Editing Wales (section)

==Demography==
{{Main|Demographics of Wales}}

===Population history===
{{historical populations
| title = Population of Wales
| 1536
| 278,000
| 1620
| 360,000
| 1770
| 500,000
| 1801
| 587,000
| 1851
| 1,163,000
| 1911
| 2,421,000
| 1921
| 2,656,000
| 1939
| 2,487,000
| 1961
| 2,644,000
| 1991
| 2,811,865
| 2001
| 2,910,200
| 2011
|3,063,456
| 2021
| 3,107,500
| footnote = Estimated (pre-1801);<br/>census (post-1801)<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Davies |title=A History of Wales|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ogTq2KRuu9IC&pg=PT257 258–259, 319] |date=1993 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-192633-9}}; {{Cite web |title=200 Years of the Census in ... Wales: Census 2001 |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/bicentenary/pdfs/wales.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319202324/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/bicentenary/pdfs/wales.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2009}}</ref><br/> 2001 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2001: Population by area, ethnicity and gender |url=https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Equality-and-Diversity/Ethnicity/Census-2001/Population-by-Area-Ethnicity-Gender |access-date=28 June 2022 |website=statswales.gov.wales |archive-date=25 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925114446/https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Equality-and-Diversity/Ethnicity/Census-2001/Population-by-Area-Ethnicity-Gender |url-status=dead }}</ref><br/>2021 census<ref name="2021 census">{{Cite web |date=28 June 2022 |title=Population and household estimates, Wales: Census 2021 – Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationandhouseholdestimateswales/census2021 |access-date=28 June 2022 |website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref>
}}
The population of Wales doubled from 587,000 in 1801 to 1,163,000 in 1851 and had reached 2,421,000 by 1911. Most of the increase came in the coal mining districts, especially [[Glamorganshire]], which grew from 71,000 in 1801 to 232,000 in 1851 and 1,122,000 in 1911.<ref>Brian R. Mitchell and Phyllis Deane,  ''Abstract of British Historical Statistics'' (Cambridge, 1962) pp 20, 22</ref> Part of this increase can be attributed to the [[demographic transition]] seen in most industrialising countries during the [[Industrial Revolution in Wales|Industrial Revolution]], as death rates dropped and birth rates remained steady. However, there was also large-scale migration into Wales during the Industrial Revolution. The English were the most numerous group, but there were also considerable numbers of Irish and smaller numbers of other ethnic groups,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Industrial Revolution |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/storyofwelsh/content/industrialrevolution.shtml |access-date=17 October 2009 |publisher=BBC}}; {{cite web|author=LSJ Services [Wales] Ltd |url=http://www.therhondda.co.uk/living/population.html |title=Population ''therhondda.co.uk''. Retrieved 9 May 2006 |publisher=Therhondda.co.uk |access-date=17 October 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080520075715/http://www.therhondda.co.uk/living/population.html |archive-date = 20 May 2008}}</ref> including [[Welsh Italians|Italians]], who migrated to South Wales.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Wales&nbsp;– History&nbsp;– Themes&nbsp;– Italian immigration |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/migration_italian.shtml |access-date=17 October 2009 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Wales also received immigration from various parts of the British [[Commonwealth of Nations]] in the 20th century, and [[Black British people|African-Caribbean]] and [[British Asian|Asian]] communities add to the ethnocultural mix, particularly in urban Wales. Many of these self-identify as Welsh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Socialist Unity &#124; Debate & analysis for activists & trade unionists |url=http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=1587 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018050201/http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=1587 |archive-date=18 October 2011 |access-date=10 October 2016}}</ref>

