Statistics & Census Information
Blaenau Gwent Facts and Figures
Location
Blaenau Gwent is located in south east Wales and was formerly part of the County of Gwent. It is approximately 20 miles south to the city of Newport, 30 miles south west to the city of Cardiff and directly north is the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Geography
Blaenau Gwent is the smallest of all the Welsh local authorities, at about 10,900 hectares. In Blaenau Gwent there are three distinctive valleys supporting the five main towns or settlements of Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale, Nantyglo and Blaina, and Tredegar.
Population
Blaenau Gwent has witnessed steady population loss over recent years. The most recent figures suggest that there are 69,300 people living in the area (Mid Year Estimate 2006). This compares to 70,064 in 2001, and 72,254 in 1991 (Censuses).
Population Statistics (external link)
Census Statistics (external link)
Culture and Ethnicity
92% of people that live in Blaenau Gwent were born in Wales, the highest proportion of any local authority in Wales. Less than 1% of people living in the local area were born outside the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland (Census 2001).
Culture Statistics (external link)
The ethnic population in Blaenau Gwent is comparably small, making up less than 1% of the overall population (Wales 2%). The largest ethnic group in Blaenau Gwent is Asian or Asian British group (Census 2001).
Ethnicity Statistics (external link)
Welsh Identity and Language
12% of people living in Blaenau Gwent chose to identify themselves as Welsh, rather than British. This is below the Welsh level that stood at 14% (Census 2001).
Welsh Identity Statistics (external link)
The use of the Welsh language in Blaenau Gwent is relatively low, when compared to Wales as a whole and other individual local authorities. 13% of people stated they had a skill or skills in the language. Further analysis by the Welsh Language Board suggests that 9% of people in Blaenau Gwent are able to speak Welsh (Census 2001).
Welsh Language Statistics (external link)
Housing
There are over 31,000 household spaces in Blaenau Gwent, of which a large proportion are terraced houses (55%). Just below two-thirds of the households are owner occupied (63%), with the remainder being rented from the local authority (24%), private landlords (6%) housing associations or social landlord (5%), and others (2%) [Census 2001].
Census 2001 Housing Statistics (external link)
Over two-thirds of working age people are economically active in Blaenau Gwent (71%) compared to three-quarters across Wales as a whole (75%). Males (77%) are more economically active than females (66%) in Blaenau Gwent, as is the case across Wales (Males, 79%: Females, 71%) [Annual Population Survey].
Less than two-thirds of the working age people in Blaenau Gwent are in employment (65%), which equates to approximately 27,100 people. This employment rate is below the Welsh average that stands at 71% [Annual Population Survey].
Unemployment stands at 7.5% in Blaenau Gwent, which is significantly above the Welsh average of 5.2% [Annual Population Survey].
Economic inactivity rates stand at 29%, above the Welsh average of 25% [Annual Population Survey].
Earnings figures for 2007 show Blaenau Gwent's median gross weekly pay to be £342.4 for people working in the area, compared to £415.50 for Wales as a whole [Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings workplace-analysis].
Blaenau Gwent Labour Market Profile (external link)
