Forest of Dean

§ This page provides a baseview of UK constituency, bringing together various information and resources to help you better understand the area of Forest of Dean.

Overview ⁞ The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is an ancient woodland and scenic area bordered by the River Wye and River Severn. It offers a rich landscape of forests, limestone gorges, and wildlife habitats. Attractions include Puzzlewood, Symonds Yat Rock, and the Dean Heritage Centre. Market towns such as Coleford, Cinderford, and Lydney provide local charm, while outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, and canoeing make it a popular destination for nature lovers.

Constituency Map and Boundary Information

Below is an interactive map showing the boundary of the Forest of Dean parliamentary constituency. The boundary data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using the latest official geographic definitions.

You can explore official statistics for this area on the ONS Explore Local Statistics page, or view its location on the UK Parliament constituency map.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Boundary data: Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2024; Contains Office for National Statistics data © ONS 2024, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Wards in Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Berry Hill
  • Bream
  • Cinderford East
  • Cinderford West
  • Coleford
  • Dymock
  • Hartpury & Redmarley
  • Highnam with Haw Bridge
  • Longhope & Huntley
  • Lydbrook
  • Lydney East
  • Lydney North
  • Lydney West & Aylburton
  • Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook
  • Newent & Taynton
  • Newland & Sling
  • Newnham
  • Pillowell
  • Ruspidge
  • St. Briavels
  • Tidenham
  • Westbury-on-Severn

Forest of Dean is a constituency that covers these wards in Forest of Dean / Tewkesbury.

Wards and constituencies: wards are the smallest electoral areas used to elect local councillors who make decisions about local services, while parliamentary constituencies are much larger areas used to elect one MP to represent them in the House of Commons. In simple terms, wards are for local council elections, and constituencies are for national parliamentary elections.

Population by age group

The most recent data for constituencies in England and Wales comes from mid-year estimates for 2022. This tells us what the population was estimated to be on 30 June 2022.

Population by age group, June 2022
Age Band Constituency (Number) Constituency (%) Region (Number) Region (%) England & Wales (Number) England & Wales (%)
0 to 17 16,951 18.30% 1,095,190 19.00% 12,506,535 20.76%
18 to 24 6,369 6.88% 469,949 8.15% 5,008,522 8.31%
25 to 34 9,692 10.46% 691,220 11.99% 8,098,257 13.44%
35 to 49 14,855 16.04% 1,028,221 17.84% 11,575,752 19.22%
50 to 64 21,161 22.85% 1,179,220 20.46% 11,745,365 19.50%
65 and over 23,593 25.47% 1,301,081 22.57% 11,303,607 18.76%

Population by ethnic group

The most recent census asked people about their ethnic group. The census was carried out in March 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and in March 2022 in Scotland.

Population by ethnic group March 2021
Ethnic Group Constituency (Number) Constituency (%) Region (%) England & Wales (%)
English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British 86,651 94.64% 87.84% 74.42%
Other White 2,069 2.26% 4.52% 6.15%
Irish 350 0.38% 0.56% 0.85%
Any other ethnic group 335 0.37% 0.67% 1.55%
White and Asian 327 0.36% 0.61% 0.82%
Other Asian 301 0.33% 0.77% 1.63%
White and Black Caribbean 279 0.30% 0.58% 0.86%
Other Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups 254 0.28% 0.53% 0.78%
Chinese 161 0.18% 0.47% 0.75%
Indian 151 0.16% 1.03% 3.13%
White and Black African 143 0.16% 0.27% 0.42%
African 132 0.14% 0.76% 2.50%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller 119 0.13% 0.11% 0.11%
Caribbean 86 0.09% 0.30% 1.05%
Roma 63 0.07% 0.10% 0.17%
Other Black 49 0.05% 0.16% 0.50%
Pakistani 44 0.05% 0.31% 2.66%
Arab 28 0.03% 0.18% 0.56%
Bangladeshi 17 0.02% 0.21% 1.08%

Forest of Dean compared with other constituencies

Forest of Dean has a population of 94,516 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS). The population of the UK is 69,281,400 as of mid-2024. There are 650 constituencies, so the average population per constituency is around 106,600.

Population of 650 Constituencies
Population of 650 Constituencies (2024 mid-year estimate) sorted ascending

Compared with the other 649 constituencies, Forest of Dean has a population higher than 29, lower than 517, and similar to 104 constituencies (±2,500, including itself).

ONS Local Statistics for this Constituency

Understanding the social and economic characteristics of this constituency helps residents, community groups, researchers and businesses gain a clearer picture of the local area. ONS provides a wide set of local indicators that describe who lives here, how people work, their health, housing conditions and more.

Below, we highlight three useful measures — Household Deprivation, General Health, and Economic Activity Status — as an accessible introduction to the overall profile of Forest of Dean. These indicators offer a quick snapshot of living conditions, wellbeing and employment patterns.

Go to this ONS web page to explore all local indicators and build your custom profile for Forest of Dean.

ONS provides datasets of 38 indicators across six themes, covering a comprehensive range of local statistics for Forest of Dean:

  • Demography and migration: Population, Number of households, Age profile, Sex, Live births, Deaths, Legal partnership status, Country of birth, Passports held, Length of residence in the UK, Household size, Household composition, Household deprivation.
  • Economy: Distance travelled to work, Method of travel to workplace, Economic activity status, Employment history, Occupation, Socio-economic classification (NS-SeC), Hours per week worked.
  • Education and skills: Highest level of qualification, Schoolchildren and full-time students.
  • Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion: Ethnic group, National identity, Religion, Proficiency in English.
  • Health and wellbeing: General health, Disability, Provision of unpaid care.
  • Housing: Residential property sales, Energy efficiency of housing, Accommodation type, Number of cars or vans, Central heating, Number of bedrooms, Occupancy rating, Tenure of household, Second address indicator.

These indicators provide a well-rounded picture of Forest of Dean and allow you to compare local characteristics with other areas across the UK. The embedded charts just show a simplified starting point, and you are encouraged to explore the full ONS datasets for further detail.

This Constituency Baseview is automatically generated using data from multiple official sources and stored in our database. The underlying programme was last updated on 4 December 2025. We continue to enhance these pages and add new insights, so feel free to check back for updates.