The population in 1972 stood at 2.74&nbsp;million and remained broadly static for the rest of the decade. However, in the early 1980s, the population fell due to net [[Human migration|migration]] out of Wales. Since the 1980s, net migration has generally been inward, and has contributed more to [[population growth]] than [[Sub-replacement fertility|natural change]].<ref name="Overview">{{Cite web |title=Wales's Population: A Demographic Overview 1971–2005 |url=http://new.wales.gov.uk/docrepos/40382/40382313/statistics/population/pop-2007/wales-pop2005/wales-pop2005-e1.pdf?lang=en |access-date=29 August 2017 |website=New.wales.gov.uk}}{{dead link|date=November 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The resident population of Wales in 2021 according to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|census]] was 3,107,500 (1,586,600 female and 1,521,000 male), an increase of 1.4 per cent over 2011. A decreased change from the 5 per cent increase between 2001 and 2011.<ref name="Region populations">{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=2011 Census: Population Estimates for the United Kingdom, 27 March 2011 |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_292378.pdf |access-date=19 December 2012 |publisher=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> Wales accounted for 5.2 per cent of the [[Demographics of the United Kingdom|population of England and Wales]] in 2021. [[List of cities in Wales|Wales has seven cities]]: Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham, [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]], [[St Asaph]] and [[St Davids]]. (The last two of these have [[city status in the United Kingdom]] despite their small populations.)<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2019 |title=This is Wales: Cities in Wales |url=https://www.wales.com/about/location-climate/welsh-cities |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> Wrexham, north Wales's largest settlement, became Wales's newest and seventh city in September [[Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours|2022]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Record number of city status winners announced to celebrate Platinum Jubilee |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-city-status-winners-announced-to-celebrate-platinum-jubilee |access-date=28 June 2022 |website=GOV.UK }}; {{cite web |date=5 September 2022 |title=Crown Office {{!}} The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4154400 |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=www.thegazette.co.uk |publisher=[[The London Gazette]] |quote=THE QUEEN has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 1 September 2022 to ordain that the County Borough of Wrexham shall have the status of a City.}}</ref>

{{Largest cities
| nonav = y
| country     = Wales
| stat_ref    = [[Office for National Statistics]] 2011 Census<ref>{{United Kingdom district population citation}}</ref>
| list_by_pop = List of towns and cities in Wales by population
| div_name    = Council area
| div_link    =
| city_1 = Cardiff | div_1 = Cardiff Council{{!}}City & County of Cardiff | pop_1 = 335,145 | img_1 = Cardiff Castle and Millennium Stadium.jpg
| city_2 = Swansea | div_2 = City and County of Swansea Council{{!}}City & County of Swansea | pop_2 = 239,000 | img_2 = Meridian Tower Swansea Skyline.jpg
| city_3 = Newport, Wales{{!}}Newport | div_3 = Newport City Council{{!}}Newport City | pop_3 = 128,060 | img_3 = Newportciviccentre.jpg
| city_4 = Wrexham | div_4 = Wrexham County Borough | pop_4 = 61,603 | img_4 = Wrexham - geograph.org.uk - 163421.jpg
| city_5 = Barry, Wales{{!}}Barry | div_5 = Vale of Glamorgan | pop_5 = 54,673
| city_6 = Neath | div_6 = Neath Port Talbot | pop_6 = 50,658
| city_7 = Cwmbran | div_7 = Torfaen | pop_7 = 46,915
| city_8 = Bridgend | div_8 = Bridgend County Borough| pop_8 = 46,757
| city_9 = Llanelli | div_9 = Carmarthenshire | pop_9 = 43,878
| city_10 = Merthyr Tydfil | div_10 = Merthyr Tydfil | pop_10 = 43,820
| city_11 = Caerphilly | div_11 = Caerphilly County Borough | pop_11 = 41,402
| city_12 = Port Talbot | div_12 = Neath Port Talbot | pop_12 = 37,276
| city_13 = Pontypridd | div_13 = Rhondda Cynon Taf | pop_13 = 30,457
| city_14 = Aberdare | div_14 = Rhondda Cynon Taf | pop_14 = 29,748
| city_15 = Colwyn Bay| div_15 = Conwy County Borough | pop_15 = 29,405
| city_16 = Pontypool| div_16 = Torfaen | pop_16 = 28,334
| city_17 = Penarth| div_17 = Vale of Glamorgan | pop_17 = 27,226
| city_18 = Rhyl| div_18 = Denbighshire | pop_18 = 25,149
| city_19 = Blackwood, Wales{{!}}Blackwood| div_19 = Caerphilly County Borough | pop_19 = 24,042
| city_20 = Maesteg | div_20 = Bridgend County Borough | pop_20 = 18,888
}}

