forces community, which is vital information to help direct support and services where they are needed most.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly a large proportion of our veterans live or are located near military establishments, suggesting they tend to stay in the same areas after they have left service.”

In Flintshire, 61 veterans (less than 1%) were in communal establishments last year, and 6,709 (99%) were in households.

In Wrexham, 174 veterans (​3%) were in communal establishments and 4,892 (97%) were in households.

Charles Byrne, director general of the Royal British Legion, said the data will "transform" understanding of the veteran population.

“It will surprise many people to learn that, until today, nobody knew exactly how many veterans there were in England and Wales or where they lived,” he said.