The (UK) Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) has launched a Veterans Data Dashboard with information on ex-armed forces personnel.

It brings together data from different public bodies for the first time, provides scope for veterans and the public to learn about the community, and information on support services.

Functions include the ability to scroll through data on issues such as population, housing, mental health and employment.

The OVA said it will be updated regularly.

Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer MP said: “In order to step up services for veterans and standardise support across the country, we need a better picture of the community we’re serving.

“So it’s a key part of our job at the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to improve the data we have on the veteran community and today shows that we’re making good strides forward.

“Data and evidence is at the heart of our veterans policy and I encourage everyone to check out the new dashboard.”

Transformation package

The launch of the dashboard has come a year after the Government announced a £44 million digital transformation package to support veterans. This pointed towards the development of a new portal for access to compensation and pension services and work on a digital verification service to prove veteran status.

Alongside the release, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published findings from the 2021 National Census, in which demographics characteristics of the veteran population were covered for the first time – through a question on whether the respondent was a veteran.

The data shows that of the total (just over 1.85 million) UK armed forces veteran population in England and Wales, 13.6% were women and 86.4% were men – and that their overall health was similar to that of the general population when adjusted for age and gender.

The ONS is working to further analyse the data.