If Merthyr Tydfil were a village of 100 people…
If Merthyr Tydfil were a village with 100 households…
Population Structure
In 2020, there were estimated to have been 46,882 people living in Merthyr Tydfil, 4.3% of 1,091,644 in the Diocese of Llandaff.
This is a change of 1,034 people (2.3%) since the 2011 Census. The population of the Diocese of Llandaff has increased by 50,479 (4.8%), and the population of Wales by 106,130 (3.5%).
At Census 2011, there were 45,848 people living in Merthyr Tydfil, 4.4% of 1,041,165 in the Diocese of Llandaff.
What could this mean for you?
Do the people in your church reflect the age distribution of people in your Ministry Area?
Population Structure
Small Area Population Estimates 2020Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
Pre-school (0-4) | 5.8 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
Primary School (5-11) | 9.0 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
High School (12-15) | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 |
Student Age (16-24) | 10.1 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
Young Adult (25-44) | 26.1 | 26.3 | 24.1 |
Mature Adult (45-64) | 26.0 | 25.0 | 26.2 |
Elderly (65-84) | 16.3 | 16.2 | 18.4 |
Very Elderly (85+) | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
Pre-school (0-4) | 6.4 | 6.0 | 5.8 |
Primary School (5-11) | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.6 |
High School (12-15) | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
Student Age (16-24) | 12.2 | 13.3 | 12.2 |
Young Adult (25-44) | 26.2 | 26.6 | 24.7 |
Mature Adult (45-64) | 26.2 | 25.5 | 26.6 |
Elderly (65-84) | 14.4 | 14.2 | 15.9 |
Very Elderly (85+) | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
Population Structure
Small Area Population Estimates 2020Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All people | 46,882 | 1,091,644 | 3,169,586 |
Pre-school (0-4) | 2,710 | 57,786 | 161,341 |
Primary School (5-11) | 4,218 | 89,731 | 256,644 |
High School (12-15) | 2,251 | 49,350 | 144,745 |
Student Age (16-24) | 4,713 | 133,587 | 345,604 |
Young Adult (25-44) | 12,219 | 287,293 | 763,589 |
Mature Adult (45-64) | 12,200 | 272,771 | 829,073 |
Elderly (65-84) | 7,639 | 176,660 | 583,430 |
Very Elderly (85+) | 1,034 | 50,479 | 106,130 |
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All people | 45,848 | 1,041,165 | 3,063,456 |
Pre-school (0-4) | 2,928 | 62,280 | 178,301 |
Primary School (5-11) | 3,550 | 79,593 | 234,178 |
High School (12-15) | 2,197 | 48,197 | 143,817 |
Student Age (16-24) | 5,606 | 138,352 | 373,876 |
Young Adult (25-44) | 11,991 | 277,356 | 756,622 |
Mature Adult (45-64) | 12,020 | 265,132 | 814,118 |
Elderly (65-84) | 6,623 | 147,711 | 487,984 |
Very Elderly (85+) | 932 | 22,546 | 74,560 |
Religion
The 2011 Census found that 56.5% of people living in Merthyr Tydfil described themselves as Christian, compared with 53.1% in the Diocese of Llandaff.
35.4% of people living in Merthyr Tydfil described themselves as having no religion, compared with 35.8% in the Diocese.
What could this mean for you?
Looking at the religious beliefs of people in your Ministry Area, who do you think your church could be reaching out to?
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
Not stated | 7.0 | 7.2 | 7.6 |
Christian | 56.5 | 53.1 | 57.6 |
No religion | 35.4 | 35.8 | 32.1 |
Other religion | 1.2 | 3.9 | 2.7 |
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All people | 45,848 | 1,041,164 | 3,063,456 |
Not stated | 3,197 | 75,220 | 233,928 |
Christian | 25,907 | 553,207 | 1,763,299 |
No religion | 16,209 | 372,447 | 982,997 |
Other religion | 534 | 40,291 | 83,232 |
Education levels
The 2011 Census found that 6.5% of people aged 16 and over who lived in Merthyr Tydfil would be in full-time education, in comparison with 9.4% in the Diocese of Llandaff; 8.1% in Wales.
In addition, 35% of people had no qualifications, compared with 26.5% in the Diocese of Llandaff.
