UK armed forces veterans quality information for Census 2021

Previous and current service in the UK armed forces

These data relate to those who previously served in the UK armed forces and excludes those who are currently serving (even if they had left and rejoined the armed forces). We applied extra quality assurance processes to correct responses from currently serving personnel who had incorrectly identified themselves as previously serving.

Comparisons involving the "previously served" population

During and after the Second World War there was National Service in the UK. This means that the population of those previously serving in the UK armed forces is highly skewed to males in older age groups. Users should bear this in mind when comparing the "previously served" population with the "not previously served" population, and use standardisation by age and sex where appropriate.

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