The county has an area of 3,485 km2 (1,346 sq mi) and had a population of 767,575 in 2024. The county is mostly rural, and the centre and south-west are sparsely populated. Swindon is located in the north-east, the city ofSalisbury in the south-east, and the towns ofTrowbridge andChippenham in the west. Forlocal government purposes the county comprises twounitary authority areas,Swindon andWiltshire.
Wiltshire is divided geologically between the north-west, which contains part of the limestoneCotswolds, and the chalkdownlands that characterise much of the rest of the county. TheMarlborough Downs occupy the north-northeast of the county and containSavernake Forest. To their south is theVale of Pewsey, and beyond isSalisbury Plain. In the south-west of the county are theWest Wiltshire Downs, which are separated fromCranborne Chase in the far south of the county by theVale of Wardour. The south-east contains part of theNew Forest. The county's two major rivers are both called the Avon; the northernAvon enters the county in the north-west and flows in a south-westerly direction before leaving it nearBradford-on-Avon, its vale separating the Cotswolds from the rest of the county. The southernAvon rises on Salisbury Plain and flows through Salisbury, then into Hampshire. Much of the county is protected: the Marlborough Downs, West Wiltshire Downs, Vale of Wardour, Cranbourne Chase and the Cotswolds are each part ofnational landscapes, and the New Forest is anational park.
Wiltshire is notable for its pre-Romanarchaeology. TheMesolithic,Neolithic andBronze Age people that occupied southern Britain built settlements on the hills and downland that cover Wiltshire.Stonehenge andAvebury are perhaps the most famous Neolithic sites in the UK.
In the 6th and 7th centuries, Wiltshire was at the western edge ofSaxon Britain, asCranborne Chase and theSomerset Levels prevented the advance to the west. The Battle ofBedwyn was fought in 675 betweenEscuin, aWest Saxon nobleman who had seized the throne ofQueen Saxburga, andKing Wulfhere ofMercia.[5] In 878 theDanes invaded the county. Following theNorman Conquest in 1066, large areas of the country came into the possession of the crown and the church.
At the time of theDomesday Survey, the industry of Wiltshire was largely agricultural; 390mills are mentioned, andvineyards at Tollard and Lacock. In the succeeding centuries, sheep-farming was vigorously pursued, and the Cistercian monastery ofStanley exported wool to theFlorentine andFlemish markets in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Hand-drawn map of Wiltshire, 1576, by Christopher Saxton
In 1794, it was decided at a meeting at theBear Inn in Devizes to raise a body of ten independent troops ofYeomanry for the county of Wiltshire, which formed the basis for what would become theRoyal Wiltshire Yeomanry, who served with distinction both at home and abroad, during theBoer War, World War I and World War II. The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry lives on as Y (RWY) Squadron, based in Swindon, and B (RWY) Squadron, based in Salisbury, of theRoyal Wessex Yeomanry.[6]
Information on the 261 civil parishes of Wiltshire is available at Wiltshire Council's Wiltshire Community History website, which has maps, demographic data, historic and modern pictures, and short histories.[7]
The local nickname for Wiltshire natives is "Moonrakers". This originated from a story ofsmugglers who managed to foil the localExcise men by hiding their alcohol, possibly Frenchbrandy in barrels or kegs, in a village pond. When confronted by the excise men, they raked the surface to conceal the submergedcontraband with ripples, and claimed that they were trying to rake in a large round cheese visible in the pond, really a reflection of the full moon. The officials took them for simple yokels or mad and left them alone, allowing them to continue with their illegal activities. Many villages claim the tale for their own village pond, but the story is most commonly linked with The Crammer inDevizes.[8][9]
Two-thirds of Wiltshire, a mostlyrural county, lies onchalk, a kind of soft, white, porous limestone that is resistant to erosion, giving it a highchalk downland landscape. This chalk is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of theChalk Group and stretching from theDorset Downs in the west toDover in the east. The largest area of chalk in Wiltshire isSalisbury Plain, which is used mainly forarable agriculture and by theBritish Army as training ranges. The highest point in the county is theTan Hill–Milk Hill ridge in thePewsey Vale, just to the north of Salisbury Plain, at 295 m (968 ft) above sea level.[10]
The chalk uplands run north-east intoWest Berkshire in theMarlborough Downs ridge, and south-west into Dorset asCranborne Chase. Cranborne Chase, which straddles the border, has, like Salisbury Plain, yielded much Stone Age and Bronze Agearchaeology. The Marlborough Downs are part of theNorth Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), a 1,730 km2 (670-square-mile) conservation area.
