How many veterans are living in Sussex?

They include 1.4 million people who previously served in the regular forces, 361,000 who served in the reserve forces and 79,000 who served in both the regular and reserve forces.

The release of the information comes as Remembrance services are held across the UK to commemorate those who fought and died serving their country, and all those serving today.

Until now, the Government was only able to estimate the number of veterans living in England and Wales, with a previous figure of about two-million given, and no data held on where veterans might live.

But lobbying from various groups saw the 2021 census include a question about a person’s military background for the first time.

The first release of the resulting information was welcomed by veterans’ charities, who said it would help them with their vital work in supporting those who had served.

Charles Byrne, director general of the Royal British Legion, said: “This data will transform our understanding of the veteran population and enable public and voluntary service providers to deliver the best care and support for our Armed Forces community, where it is needed most. It will surprise many people to learn that, until today, nobody knew exactly how many veterans there were in England and Wales, or where they lived.”

Below are the figures for all local-authority areas across Sussex. Across England and Wales, the local authorities with the highest proportion of veterans include Gosport (12.5 per cent of those aged over 16), North Kesteven (10.2 per cent) and Richmondshire (9.5 per cent).

The Office for National Statistics plans to release further analysis of the census data on veterans in the coming months.