Photo: Malcra · CC BY-SA 3.0Half of Bwlch is over 55.5, older than 97% of UK towns
Where 14% of households live in a flat or apartment across Wales’s towns, Bwlch has 2.5%. 19% of households have dependent children. At 5%, the share of households without a car or van is lower than in 99% of UK towns. The village counted 345 residents and 156 households at the 2021 Census.
In Bwlch, 6.4% of residents are aged 15 to 24, fewer than in 99% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The biggest five-year age group is 55–59, with just over one in ten residents, 1.6 times the share across Wales’s towns. Set beside that, 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Wales’s towns. Census figures put residents aged 65 and over at 32% in Bwlch.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
3.6% of adults are full-time students, below 93% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the ONS’s NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
At 10%, the share of residents who moved in within the year is in line with the figure across Wales’s towns. Elsewhere, 8% of adults are full-time students across Wales’s towns.
Households here average 2.2 people, below 81% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Powys’ towns and Wales’s towns
People per household
Wales’s towns.
Compared with 32% across Wales’s towns, 27% of households are one person living alone here. For Bwlch, the census puts shared households of unrelated adults at 3.2%.
Households in detached houses make up 69% in Bwlch, more than in 99% of UK towns
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Households in terraced houses: 5.7%, below 97% of UK towns. Set beside that, nearly a quarter of households live in a detached house across Wales’s towns.
A larger share of residents whose main language is English than 98% of UK towns: 99%
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 10%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Residents born outside the UK make up 3.8%, against 7.4% across Wales’s towns. Across Wales’s towns, 96% of residents have English as their main language. The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (1.7%) and in EU countries (1.2%).
Bwlch’s Welsh speakers make up 8.2% of residents
Welsh language skills, residents aged 3 and over, Census 2021.
Welsh language skills · residents aged 3 and over
Some 28 people here aged 3 and over said in 2021 that they can speak Welsh, 8.2% of the total, against 16% across Welsh towns: fewer than in 85% of them. In Powys, Ystradgynlais has the highest share (32%).
A higher White British share than 84% of UK towns: 96% of residents
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 96% of Bwlch · Powys’ towns 94% · Wales’s towns 90%.
Religion · all residents
43% of residents said they have no religion; across Wales’s towns the figure is 47%. More residents who describe themselves as Christian than in nearly three fifths of UK towns: 51%. To put it in context, 90% of residents describe themselves as White British across Wales’s towns. Beyond White British, the biggest groups are Caribbean (2.3%), Other White (1.2%) and Mixed or multiple (0.9%).
A smaller share of adults who have never married than 99% of UK towns: 21%
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
By its share of unpaid carers (11%), Bwlch is above just over four fifths of UK towns. As a reference point, 38% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across Wales’s towns. The share of married adults and civil partners stands at 62%.
Degree-level qualifications: 49% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Wales’s towns, 20% of adults have no qualification; in Bwlch, 12%, while 49% hold one at degree level (31%).
Every nearby town is younger than Bwlch
Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bwlch | 345 | — | 55.5 | 32% | 19% |
| Llangynidr | 1,038 | 1.6 mi | 54.7 | 35% | 22% |
| Crickhowell | 2,108 | 5 mi | 54.6 | 34% | 20% |
| Brynmawr | 5,250 | 7 mi | 44.7 | 21% | 25% |
| Talgarth | 1,252 | 7.1 mi | 49.8 | 27% | 25% |
| Brecon | 8,257 | 7.5 mi | 44.4 | 25% | 23% |
| Ebbw Vale | 19,635 | 7.7 mi | 43.1 | 20% | 27% |
| Gilwern | 2,184 | 7.9 mi | 51.3 | 30% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Powys’ towns” and “Wales’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Powys (or Wales), summed the same way as Bwlch’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. The ONS adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Bwlch’s residents
What is the population of Bwlch?
The 2021 Census counted 345 people in Bwlch’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Bwlch?
The median age was 55.5 at the 2021 Census. 6.4% of residents were 15 to 24 and 32% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Bwlch?
96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 90% across Wales’s towns and 94% across Powys’ towns. 3.8% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Bwlch?
43% said they had no religion and 51% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 4.9% didn’t answer.
Is Bwlch good for families?
19% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 27% across Wales’s towns. Schools are on Bwlch’s schools page.
How many people speak Welsh in Bwlch?
28 residents aged 3 and over, 8.2%, said they can speak Welsh at the 2021 Census, against 16% across Welsh towns.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area (TS002, TS003, TS004, TS007A, TS008, TS015, TS017, TS019, TS021, TS029, TS030, TS039, TS044, TS045, TS062, TS067, TS032). 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.