Between the areas of chalk and limestone downland areclayvalleys andvales. The largest of these vales is theAvon Vale. The Avon cuts diagonally through the north of the county, flowing throughBradford-on-Avon and intoBath andBristol. The Vale of Pewsey has been cut through the chalk intoGreensand andOxford Clay in the centre of the county. In the south west of the county is theVale of Wardour. The south-east of the county lies on the sandy soils of the northernmost area of theNew Forest.
Chalk is aporous rock, so the chalk hills have little surface water and the main settlements in the county were therefore established at wet points. Notably, Salisbury lies between the chalk of Salisbury Plain and marshy flood plains.
Along with the rest ofSouth West England, Wiltshire has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than counties further east.[11] The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50.0 °F). Although there is a marked maritime influence, this is generally rather less pronounced than it is for other south-western counties, which are closer to the sea. July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima of approximately 22 °C (71.6 °F). In winter mean minimum temperatures of 1 °C (33.8 °F) or 2 °C (35.6 °F) are usual andair frost is frequent. In the summer, theAzores high pressure affects south-west England; however,convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours.[11]
In December 1998, there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton (Somerset). Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused byAtlantic depressions or byconvection, though a proportion is caused orographically (uplift over hills). Autumn and winter are the rainiest, caused by Atlantic depressions, which are then most active. Even so, any month can be the wettest or driest in a given year, but the wettest is much more likely to be Oct-Mar, and the driest Apr-Sept. In summer, a greater proportion of the rainfall is caused by the sun heating the ground, leading to convection and showers and thunderstorms. It is often the northern half of the county that sees most of the showers with south-westerly winds in summer, whereas in the south of the county, the proximity of a relatively coldEnglish Channel often inhibits showers. In autumn and winter, however, the sea is often relatively warm, compared with the air passing over it, and can often lead to a higher rainfall in the south of the county (e.g., Salisbury recorded over 200mm of rain in November 2009 and January 2014). Average rainfall for the county is around 800 mm (31 in), drier parts averaging 700mm (28ins)and the wettest 900mm (around 35ins). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.[11]
The county has agreen belt mainly along its western fringes as a part of the extensiveAvon Green Belt. It reaches as far as the outskirts of Rudloe/Corsham and Trowbridge, preventingurban sprawl particularly from the latter in the direction ofBradford-on-Avon, and affording further protection to surrounding villages and towns from Bath in Somerset.
The ceremonial county of Wiltshire consists of two unitary authority areas, Wiltshire and Swindon, governed respectively byWiltshire Council andSwindon Borough Council.
Until the2009 structural changes to local government, Wiltshire (apart from Swindon) was a two-level county, divided into four local government districts –Kennet,North Wiltshire,Salisbury andWest Wiltshire – which existed alongsideWiltshire County Council, covering the same area and carrying out more strategic tasks, such as education and county roads. On 1 April 2009 these five local authorities were merged into a singleunitary authority called Wiltshire Council. With the abolition of the District of Salisbury, a newSalisbury City Council was created at the same time to carry out several citywide functions and to hold the city's charter.
The2025 Wiltshire Council election was held on 1 May 2025. The Conservatives had maintained majority control since 2000 but lost well over a third of their seats, resulting in no overall control, with the Liberal Democrats becoming the largest party. Reform UK contested the election for the first time, winning 10 seats. Labour's share of the total vote more than halved, retaining only one of its three seats. At the subsequent annual council meeting on 20 May 2025, Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Thorn was elected leader of a minority administration supported by independent councillors.
The Conservatives had held a majority in the Swindon Borough Council from 2004 to 2023. In the 2023 election, Labour won majority control and its group leader, Jim Robbins, was elected council leader at the annual council meeting on 19 May 2023. The2024 Swindon Borough Council election was held on 2 May 2024. Labour increased its majority while the Conservatives lost additional seats.
