ALMOST 1,000 residents in Ryedale identify as LGB+, new census figures reveal for the first time.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) introduced voluntary questions for people aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2021 census.

The ONS data shows 918 people in Ryedale identified as a sexual orientation other than heterosexual when the census was carried out in March 2021 – 2 per cent of respondents.

The most common LGB+ sexualities were gay or lesbian (50.2 per cent of those who did not identify as straight) and bisexual (41 per cent).

The vast majority of residents said they were heterosexual (91 per cent).

A further 3,200 people in Ryedale did not answer the question.

Across England and Wales, about 1.5 million people identified with an LGB+ sexual orientation in the 2021 census – 3.2 per cent of those aged 16 and over.

Overall, 1.5 per cent described themselves as gay or lesbian, 1.3 per cent described themselves as bisexual and 0.3 per cent selected “other sexual orientation."

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The census also asked people aged 16 and over about gender identity, with 138 (0.3 per cent) Ryedale residents stating they did not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.

Of them, 23 people were trans men and 35 were trans women. A further 14 said they were non-binary.

About 2,300 people did not answer the voluntary question.