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of Wales}}
{{see also|Welsh language|Welsh-speaking population}}[[File:Welsh speakers in the 2011 census.png|thumb|The proportion of respondents in the 2011 census who said they could speak Welsh|217x217px]]Welsh is an official language in Wales as legislated by the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/mwa/2011/1/contents |access-date= |work=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |quote=The Welsh language has official status in Wales. }}</ref> Both Welsh and English are also official languages of the Senedd.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Languages Scheme |url=https://senedd.wales/NAfW%20Documents/About%20the%20Assembly%20section%20documents/ols/ols-en.pdf |website=Senedd.Wales}}</ref> The proportion of the Welsh population able to speak the Welsh language fell from just under 50 per cent in 1901 to 43.5 per cent in 1911, and continued to fall to 18.9 per cent in 1981.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/|title=Home - Office for National Statistics|website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref> The results of the 2001 Census showed an increase in the number of Welsh speakers to 21 per cent of the population aged 3 and older, compared with 18.7 per cent in 1991 and 19 per cent in 1981. This compares with a pattern of steady decline indicated by census results during the 20th century.<ref name=":03"/> In the 2011 census it was recorded that the proportion of people able to speak Welsh had dropped from 20.8 per cent to 19 per cent (still higher than 1991). Despite an increase in the overall size of the Welsh population this still meant that the number of Welsh speakers in Wales dropped from 582,000 in 2001 to 562,000 in 2011. However this figure was still higher than the 508,000 people (or 18.7 per cent of the population) who said they could speak Welsh in the 1991 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welsh Government {{!}} 2011 Census: First Results on the Welsh Language |url=http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/population2012/121211/?lang=en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007223211/http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/population2012/121211/?lang=en |archive-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>

According to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 17.8 per cent (538,300 people) and nearly three-quarters of the population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welsh language in Wales (Census 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/welsh-language-wales-census-2021-html |access-date=6 December 2022 |website=GOV.WALES |date=6 December 2022 }}</ref> Other estimates suggest that 29.7 per cent (899,500) of people aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in June 2022.<ref name="gov-wales-2021-2022-lang-survey">{{cite web |title=Welsh language data from the Annual Population Survey: July 2021 to June 2022 |url=https://gov.wales/welsh-language-data-annual-population-survey-july-2021-june-2022 |access-date=28 October 2022 |website=GOV.WALES |date=25 October 2022 }}</ref>

English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is the main language in most of the country. [[Code-switching]] is common in all parts of Wales and is known by various terms, though none is recognised by professional linguists.<ref name="Davies 262">Davies (2008) p. 262</ref> "[[Welsh English|Wenglish]]" is the Welsh dialect of the English language. It has been influenced significantly by Welsh grammar and includes words derived from Welsh.<ref>Davies (1994) p. 623; {{Cite news |last=Hill |first=Claire |date=2 October 2006 |title=Why butty rarely leaves Wales |work=[[WalesOnline]] website |publisher=[[Media Wales|Media Wales Ltd]] |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_objectid=17853095&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=why-butty-rarely-leaves-wales-name_page.html |access-date=15 November 2010}}</ref> Northern and western Wales retain many areas where Welsh is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population, and English learnt as a second language. Although [[Monolingualism|monoglotism]] in young children continues, life-long monoglotism in Welsh no longer occurs.<ref>Davies (2008) p. 940</ref>

Since [[Poland]] joined the European Union, Wales has seen a significant increase in Polish immigrants. This has made [[Polish language|Polish]] the most common main language in Wales after English and Welsh, at 0.7 per cent of the population.<ref>{{cite web |title=What do the 2021 Census results tell us so far? |url=https://research.senedd.wales/research-articles/what-do-the-2021-census-results-tell-us-so-far/ |access-date=1 January 2023 |website=research.senedd.wales }}</ref>