Wiltshire is represented by eightParliamentary constituencies. Seven are entirely within the county, while theSouth Cotswolds constituency extends into southern parts of Gloucestershire.[12]
For the overwhelming majority of Wiltshire’s history, the population of the ceremonial county was ethnically homogeneous, with the population being ofWhite British ethnicity. In the 2021 census, the ceremonial county of Wiltshire had a usual resident population of 743,744. The ceremonial county of Wiltshire is divided between two unitary authorities: Wiltshire Council, which, in the 2021 census, had a usual resident population of 510,334, and Swindon Borough Council, which, in the 2021 census, had a usual resident population of 233,410.
In the 2021 census, the ethnic composition of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire was 90.3% White; 5.1% Asian; 1.6% Black; 2.0% Mixed; and 0.9% Other.
White (90.3%): English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British (85.1%); Irish (0.6%); Gypsy or Irish Traveller (0.1%); Roma (0.1%); Other White (4.4%)
Asian (5.1%): Indian (2.7%); Pakistani (0.3%); Bangladeshi (0.3%); Chinese (0.4%); Other Asian (1.4%)
Black (1.6%): African (1.0%); Caribbean (0.4%); Other Black (0.3%)
Mixed (2.0%): White and Asian (0.6%); White and Black African (0.3%); White and Black Caribbean (0.6%); Other Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups (0.6%)
Other (0.9%): Arab (0.1%); Any other ethnic group (0.8%)
Note: Sub-group totals may not sum exactly to the group total due to rounding. Data for the ceremonial county are aggregated from its constituent unitary authorities.
Note: The 2001 census figures for 'Asian' and 'Other' have been adjusted to reflect the 2011 reclassification of the Chinese ethnic group from 'Other' to 'Asian' to allow comparison across census years.
Religion in Wiltshire (ceremonial county) (2021 United Kingdom census)
In the 2021 census, the religious composition of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire was 49.0% Christian; 41.0% no religion; 1.3% Muslim; 1.1% Hindu; 0.6% Buddhist; 0.3% Sikh; 0.1% Jewish; 0.6% Other religion; and 5.9% Not stated.
In the 2021 census, the ethnic composition of the unitary authority area of Wiltshire was 94.3% White; 2.1% Asian; 1.1% Black; 1.7% Mixed; and 0.7% Other. The unitary authority area of Swindon comprised 81.5% White; 11.6% Asian; 2.6% Black; 2.8% Mixed; and 1.5% Other.
Ethnic groups in Wiltshire (unitary authorities)
Ethnic Group
2001 Census
2011 Census
2021 Census
Wiltshire
Swindon
Wiltshire
Swindon
Wiltshire
Swindon
White
98.4%
95.2%
96.6%
89.8%
94.3%
81.5%
Asian
0.5%
2.6%
1.3%
6.4%
2.1%
11.6%
Black
0.3%
0.7%
0.7%
1.4%
1.1%
2.6%
Mixed
0.7%
1.1%
1.2%
2.0%
1.7%
2.8%
Other
0.2%
0.4%
0.2%
0.4%
0.7%
1.5%
Note: The 2001 census figures for 'Asian' and 'Other' have been adjusted to reflect the 2011 reclassification of the Chinese ethnic group from 'Other' to 'Asian' to allow comparison across census years.
In the 2021 census, the religious composition of the unitary authority area of Wiltshire was 50.2% Christianity; 41.3% no religion; 0.7% Islam; 0.5% Hinduism; 0.5% Buddhism; 0.1% Sikhism; 0.1% Judaism; 0.6% Other religion; and 6.0% Not stated. The unitary authority area of Swindon comprised 46.6% Christianity; 40.5% no religion; 2.7% Islam; 2.5% Hinduism; 0.7% Buddhism; 0.6% Sikhism; 0.1% Judaism; 0.6% Other religion; and 5.6% Not stated.
This is a chart of trend of regionalgross value added (GVA) of Wiltshire at current basic prices[20] with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.
The Wiltshire economy benefits from the "M4 corridor effect", which attracts business, and the attractiveness of its countryside, towns, and villages. The northern part of the county is richer than the southern part, particularly since Swindon is home to national and international corporations such asIntel,Motorola,Patheon,Catalent (formerly known asCardinal Health),Becton-Dickinson,WHSmith,Early Learning Centre andNationwide, withDyson located in nearbyMalmesbury. Wiltshire's employment structure is distinctive in having a significantly higher number of people in various forms ofmanufacturing (especiallyelectrical equipment and apparatus, food products, and beverages, furniture, rubber,pharmaceuticals, and plastic goods) than the national average.
