A third of people in Ceredigion and Gwynedd have the highest level of qualifications, new census figures show.

The Higher Education Policy Institute said the figures, which show significantly different levels of education across England and Wales, highlight the importance of investment in education.

Office for National Statistics data shows that when the most recent census was carried out in March 2021, 35.3 per cent of people in Ceredigion and 34.5 per cent in Gwynedd had a level 4 or higher qualification – such as a degree, postgraduate qualification, higher national certificate or diploma.

Whereas those counties were above the national figure of 33.8 per cent, Powys was just shy with 31.9 per cent boasting a level 4 or higher qualification.

At the other end of the scale, 14.7 per cent in Ceredigion and 16.3 per cent in Gwynedd said they had no qualification in 2021 – below the national level of 18.2 per cent.

The figure for Powys was slightly above the national average, at 18.9 per cent.

Census deputy director Jon Wroth-Smith said the data shows London came out on top with the highest proportion of people with a level 4 or above qualification – nearly half the region's residents hold a higher-level certificate or degree.

“The region with the lowest proportion of people with Level 4 or above qualifications was the North East, with the East Midlands at a similar level, while the region with the highest proportion of people with no qualifications was the West Midlands, around one in five adults,” Mr Wroth Smith added.