As part of the latest census 2021 release, for the first time, the ONS has published data on UK armed forces veterans.

Shropshire has proportionately more veterans compared to England and the West Midlands. The county is home to RAF Cosford, RAF Shawbury and 1 Royal Irish based at Tern Hill Barracks. There are also a number of reserve units located in Shropshire. Information has been included in the 2021 census to support commitments made by central and local government under the Armed Forces Covenant. This will enable central, local government and charities to better understand the profile and needs of ex-military people and their families.

In 2021 14,847 people in Shropshire reported that they had previously served in the UK armed forces. This is 5.5% of the usual resident population aged 16 and over. This is significantly higher than the England figure of 3.8%. In Shropshire 77.4% of these served in the regular forces, 18.1% of these served in the reserve forces and 4.5% served in both regular and reserve forces.

Take a look at the Census 2021 UK Armed Forces Shropshire Veterans Bulletin for more information.

We also have more statistics on our UK Armed Forces Veterans Census 2021 infographics.

If you have any difficulties accessing or reading pdf files, please contact the Business Development: Data, Analysis, and Intelligence Team using the email BusinessIntelligence@shropshire.gov.uk