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Wales}}
[[File:StDavidsCathedral Tower&SouthTransept.JPG|upright=0.75|thumb|[[St. David's Cathedral]], Pembrokeshire]]
Forms of [[Christianity in Wales|Christianity]] have dominated religious life in what is now Wales for more than 1,400 years.<ref>L. Alcock, ''Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–850'' (Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland), {{ISBN|0-903903-24-5}}, p. 63.</ref><ref>Lucas Quensel von Kalben, "The British Church and the Emergence of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom", in T. Dickinson and D. Griffiths, eds, ''Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, 10: Papers for the 47th Sachsensymposium, York, September 1996'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), {{ISBN|086054138X}}, p. 93.</ref>
The 2021 census recorded that 46.5 per cent had "No religion", more than any single religious affiliation and up from 32.1 per cent in 2011.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |title=Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion in Wales (Census 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion-wales-census-2021-html |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=GOV.WALES |date=29 November 2022 }}</ref> The largest religion in Wales is Christianity, with 43.6 per cent of the population describing themselves as Christian in the 2021 census.<ref name=":5" /> The [[patron saint]] of Wales is [[Saint David]] ({{lang|cy|Dewi Sant}}), with [[Saint David's Day]] ({{lang|cy|Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant}}) celebrated annually on 1 March.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: ''St. David'' |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04640b.htm |access-date=22 May 2015 |publisher=New Advent}}</ref> The early 20th century saw a religious revival, the [[1904–1905 Welsh Revival]], which started through the evangelism of [[Evan Roberts (minister)|Evan Roberts]] and brought large numbers of converts, sometimes whole communities, to non-Anglican Christianity.<ref>Davies (2008), p. 739</ref>

The [[Church in Wales]] with 56,000 adherents has the largest attendance of the denominations.<ref name="Faith in Wales">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=Faith in Wales, Counting for Communities |url=http://www.gweini.org.uk/download/English%2003_03%20comp%20smaller.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024162623/http://www.gweini.org.uk/download/English%2003_03%20comp%20smaller.pdf |archive-date=24 October 2013 |access-date=6 September 2010 |page=21}}</ref> It is a province of the [[Anglican Communion]], and was part of the Church of England until disestablishment in 1920 under the [[Welsh Church Act 1914]]. The first [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Independent Church]] in Wales was founded at [[Llanvaches]] in 1638 by [[William Wroth]]. The [[Presbyterian Church of Wales]] was born out of the [[Welsh Methodist revival]] in the 18th century and seceded from the [[Church of England]] in 1811.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glamorgan Archives, Glamorgan Presbyterian Church Marriage registers |url=http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=33&coll_id=76790&expand= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427122509/http://www.archiveswales.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=33&coll_id=76790&expand= |archive-date=27 April 2016 |access-date=9 September 2010 |publisher=Archives Wales}}</ref> The second largest attending faith in Wales is [[Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom|Roman Catholic]], with an estimated 43,000 adherents.<ref name="Faith in Wales" />

