CENSUS data collected in 2021 has revealed that 1.5 million in England and Wales identify as LGBTQ+.

The information released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also shared that 262,000 people said their gender identity was different from what was registered at birth.

Whilst more than 1.5 per cent of people aged 16 and over said they identify as gay or a lesbian and 1.3 per cent as bisexual, 165,000 said they were under 'other' sexual orientations.

The data has been marked as a "historic step forward" by the charity Stonewall after more than two centuries of LGBT+ lives being “missing from the national record”.

The census took place in 2021 for England and Wales and is being published in two stages across two years. 

The latest census is the first time figures on sexual orientation and gender identity have been included, with people aged 16 and over asked to provide this information on a voluntary basis.

Altogether, 94 per cent of the population aged over 16 said they question their gender identity, with 44.9 million filling the questions on sexual orientation.

Some 45.4 million (93.5 per cent) indicated that their gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth.

Of the 262,000 people who said this was not the case, 118,000 did not provide further detail.

Some 48,000 (0.1 per cent of the population aged 16 and over) identified as trans men, while another 48,000 (0.1 per cent) identified as trans women.

A total of 30,000 identified as non-binary while a further 18,000 people wrote in a different gender identity.

When asked about their sexual orientation, 43.4 million people (89.4 per cent of the population aged 16 and over) identified as straight or heterosexual.

South Wales Argus:

Some 748,000 (1.5 per cent) described themselves as gay or lesbian, 624,000 (1.3 per cent) as bisexual, and 165,000 (0.3 per cent) selected “Other sexual orientation”.

Of those who selected the latter category, the most common responses included pansexual (112,000, 0.23 per cent), asexual (28,000, 0.06 per cent), and queer (15,000, 0.03 per cent).

Areas in England and Wales with the highest LGBTQ+ population

Brighton and Hove was the area with the highest percentage of people identifying as LGBTQ+ at 10.7 per cent.

Elsewhere in the census report, seven other local authorities in the top 10 were in London.

The capital was also the region in England that had the highest percentage of people who said their gender identities were different from their sex registered at birth. 

Whilst the South West of England had the lower percentage at 0.42 per cent.

Wales saw Cardiff being the local authority with the biggest LGBTQ+ population at 5.3 per cent. 

ONS director Jen Woolford said the first census estimates were “crucial”, adding: “They will ensure decision-makers have the best information so they can better understand the extent and nature of disadvantage which people may be experiencing in terms of educational outcomes, health, employment and housing.

“This is just the first snapshot. In future analysis, we will be exploring sexual orientation and gender identity by key demographic variables, such as age and sex, as well as employment, health, education and ethnicity, among others.”

Further census figures showing sexual orientation by age and by sex will be published on January 25.

You can find out more information via the ONS website.