More young adults than ever in the UK are now identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB), new figures today suggested.
The proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds who are LGB has almost quadrupled in a decade and now stands at over one in 10.
Roughly 10.5 per cent of Gen Z identified as LGB in 2023, up from just 2.8 per cent in 2014 and 4.4 per cent in 2018.
Across the UK population as a whole, an estimated 3.8 per cent of those aged over 16 identified as LGB, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) — the equivalent of 2.1 million Brits.
This is up over a million since 2018, when the figure stood at 2.2 per cent, meaning it has almost doubled.
The proportion identifying as heterosexual has fallen over the same period, from 94.6 per cent to 93.6 per cent.
This drop ‘may be attributed to more people being more open to identifying their own sexual orientation as being LGB,’ the ONS said.
This ‘together with changing societal attitudes means a greater acceptance of different sexual orientations’, they added.
Roughly 10.5 per cent of Gen Z identified as LGB in 2023, up from just 2.8 per cent in 2014 and 4.4 per cent in 2018 (pictured: London Pride)
The estimates were published by the ONS using data from the Annual Population Survey, which collects information on sexual identity from the household population aged 16 and over in the UK.
According to the data, men were more likely than women to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2023.
An estimated 4.2 per cent of men — roughly 1.1 million — said they were LGB, compared to 3.4 per cent of women, or 938,000.
But by sexual orientation, women were more likely than men to identify as bisexual in 2023.
Young women were most likely to report being bisexual, with the figure at 9.2 per cent among 16 to 24-year-olds.
The rise in young adults identifying as LBG may also be due to a ‘large increase’ in the proportion of young people generally who said they were bisexual.
Five years ago, the figure stood at 2.8 per cent among 16 to -24-year-olds. In 2023, it was 7.5 per cent — a rise of more than double.
It also rose from 1.1 per cent to 3.4 per cent among those aged 25 to 34 years old.
Across the UK population as a whole, an estimated 3.8 per cent of those aged over 16 identified as LGB, according to ONS — the equivalent of 2.1 million Brits
According to the data, men were more likely than women to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual in 2023. An estimated 4.2 per cent of men — roughly 1.1 million — said they were LGB, compared to 3.4 per cent of women, or 938,000
The survey focused exclusively on sexual identity and no data was collected for those who identify as transgender, or non-binary.
Across the UK as a whole, the number of people who identified as ‘other’ — meaning they do not consider themselves to be heterosexual or straight, bisexual, gay or lesbian — was also 0.7 per cent.
By nation, Scotland recorded the highest proportion of adults who identified as LGB, at 4.3 per cent.
This was followed by Wales with 4.2 per cent and England at 3.8 per cent.
In Northern Ireland, meanwhile, the figure stood at 2.2 per cent.
London had the highest regional proportion of people in the UK identifying as LGB, at 5.2 per cent in 2023.
It also had the lowest regional proportion identifying as heterosexual or straight, with 91.2 per cent, mirroring the findings from the 2021 Census.
