Fewer residents in Wrexham and Flintshire identify as Welsh than a decade ago as more opt for a British identity, new census figures show.

Jon Wroth-Smith, census deputy director, said the recent data highlights that we are living in an "increasingly multi-cultural society" across England and Wales, with fewer people saying they belong to a particular nation.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 50% of people in Wrexham and 35% of people in Flintshire identified as Welsh only when the census took place last year – down slightly from 52% and 36% in 2011.

Across Wrexham and Flintshire there was a rise in people selecting British only as opposed to national identities. 

Across England and Wales, 90% of residents identified with at least one UK national identity – a slight decrease from 92% in 2011.

However, the proportion of people identifying as English-only saw the sharpest fall, from 58% selecting the national identity 10 years ago to just 15% last year.

People opting for Welsh-only also fell slightly, from 3.7% of the population 10 years ago to 3.2% last year.

Nationally, 55% said they identified as British – leaping from 19% in the previous census.

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The census also revealed shifts in ethnicities across England and Wales with the proportion of people identifying as white falling to 82% last year from 86% in 2011.

And 74% of the total population identified their ethnic group as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British in the recent survey – down from 81% a decade prior.

About 96% of people identified as white in Wrexham in 2021, down slightly from 97% in the previous census.

Additionally, 91% identified as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British – a slight decrease from 93% in the previous census.

In contrast, about 98% of people identified as white in Flintshire in 2021, equal to the previous census.

Additionally, 93% identified as white English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British – a slight decrease from 96% in the previous census.

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Mr Wroth-Smith said: "The percentage of people identifying their ethnic group as 'White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British', continues to decrease.

"Whilst this remains the most common response to the ethnic group question, the number of people identifying with another ethnic group continues to increase."

In Wrexham 2,246 residents (2%) identified as Asian or Asian British and 878 (1%) selected black or black British as their ethnicity. A further 1,558 (1%) said they were mixed ethnicity.

In Flintshire 1,455 residents (1%) identified as Asian or Asian British and 292 (under 1%) selected black or black British as their ethnicity. A further 1,446 (1%) said they were mixed ethnicity.