Photo: Llywelyn2000 · CC BY-SA 4.0More people in Cardigan report bad health than its ages would predict
At the 2021 Census, 143 people reported bad or very bad health for every 100 expected from Cardigan’s ages at England and Wales’s rates. Life expectancy for 2019 to 2023 is 77.6 for men and 81.9 for women, against 78.1 and 81.9 across Wales. Cardigan grades D for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and Census bad health and disability, each adjusted for age; #18 of 23 in Dyfed.
What stands out about health in Cardigan
More people report bad health than its ages predict
At the 2021 Census, 143 residents reported bad or very bad health for every 100 that England and Wales’s rates would give a town with these ages, and 136 were disabled for every 100 expected. Census health ↓
The nearest major A&E is a long way off
Glangwili General Hospital is about 22 mi from the town centre in a straight line; the typical UK town’s nearest A&E is 5.8 mi away. Getting care ↓
Written from the Census 2021 and NHS Wales figures on this page.
Cardigan grades D for health
Healthier than 13% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, women’s life expectancy and men’s life expectancy, are in the bottom 25% of UK towns; disability and Census bad health are furthest behind. Among the 623 UK towns of 3,000 to 5,000 people, Cardigan’s Health Grade is the 553rd highest.
Each measure is ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, the ranks are averaged, and the average is ranked again. Every measure allows for the town’s ages: life expectancy is worked out from the death rate at each age, so it doesn’t depend on how old the town’s residents are; the Census answers are counted against what England and Wales’s rates by single year of age would give a town with these ages, so a seaside town of retired people isn’t marked down for being old.
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
Fewer people in Cardigan call their health good than across Dyfed
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 143 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Cardigan | Dyfed | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 73% | 77% | 78% |
| Fair health | 18% | 16% | 15% |
| Bad or very bad health | 9% | 7.4% | 7.1% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 27% | 23% | 22% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 14% | 11% | 11% |
Dyfed and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Care in and near Cardigan
The nearest A&E, GP practices, and where to go when it’s urgent but not an emergency. In an emergency, call 999.
| Distance | Hospital |
|---|---|
| 20 mi | Aberaeron Hospital Aberaeron |
| 22 mi | Glangwili General Hospital A&E Carmarthen |
| 22 mi | Emi Assessment Unit, Day Hospital & Ect Suite Carmarthen |
| 22 mi | Glangwili Hospital Child Health Section Carmarthen |
| 23 mi | Withybush General Hospital A&E Haverfordwest |
| 23 mi | Care of the Elderly Day Hospital Haverfordwest |
| 23 mi | Withybush Hospital Child Health Section Haverfordwest |
| 23 mi | Bro Cerwyn Day Hospital Haverfordwest |
NHS Wales hospital sites from the NHS Organisation Data Service (October 2026). “A&E” marks the 12 hospitals with a major emergency department; minor injury units aren’t listed. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales inspects Welsh hospitals but doesn’t publish ratings, so none are shown.
2 GP practices in Cardigan
Nearest first.
| Practice | Distance |
|---|---|
| Ashleigh Surgery Cardigan SA43 1ED | 0.1 mi |
| Cardigan Health Centre Cardigan SA43 1JX | 0.3 mi |
GP practices in Wales from the NHS Organisation Data Service (October 2026), placed by postcode. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales doesn’t publish practice ratings. You can register with any practice whose area covers your address.
Cardigan’s Health Grade is 553rd of 623 UK towns of 3,000 to 5,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Cardigan, and others in Dyfed. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlow Bottom Buckinghamshire | 3,339 | 36 | A+ | |
| 2 | Brookmans Park Hertfordshire | 4,033 | 37 | A+ | |
| 3 | Pangbourne Berkshire | 3,279 | 47 | A+ | |
| … | |||||
| 403 | Fishguard Dyfed | 3,422 | 96 | C+ | |
| … | |||||
| 415 | Llangennech Dyfed | 4,278 | 121 | C+ | |
| … | |||||
| 444 | Tenby Dyfed | 4,092 | 114 | C | |
| … | |||||
| 551 | Keresley Newlands Warwickshire | 3,631 | 130 | D | |
| 552 | Burtonwood Cheshire | 3,504 | 114 | D | |
| 553 | Cardigan Dyfed | 3,767 | 143 | D | |
| 554 | Blidworth Nottinghamshire | 4,295 | 166 | D | |
| 555 | Sutton Bridge Lincolnshire | 3,912 | 129 | D | |
| … | |||||
| 623 | Denaby Main South Yorkshire | 4,310 | 272 | D− | |
Health letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only. Welsh towns are graded on life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and the two Census measures: OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England.
Health in the places around Cardigan
Bad health per 100 expected for each place’s ages, and the nearest A&E. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Nearest A&E | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardigan | 3,767 | 143 | 22 mi | D |
| St Dogmaels | 1,013 | 84 | 22 mi | B− |
| Aberporth | 1,075 | 125 | 21 mi | C− |
| Newcastle Emlyn | 1,842 | 133 | 14 mi | C |
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. A ratio of 100 means as many deaths, admissions or reports of bad health as England’s rates (England and Wales’s for the Census) would give a town with these ages; 120 means a fifth more.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census measures are counted for the town’s own output areas.
- Different years. The Census was taken in March 2021. NHS sites are as listed by NHS Wales in October 2026.
- Distances are straight lines. Miles are measured from the town’s centre to each site; the road is longer. For an emergency, call 999; for urgent advice, call NHS 111.
Questions about health in Cardigan
How healthy is Cardigan?
Cardigan earns a D for health, healthier than 13% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 553rd of 623 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.6 for men and 81.9 for women (ONS, 2019 to 2023; Wales 78.1 and 81.9). For Welsh towns the grade uses life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and two Census 2021 measures: 143 residents in bad health and 136 disabled for every 100 expected for the town’s ages. OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England only.
Where is the nearest A&E to Cardigan?
Glangwili General Hospital in Carmarthen, about 22 mi from the town centre in a straight line. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
How many GP practices are there in Cardigan?
Cardigan has 2 GP practices with surgeries inside the town.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026.
Sources: ONS health state life expectancy for small areas (MSOAs), England and Wales, 2019 to 2023 (life expectancy and healthy life expectancy) · ONS Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age by TownRatings (observed ÷ expected at England and Wales rates) · NHS Organisation Data Service (GP practices and NHS Wales sites, October 2026) · ONS Postcode Directory · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.