In addition, there is higher-than-average employment inpublic administration anddefence, due to the military establishments around the county, particularly aroundAmesbury andCorsham. There are sizeableBritish Army barracks atTidworth,Bulford andWarminster, and theRoyal School of Artillery is at Larkhill. Further north,RAF Lyneham was home to the RAF's C-130 Hercules fleet until 2011; theMoD Lyneham site is now a centre for Army technical training. Wiltshire is also distinctive for the high proportion of its working-age population who are economically active (86.6% in 1999–2000) and its lowunemployment rates. The gross domestic product (GDP) level in Wiltshire did not reach the UK average in 1998, and was only marginally above the rate for South West England.[25]
Wiltshire is one of the few remaining English counties without a university or university college (though Wiltshire College does incorporate a University Centre); the closest university to the county town of Trowbridge is theUniversity of Bath. However,Bath Spa University has a centre atCorsham Court inCorsham, andOxford Brookes University maintains a minor campus inSwindon (almost 50 km from Oxford). Swindon is the UK's second largest centre of population (afterMilton Keynes) without its own university.[citation needed]
Chippenham Town is the area's highest-ranked non-league football club; they currently play in theNational League South after winning theSouthern Premier League in 2016/17, with a league record points tally of 103. AfterSalisbury City went into liquidation in 2014, a new club,Salisbury, was formed in 2015 and will play in the National League South for the 24/25 season.
Swindon Robins Speedway team, who competed in the top national division, theSGB Premiership, had been at their track at theBlunsdon Abbey Stadium near Swindon since 1949. In 2020, they stopped racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently announced in 2022 that they would not be returning.Swindon Wildcats compete in theEnglish Premier Ice Hockey League, the second tier of British ice hockey, and play their home games at Swindon'sLink Centre.
Without consultation with the populace, Wiltshire Council formally adopted the ‘Bustard Flag’ as the flag for the area it governs on 1 December 2009 — not for the ceremonial county of Wiltshire; consequently, the flag does not represent the Borough of Swindon.
The flag features eight wavy stripes, which also alternate between green and white, symbolising Wiltshire’s pasture-lands and chalk downs. These stripes were derived from the horizontal stripes on theescutcheon of the now obsolete Coat of Arms of Wiltshire County Council, as the council was abolished on 1 April 2009 and replaced with the unitary authority, Wiltshire Council. The coat of arms was officially granted on 5 April 1937. A silhouette of a male great bustard (Otis tarda), representing the bird reintroduced to Wiltshire, is centred on a green central disk, representing Wiltshire's open grassland. The silhouette is larger than the disk, overlapping with the disk's rim and the flag’s stripes. Although registered as gold, the actual colour of the great bustard silhouette is alpine. The rim of the disk is divided into six alternating green and white sections, representing both the county’s historic stone circles, such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and the six surrounding ceremonial counties: Berkshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. The disk’s rim sections are enclosed by a thin outer green line and a thin inner white line. The flag's dimensions follow a 3:5 proportion.
The great bustard had been extinct in England since 1832, but the Wiltshire-based charity, the Great Bustard Group (GBG), imported chicks fromRussia between 2004 and 2012, and then eggs fromSpain between 2014 and 2019, releasing the birds onto Salisbury Plain. In the autumn of 2024, there were around 70 great bustards in south Wiltshire.[27]
The Bustard Flag has faced criticism from vexillologists and heraldists for its irregular design and intricate details. The silhouette is too large to be contained by the disk, and along with the thin inner and outer border lines on the disk’s rim, is not discernible from a distance. The stripes' wavy nature becomes indistinguishable from horizontal stripes when the flag is flying.[28]
In general, Wiltshire is well served by rail, with 14 stations within its boundaries, although towns not served includeCalne,Marlborough andDevizes. Several destinations on bus routes, including the aforementioned three towns, have integrated through ticketing where one ticket may be bought to cover both the bus and rail journey.
.svg){kind=icon}