17.2% of people living in Merthyr Tydfil had at least a university degree, compared with 25% in the Diocese.
What could this mean for you?
How accessible are your church activities and services to people of all levels of education?
Could you be excluding large groups within your community?
Education levels
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
No qualifications | 35.0 | 26.5 | 25.9 |
Basic qualifications | 14.2 | 12.9 | 13.3 |
School 18 | 15.1 | 15.0 | 15.7 |
Apprenticeship | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
Further Education | 9.9 | 12.6 | 12.3 |
Higher Education | 17.2 | 25.0 | 24.5 |
Other, e.g. vocational | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
Education levels
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All people aged 16+ | 37,174 | 851,098 | 2,507,160 |
No qualifications | 12,999 | 225,620 | 650,517 |
Basic qualifications | 5,284 | 109,567 | 332,943 |
School 18 | 5,595 | 127,835 | 393,819 |
Apprenticeship | 1,337 | 31,146 | 98,843 |
Further Education | 3,680 | 106,987 | 308,171 |
Higher Education | 6,401 | 213,107 | 614,116 |
Other, e.g. vocational | 1,877 | 36,836 | 108,751 |
Education levels
There are many descriptions of types of educational qualification. Here, “Basic qualifications” refers to 1-4 O Levels/CSE/GCSE, NVQ Level 1, etc (ONS Level 1).
“School 18” is 5+ O Level/GCSE/CSE passes, 1 A-Level, 2-3 AS levels, etc (ONS Level 2).
“Further Education” refers to 2+ A Levels, Higher School Certificate, NVQ Level 3, BTEC National, City and Guilds Advanced Craft etc (ONS Level 3).
“Higher Education” refers to a degree, postgraduate degree, professional qualifications, etc (ONS Level 4 or above).
“Other qualifications” are other vocational or work-related qualifications, or foreign qualifications (ONS Other qualifications).
Full details of all the qualifications used are given here
Skills in Welsh
14.5% of people living in Merthyr Tydfil have some skills in Welsh, compared with 17.9% in the Diocese of Llandaff. These include 6.1% who can speak, read and write Welsh (8.7% in the diocese).
The 2011 Census asked people about a combination of “understand”, “speak” or “write” Welsh. Here, “understand” means “understand only, cannot speak or write” Welsh, and “speak” means “understand and speak, but not write” Welsh. Further information about the categories used in these data are given here.
What could this mean for you?
Do your communications - such as your website, pew sheet, noticeboard, and the language you use in services - reflect the linguistic diversity in your Ministry Area?
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
No skills | 85.5 | 82.1 | 73.3 |
Understand | 3.5 | 3.9 | 5.3 |
Speak | 8.4 | 11.3 | 19.0 |
Other combination | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
Speak, Read and Write | 6.1 | 8.7 | 14.6 |
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All people aged 3+ | 44,083 | 1,003,360 | 2,955,841 |
No skills | 37,710 | 823,674 | 2,167,987 |
Understand | 1,530 | 38,827 | 157,792 |
Speak | 3,700 | 113,690 | 562,016 |
Speak, Read and Write | 2,683 | 87,259 | 430,717 |
Other | 1,204 | 28,427 | 73,392 |
Housing tenure
In 2011, 62.9% of households in Merthyr Tydfil owned their house, compared with 67.3% in the Diocese of Llandaff.34.9% of households in Merthyr Tydfil rented their house (11.8% from private landlords, 23.1% from social landlords), compared with 31% (15.7% from private landlords, 15.3% from social landlords) in the Diocese.
What could this mean for you?
Looking at the number of people in your Ministry Area who own their own cars and houses, does this feel representative of your church congregation?
Are there groups that you feel might be missing from church?
Housing tenure
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
Owned | 62.9 | 67.3 | 67.4 |
Social Rented | 23.1 | 15.3 | 16.5 |
Private Rented | 11.8 | 15.7 | 14.1 |
Shared | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Living Rent-free | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
Housing tenure
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All households | 18,903 | 437,529 | 1,302,676 |
Owned | 11,891 | 294,553 | 878,654 |
Social Rented | 4,374 | 66,835 | 214,911 |
Private Rented | 2,235 | 68,837 | 184,254 |
Shared | 32 | 1,175 | 4,476 |
Living Rent-free | 371 | 6,129 | 20,381 |
Car access
In 2011, 68.5% of households in Merthyr Tydfil had access to a car or van (74.1% in the Diocese of Llandaff; 77.1% in Wales).
