Chief Statistician’s update: understanding Census 2021 data about the Welsh language

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Today we published the first data from Census 2021 about the Welsh language.

On Census Day, 21 March 2021, an estimated 538,300 usual residents in Wales aged three years or older reported being able to speak Welsh. This is 17.8% of the population. This represents a decrease of around 23,700 people since Census 2011, or a decrease of 1.2 percentage points.

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Data Sharing and the Cost-of-living crisis: where do we start?

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Data sharing is key to unlocking improved public services for the people of Wales, but the concept of data sharing, for many, can be daunting. With the cost of living rising, it is important that we work together and share information where we can to help support the citizens of Wales. This week we hosted a forum to dispel some of the myths and concerns around data sharing in the hope of raising confidence levels and breaking down barriers to make the process clearer and easier.

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Chief statistician’s update: where to find data and analysis on the cost of living crisis

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The cost of living has been increasing across the UK since early 2021. The annual rate of inflation reached a 41-year high of 11.1% in October 2022, and the Bank of England raised interest rates to 3% in November, the highest level since the financial crisis of 2008. This affects the affordability of goods and services for households, and also impacts on businesses.

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Chief Statistician’s update: comparing NHS performance statistics across the UK

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The provision of health services is devolved across the four nations of the UK. As a result, the way we measure NHS activity and performance in each nation differs, in order to reflect the different policy priorities and circumstances of each nation. While there are similarities in the types of data collected, there are also important differences in coverage and definitions, meaning that the headline statistics are often not directly comparable. However, understandably, there is considerable interest in making these comparisons, so this blog post aims to offer advice on doing this.

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Would you like to use your digital and technology skills to help the people of Wales?

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If so, now is an exciting time to be joining the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession in Welsh Government. We’re looking for people with a variety of different skills to help support the digital transformation of services to citizens, transform our internal ways of working, and manage and develop our technical infrastructure and services in Welsh Government.

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Chief Statistician’s update: and the population of Wales is…

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Today marks a significant milestone in the release of 2021 Census data. On 28 June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the first results from the 2021 Census for Wales. These first results include rounded population estimates for local authorities in Wales, by sex and five-year age groups. The release also includes household estimates, and information about population density.

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Chief Statistician’s update: moving from pandemic to endemic, what this means for COVID-19 statistics

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On 4 March 2022 Together for a safer future: Wales’ long-term COVID-19 transition from pandemic to endemic was published. This plan explains that the link between COVID-19 infection, serious illness, hospitalisation and death has been weakened significantly. This means we can begin to move beyond the emergency response to the pandemic and plan a future in which we gradually transition to living safely with coronavirus, just as we live with many other infectious diseases.

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Guest blog: what’s going on beneath our feet?

Greg Garner, Asset Owner Engagement Manager for Wales, Atkins

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The National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is a great example of how digital services, data and technology can be used to improve the lives of people within Wales, and fully aligns with the Digital Strategy for Wales. Find out more about the potential benefits and the progress made so far.

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