Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare covers two of the largest towns in the northern South Wales Valleys. Merthyr Tydfil lies in the upper Taff valley, while Aberdare sits farther west in the Cynon valley. Both towns have strong industrial histories and are surrounded by steep hills and upland landscapes. Smaller communities extend along the valley floors between and around them, producing a linear settlement pattern shaped by rivers, roads and railways. Open moorland and ridges separate neighbouring valleys. The constituency therefore combines two substantial former industrial towns with a series of smaller valley communities and extensive upland countryside.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population100,531
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationWales
Age profile
0 to 1720.8% · 20,940 people
18 to 246.9% · 6,980 people
25 to 3413.1% · 13,145 people
35 to 4918.8% · 18,934 people
50 to 6420.1% · 20,228 people
65 and over20.2% · 20,304 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
43,830 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners64.2% · 28,146 households
Private renters16.1% · 7,045 households
Social renters19.4% · 8,512 households
Other tenure0.3% · 127 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
43,828 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households31.9% · 13,978 households
Families with dependent children28.3% · 12,385 households
Other single-family households37.2% · 16,312 households
Other household types2.6% · 1,153 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
99,652 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: England & Wales
Day-to-day activities limited a lot13.0% · 12,987 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little11.5% · 11,433 people
Not disabled under the Equality Act75.5% · 75,232 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 8 November 2026
Review the law on unfit to plead & reform it to protect victims & public safety
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded109
Total awarded£2,653,062
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 22 June 2026
Global Network For Women Music Producers Denmark 2026
Grant to Individual - GR-CRA008
£2,340
Arts Council of Wales | Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru · Arts
About this award
This application supports the participation of Eadyth Crawford (Eadyth), Ani Saunders (Ani Glass) and Lleuwen Steffan in the 2026 Global Network for Women and Non-Binary Music Producers Week in Copenhagen, led by National Arts Centre Canada. The project is an international artist development and networking opportunity including collaborative studio production, industry events and showcase activity with producers and artists from across the world. As three Welsh-speaking artists working across electronic, experimental and interdisciplinary music, the project will strengthen international collaboration, develop long-term creative partnerships, and increase the visibility of contemporary Welsh-language music within an international context.
National Lottery grantAwarded 29 May 2026
Cultivating Community in Merthyr Tydfil
The Gellideg Foundation Community Association
£19,900
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
The Gellideg Foundation Community Association - Community - National Lottery Awards for All Wales
National Lottery grantAwarded 27 May 2026
Taff Rocks
Taff Rocks
£19,966
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Taff Rocks - Community - National Lottery Awards for All Wales
National Lottery grantAwarded 18 May 2026
Aberfan Aqua Young at Heart Swimming Club
Aberfan Aqua Young at Heart Swimming Club
£18,944
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Aberfan Aqua Young at Heart Swimming Club - (Not Classified) - National Lottery Awards for All Wales
National Lottery grantAwarded 15 May 2026
Thrive with ABC ANY BODY CAN
ABC of Opera Productions Ltd
£19,952
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
ABC of Opera Productions Ltd - Children & Young People - National Lottery Awards for All Wales
104 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
Consent on Project Open Gov
We use essential cookies to make this website work.
We would also like to use optional cookies to understand how people use the site and to manage embedded third-party content where it is used.
You can accept optional cookies, reject them, or manage your preferences.
Essential cookies
Always active
These cookies are needed for the website to work properly, including security, basic site functions, caching, forms and cookie preference settings. They are always active.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Analytics cookies
These optional cookies help us understand how people use Project Open Gov, such as which pages are visited and how the site is reached. We use this information to improve the website. Analytics cookies are only used if you agree.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
External media cookies
These optional cookies may be used when third-party embedded content is loaded, such as videos or social media content. Project Open Gov does not use these cookies for advertising or remarketing.