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
Access to a car or van | 68.5 | 74.1 | 77.1 |
No access to a car or van | 31.5 | 25.9 | 22.9 |
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All households | 18,903 | 437,529 | 1,302,676 |
Access to a car or van | 12,947 | 324,154 | 1,004,157 |
No access to a car or van | 5,956 | 113,375 | 298,519 |
Household type
In 2011, 27.3% of households in Merthyr Tydfil were made up of 1 person living alone (including 14.7% under 65), compared with 30.4% (17.9%) in the Diocese of Llandaff.
31.9% of households in Merthyr Tydfil included at least one dependent child (including 10.4% headed by a lone parent), compared with 28.9% (8.0%) in the Diocese.
A dependent child is one aged under 16, or aged 16-19 and in full-time education.
What could this mean for you?
Do the types of households and families in your Ministry Area seem the same as those in your congregation?
What could you do to engage with the households not represented in your congregation?
Household type
Merthyr Tydfil % | Diocese % | Wales % | |
---|---|---|---|
One person 65+ | 12.6 | 12.5 | 13.7 |
One person <65 | 14.7 | 17.9 | 17.1 |
Lone parent with children | 10.4 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
Parents with children | 21.5 | 20.9 | 20.6 |
Couple, no children | 24.3 | 23.9 | 24.1 |
Other, no children | 16.5 | 16.8 | 17.0 |
Household type
Merthyr Tydfil | Diocese | Wales | |
---|---|---|---|
All households | 18,903 | 437,529 | 1,302,676 |
One person 65+ | 2,376 | 54,738 | 178,334 |
One person <65 | 2,785 | 78,121 | 222,434 |
Lone parent with children | 1,965 | 34,792 | 98,141 |
Parents with children | 4,071 | 91,651 | 268,733 |
Couple, no children | 4,588 | 104,549 | 313,472 |
Other, no children | 3,118 | 73,677 | 221,562 |
In the maps shown here, areas coloured red have WIMD ranks of between 1 and 95 - the 5% most deprived small areas in Wales. Areas coloured orange are in the 10% most deprived areas (ranks 96 to 191) and those coloured yellow are in the 20% most deprived areas (ranks 192 to 382).
The types of deprivation included are:
The “small areas” used here are “Lower-level Super Output Areas” (LSOAs), produced from the 2011 Census by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). They are geographical areas with an average of 1,500 people living in each one, with a minimum of 1,000 people.
Further information about the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, including interactive maps, is available from the Welsh Government and StatsWales.
Ministry Statistics 2018-9
The figures for church related activities are based on data for 2018 and 2019. However, the data gathering exercise for 2019, which took place in 2020, was seriously interrupted by the pandemic, and it is not complete. The data will be replaced with more contemporary information as soon as it becomes available.
The Ministry Area of Merthyr Tydfil has an Electoral Roll of 224 (2018: 309) (0.5% of the Ministry Area), including 3 (8) families.
142 (2018: 209) people attend on Sundays, as well as 40 (119) children and young people (0.4% of the Ministry Area).
Of the children and young people, 26 (52) are younger than 7, 13 (63) are aged between 7 and 11, and 1 (4) are between 11 and 18.
During the week, 40 (32) people attend, as well as 0 (10) children and young people (0.1% of the Ministry Area).
Of the children and young people attending groups midweek, 0 (5) are younger than 7, 0 (5) are aged between 7 and 11, and 0 (0) are between 11 and 18.
In 2019, there were:
On Easter Sunday 2019, 201 people (0.4% of the Ministry Area), took Communion. In 2018 it was 307 people.
What next?
For more information about diocesan support, please see the website of the Diocese of Llandaff
This dashboard brings together data from many different sources:
Further information about these data can be found on the respective websites.
This dashboard was constructed by Rev Dr Fiona Tweedie of Brendan Research (website) on 01/12/2021. SDG