Non-Christian religions are small in Wales, making up approximately 2.7 per cent of the population.<ref name="2011 Census Faith">{{Cite news |date=11 December 2012 |title=Statistical bulletin: 2011 Census: Key Statistics for Wales, March 2011 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-unitary-authorities-in-wales/stb-2011-census-key-statistics-for-wales.html#tab---Religion |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> [[Islam in the United Kingdom|Islam]] is the largest, with 24,000 (0.8 per cent) reported Muslims in the 2011 census.<ref name="2011 Census Faith" /> There are also communities of [[Hinduism in the United Kingdom|Hindus]] and [[Sikhism in the United Kingdom|Sikhs]], mainly in the south Wales cities of Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, while the largest concentration of [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] is in the western rural county of [[Ceredigion]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religion in Britain |url=http://www.diversiton.com/religion/census/britain.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424025633/http://www.diversiton.com/religion/census/britain.asp |archive-date=24 April 2015 |access-date=21 September 2010 |publisher=diversiton.com}}</ref> [[History of the Jews in Wales|Judaism]] was the first non-Christian faith to be established in Wales since Roman times, though by 2001 the community had declined to approximately 2,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 June 2006 |title=History of religion: Multicultural Wales |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/religion/sites/timeline/pages/religion_in_wales_15.shtml |access-date=19 June 2010 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> and as of 2019 only numbers in the hundreds.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prior |first=Neil |date=20 July 2019 |title=Recording Wales' disappearing Jewish history |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-49030675 |access-date=19 November 2019}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity ===
{{Main|Demographics of Wales#Ethnicity}}
[[File:Shirley Bassey (1971).jpg|thumb|Singer [[Shirley Bassey]]|195x195px]]
The 2021 census showed that 93.8 per cent of the population of Wales identified as "White", compared to 95.6 per cent in 2011. 90.6 per cent of the population identified as "White: Welsh, English, Scottish, Northern Irish or British" in 2021. The second-highest ethnicity in 2021 was "Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British" at 2.9 per cent of the population, compared to 2.3 per cent in 2011. 1.6 per cent of the population identified as "Mixed or multiple ethnic groups", compared to 1.0 per cent in 2011; 0.9 per cent of the population identified as "Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African", compared to 0.6 per cent in 2011; and 0.9 per cent identified as "Other ethnic group" compared to 0.5 per cent in 2011. The local authorities with the highest proportions of "high-level" ethnic groups other than "White" were mainly urban areas including Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. 5.3 per cent of households in Wales were multiple ethnic group households, up from 4.2 per cent in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion in Wales (Census 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion-wales-census-2021-html |access-date=2 December 2022 |website=GOV.WALES |date=29 November 2022 }}</ref>

In 2021, the first statue of a named, non-fictional woman outdoors was raised for Wales's first black headteacher, [[Betty Campbell]]. In 2023, [[Patti Flynn]] (a contemporary of [[Shirley Bassey]], both of [[Tiger Bay]], Cardiff) became the first black Welsh woman to be awarded a purple plaque.<ref>{{cite news |date=24 March 2023 |title=Cardiff: Patti Flynn first black woman awarded purple plaque |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65039113 |access-date=25 May 2023}}</ref>

In 2024, [[Vaughan Gething]] was elected First Minister of Wales becoming the first black head of government in Europe having previously served as Secretary for Finance.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 March 2024 |title=Who is Vaughan Gething, Wales' first minister? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-68336716 |access-date=24 November 2024 |work=BBC News }}</ref>

=== National identity ===
{{Main|Welsh national identity}}
The 2021 census showed that 55.2 per cent identified as "Welsh only" and 8.1 per cent identified as "Welsh and British", giving the combined proportion of 63.3 per cent for people identifying as Welsh.<ref name=":14">{{cite web |title=Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion in Wales (Census 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/ethnic-group-national-identity-language-and-religion-wales-census-2021-html |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=GOV.WALES |date=29 November 2022 }}</ref> The Welsh Annual Population Survey showed that the proportion of people who identified as Welsh versus another identity was 62.3 per cent in 2022, compared to 69.2 per cent in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National identity by year and identity |url=https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Equality-and-Diversity/National-Identity/nationalidentity-by-year-identity |access-date=22 November 2022 |website=statswales.gov.wales |archive-date=15 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815164250/https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Equality-and-Diversity/National-Identity/nationalidentity-by-year-identity |url-status=dead }}</ref> A 2022 YouGov poll found that 21 per cent considered themselves Welsh not British, 15 per cent more Welsh than British, 24 per cent equally Welsh and British, 7 per cent more British than Welsh, 20 per cent British and not Welsh, and 8 per cent other; a total of 67 per cent thus considered themselves Welsh to some degree.<ref name=":11">{{cite web |title=YouGov / The Sunday Times Survey Results |url=https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/7lxb647ksn/SundayTimes_StateOfTheUnion_220819%20%28Wales%29.pdf |website=YouGov}}</ref>