More than 250,000 people identify as transgender in England and Wales, according to census data that reveals the truest picture of gender identity to date.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that 262,000 people — 0.5 per cent of the population over 16 — had reported that their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.
Some 1.5 million people in England and Wales also identified with an LGB+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual) sexual orientation in the 2021 census, making up 3.2 per cent of those aged 16 and over.
In Burgess Park, south London, 8.12 per cent of people recorded their gender as different from what was assigned at birth, the highest proportion in the country.
The 2021 census was the first to include figures on sexual orientation and gender identity, asking people over 16 to provide the information voluntarily. Jen Woolford, the ONS census director, said the first estimates were crucial.
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“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,” she said.
“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.”
Tentative estimates had suggested in the past that there were between 200,000 and 500,000 trans people in the UK.
In total, 45.7 million, or 94 per cent of the population over 16, answered the question on gender identity, and 44.9 million people answered the sexual orientation question. Of the 262,000 people who said their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth, 118,000 did not provide further detail.
Some 48,000, or 0.1 per cent of the population aged 16 and over, identified as trans men, and 48,000 identified as trans women. A total of 30,000 identified as non-binary and 18,000 people wrote in a different gender identity.
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Eight of the ten local authorities with the largest proportions identifying as transgender were in London. Newham had 1.51 per cent and Brent had 1.31 per cent.
The same boroughs also had the highest proportions of those identifying as trans men, while Barking and Dagenham had the highest proportions of those identifying as trans women. Brighton and Hove had the highest proportion of people who identified as non-binary.
When asked about their sexual orientation, 43.4 million people, or 89.4 per cent of the population aged 16 and over, identified as straight or heterosexual. Some 748,000, or 1.5 per cent of the population, described themselves as gay or lesbian, 624,000 as bisexual and 165,000 selected “other sexual orientation”.
Of those who chose the latter category, 112,000 said they were pansexual – an attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity. A total of 28,000 said they were asexual and 15,000 said they were queer.
The local authority with the largest LGB+ population was Brighton and Hove, at 10.7 per cent. Seven of the other local authorities in the top ten were in London.
