Population overview
Birmingham City Council signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2012. There is an Armed Forces Covenant Steering Group for the city which has recently re-convened. This group meets quarterly and is chaired by the city’s Armed Forces Ambassador, Councillor Mike Sharpe, British Empire Medal (BEM). There is further information and there are a range of support services for veterans and their families listed here
Most data on veterans is available only at a national or regional level and is not wholly reliable. Data may not give a robust estimate of the number of veterans in the area as the question is not always asked in service delivery and younger veterans do not always identify as being a veteran, preferring the term ex-service man or woman.
Therefore, we currently have to estimate the local population based on regional data. Across the West Midlands region an estimated 8% of 16 to 64 year olds are veterans and 9.2% of those aged over 65 years. Applying these percentages to the Birmingham population gives us an estimated veteran population of approximately 31,866 (2.8% of the total population).