CEREDIGION MS Elin Jones has spoken of her shock after Census data revealed the county has seen the biggest population decrease across Wales in the last decade.

According to figures released by the Office of National Statistics, Ceredigion’s population size plunged by 5.8 per cent, from 75,922 at the time of the 2011 census to 71,500 in 2021.

Adding to this, the county has seen a decrease of 2.5 per cent in people aged 15 to 64, and a decrease of 1.0 per cent in children aged 15 years and under.

Along with its drastic population fall, Ceredigion also had the biggest drop in child population, the county recording a 10.1 per cent decrease in children aged 15 or under.

And over the last ten years, there has been an increase of 17.7 per cent in people aged 65 and over and an 18.8 per cent increase in those aged 70 and over.

“It’s a shock to see that that the population fall in Ceredigion is higher than almost anywhere else in Wales and England,” Ms Jones told the Tivy-Side.

“This has an impact on the funding allocated to Ceredigion Local Authority.

“Compared with other rural areas in Wales the fall in young people between 15 and 24 from 2011 to 2021 is greater in Ceredigion.

“Changes to the student population may have partly caused this, but it is not a healthy demographic position for Ceredigion to have lost as many young people over the past decade.

“I’d like to see Ceredigion County Council now work with others to see how this tide may be stemmed and young people given more opportunities to stay or return in their 20s and 30s.

“This could start with a future Ceredigion summit to bring forward new thinking and ideas from other rural areas facing similar challenges.”

The Ceredigion figures buck the Welsh average of a 1.4 per cent growth.

Across Wales, the population has grown in the last 10 years by 44,000, with the population now standing at 3,107,500.

Elsewhere in west Wales, Pembrokeshire’s population has grown by 0.8 per cent, while Carmarthenshire’s grew by 2.2 per cent.