Photo: DS Pugh · CC BY-SA 2.0Health in Harlech is close to what its ages would predict
At the 2021 Census, 99 people reported bad or very bad health for every 100 expected from Harlech’s ages at England and Wales’s rates. Over 2019 to 2023, life expectancy here is 80.8 for men and 84.1 for women; across Wales it is 78.1 and 81.9. Harlech grades B− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and Census bad health and disability, each adjusted for age.
What stands out about health in Harlech
The nearest major A&E is a long way off
Ysbyty Gwynedd is about 24 mi from the village 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.
Harlech grades B− for health
Healthier than 45% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
What holds the grade back: Census bad health and disability (better than 33% and 39% of UK towns). What lifts it: men’s life expectancy (58%) and women’s life expectancy (53%). Among the 1,215 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,000 people, Harlech’s Health Grade is the 904th 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.
Care in and near Harlech
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 |
|---|---|
| 5.6 mi | Ysbyty Alltwen Porthmadog |
| 13 mi | Bryn Beryl Hospital Pwllheli |
| 13 mi | Dolgellau & Barmouth District Hospital Dolgellau |
| 19 mi | Tywyn & District War Memorial Hospital Tywyn |
| 19 mi | Eryri Hospital Caernarfon |
| 20 mi | Brynseiont Hospital Caernarfon |
| 22 mi | Broddyfi Community Hospital Machynlleth |
| 24 mi | Ysbyty Gwynedd A&E Bangor |
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.
No GP practice in Harlech itself
The nearest practices.
| Practice | Distance |
|---|---|
| Meddyg Care Porthmadog LL49 9NU | 4.6 mi |
| Bronmeirion Penrhyndeudraeth LL48 6AL | 4.8 mi |
| Upcc at Ysbyty Alltwen Porthmadog LL49 9AQ | 5.6 mi |
| The Health Centre Criccieth LL52 0RR | 6.7 mi |
| Minfor Surgery Barmouth LL42 1PL | 9.8 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.
77% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Harlech’s residents are older than Gwynedd’s (34% are 65 or over, against 23%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 99 report bad health for every 100 expected, close to the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Harlech | Gwynedd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 80% | 78% |
| Fair health | 16% | 14% | 15% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.1% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 22% | 20% | 22% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 9.3% | 9% | 11% |
Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Harlech’s Health Grade is 904th of 1,215 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Harlech, and others in Gwynedd. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Keswick West Yorkshire | 1,145 | 35 | A+ | |
| 2 | Bardsey West Yorkshire | 1,819 | 34 | A+ | |
| 3 | Upper Basildon Berkshire | 1,074 | 47 | A+ | |
| … | |||||
| 493 | Y Bala Gwynedd | 1,993 | 70 | B+ | |
| … | |||||
| 862 | Gaerwen Gwynedd | 1,277 | 73 | B− | |
| … | |||||
| 869 | Barmouth Gwynedd | 1,986 | 107 | B− | |
| … | |||||
| 902 | Govilon Gwent | 1,342 | 96 | B− | |
| 903 | Hockliffe Bedfordshire | 1,068 | 93 | B− | |
| 904 | Harlech Gwynedd | 1,261 | 99 | B− | |
| 905 | Llanfyllin Powys | 1,118 | 100 | B− | |
| 906 | Warton (Lancaster) Lancashire | 1,801 | 83 | B− | |
| … | |||||
| 1215 | Toll Bar South Yorkshire | 1,213 | 207 | 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 Harlech
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlech | 1,261 | 99 | 24 mi | B− |
| Porthmadog | 2,579 | 73 | 20 mi | C+ |
| Penrhyndeudraeth | 1,463 | 97 | 20 mi | C+ |
| Criccieth | 1,737 | 104 | 20 mi | C+ |
| Barmouth | 1,986 | 107 | 21 mi | B− |
| Blaenau Ffestiniog | 3,449 | 110 | 18 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 Harlech
How healthy is Harlech?
Harlech earns a B− for health, healthier than 45% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 904th of 1,215 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 80.8 for men and 84.1 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: 99 residents in bad health and 102 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 Harlech?
Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, about 24 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 Harlech?
There’s no GP surgery inside Harlech itself; the nearest is about 4.6 mi away.
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.