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Coming out to yourself

How many gay people are there in the UK?

MEN R US first posted this content in 2015. However, the 2021 Census included data on gender identity and sexual orientation, which has been released for the first time. For comparison, we have purposefully kept what we originally wrote (the one in ten per cent rule and estimates), adding key data takeaways from the 2021 Census below.

The 'one in ten rule', and estimates

A 'one in ten rule' has long held in popular culture as a 'reliable guesstimate' of homosexuality rates. With a UK population of just over 66 million, this means there would be around 6.6 million who are gay, lesbian or bisexual. However, this is unlikely.

However, percentages (%) vary. Referencing the Public Health England report: Producing modelled estimates of the size of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) population of England (2019).

  • The figure most regularly quoted in the media comes from the UK Department of Trade and Industry, which estimated the size of the LGB population to be between 5-7% of the total adult population in 2003. This figure was based on a general review of surveys from Europe and the US that looked at sexual preferences, including behaviour and attraction. [1]
  • However, recent UK national surveys that asked specifically about self-reported sexual identity have reported lower figures, among which the ONS Integrated Household Survey of 2014 is probably the most comprehensive; with a reported 1.9% of the population self-identifying as LGB or ‘other’ [2]
  • The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) Wave 3 of 2010-2012 reported 2.7-2.8% of the population self-identifying as LGB or ‘other’, and this is the only national survey that included questions on sexual behaviour and attraction in addition to identity have reported lower figures, among which the ONS Integrated Household Survey of 2014 is probably the most comprehensive; with a reported 1.9% of the population self-identifying as LGB or ‘other’.[3]
  • In 2015, LGB estimates of Greater London GP Patient Survey reported 5.1% and LGB estimates of Greater Manchester GP Patient Survey reported 3.6% though MEN R US would like to note that many LGBT+ people gravitate to larger towns and cities. [4]

Taking an average of these percentages (3.5%) and a UK population of 66 million, you are looking at around 2.31 million LGB people. What is deeply shocking, however, is the absence of data for trans people.

Census key data takeaways | 2021

  • On gender identity: 45.7 million (94.0% of the population aged 16 years and over) answered the question “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?”. 45.4 million answered “Yes” and 262,000 answered “No”. The remaining 2.9 million (6.0%) did not answer the question.
  • Those who reported that their gender identity was different from their sex at birth was 0.55% in England and 0.40% in Wales. Within England, London was the region with the highest percentage who reported that their gender identity was different from their sex at birth while the region reporting the lowest percentage was the South West (0.42%). As the question was voluntary, analysis should take into account differences in response rates between different areas.
  • 44.9 million people (92.5% of the population aged 16 years and over) answered the question on sexual orientation. Around 43.4 million people (89.4%) identified as straight or heterosexual. Around 1.5 million people (3.2%) identified with an LGB+ orientation (“Gay or Lesbian”, “Bisexual” or “Other sexual orientation”). The remaining 3.6 million people (7.5%) did not answer the question.
  • The data showed few differences between England and Wales with respect to the proportion of respondents identifying with LGB+ orientation, but again it must be noted that answers were provided voluntarily. The English region with the highest proportion of people reporting LGB+ orientation was London (4.3% of the total number of respondents over the age of 16).

Estimating the size and composition of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population in Britain | 2009

There is no reliable current information on the size of the LGB population.

  • Estimates range from 0.3% to 10% using different measures and sources. None of these estimates correct for the possibility of higher than average rates of non-reporting and misreporting among LGB people.
  • The only official estimate of 5-7% by the Department of Trade and Industry, is based on a wide set of published sources drawn from a range of national settings and using various dimensions of sexual orientation.
  • The size of the LGB group in ten government and other social surveys based on identity questions indicates a range of 0.3% to 3% and around 2% in population-based surveys.
  • The four ONS Omnibus Survey trials give findings of 1.4% to 2.5% LGB or 1.9% in the first three trials combined.
  • The Citizenship Survey gives a lower proportion of 1.5%.
  • Other sources have estimated the population to be 14% as high as 10%. None of these surveys provides an adequate basis for estimating the true size of the LGB population of GB.

 Estimating the size and composition of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population in Britain | 2009
Equality and Human Rights Commission Research report 37, pg. 13-14

Census 2021 data on gender identity and sexual orientation released for the first time | UK Data Service
Sexual orientation, England and Wales: Census 2021 | Office of National Statistics
Demographics of sexual orientation | Wikipedia

Census data reveals LGBT+ populations for first time | BBC News | 7 Jan 2023
Sexual orientation census undercounts older people and those who shun labels | The Guardian | 6 Jan 2023
Sexual orientation, UK: 2017 | Office of National Statistics | 21 Jan 2019
EuroClinix survey: how many gay and bisexual people are in the UK? | Pink News | 16 Nov 2018
Size of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) population of England | Public Health England | Jan 2017
 Gay Britain: what do the statistics say? The Guardian | 3 Oct 2013 

[1] Final regulatory impact assessment: Civil Partnership Act 2004. London: Department of Trade and Industry, 2003.
[2] Statistical bulletin: Integrated Household Survey (Experimental statistics): January to December 2014. Office for National Statistics, 2015.
[3] Mercer CH, Tanton C, Prah P, Erens B, Sonnenberg P, Clifton S, et al. Changes in sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Britain through the life course and over time: findings from the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal). The Lancet. 2013;382(9907): 1781-94. 10.1016/s0140-6736(13)62035-8
[4] Referencing the Public Health England report: Producing modelled estimates of the size of the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) population of England (2019). pg 25, boxes 1 and 2.
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