East Wales () is a geographical sub-division and a former International Territorial Level Two (ITL 2) statistical region of Wales. It generally encompasses the easternmost parts of the country, and was further sub-divided into four ITL 3 regions– Monmouthshire and Newport, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, Flintshire and Wrexham, Powys, while the rest of Wales was part of the West Wales and the Valleys ITL 2 region.
Various organisations in Wales use various methodologies to sub-divide territory, and most of them use a North–South divide. The East-West divide was generally used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and sporting organisations such as the Welsh Athletics. Since 2025, the ONS has used a three-region North, Mid and South West, and South East divide for its 2025 set of ITL 2 regions.
Usage Various organisations in Wales use various methodologies to sub-divide Welsh territory. The most common form of division of Wales into various regions has been using cardinal and intercardinal references, and most of them including the Welsh Government, and organisations such as Visit Wales, Natural Resources Wales, use a North–South divide. The East-West divide is used on rare occasions and was generally used by the Office for National Statistics. The Welsh Government sometimes uses the East-West divide such as in case of economic planning and development.
Geography East Wales sub-division generally encompasses the easternmost parts of the country, spread over an area of . It is further sub-divided into seven unitary authority areas– Monmouthshire, Newport, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Flintshire, Wrexham, and Powys. The region consists of mountainous terrain on the Eastern extremes with urban developments in the valley region between Cardiff and Newport. The valley extends north into the mountainous regions bordering Powys. The region hosts a variety of wildlife, and incorporates parts of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Demographics The region was home to a population of approximately 1.1 million people in 2002. The region is considered more economically developed, than the corresponding western part of the territory. The urban regions consist of well educated and skilled manpower, with a high net income compared to other regions of Wales. However, the rural regions are sparsely populated, and predominantly dependent on agriculture. They have low income levels compared to the urban areas, and are faced with farming on difficult terrain.
National statistics The Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom (UK) divided the geographical area of the UK into various levels of sub-divisions. Entire Wales is demarcated as a International Territory Level Two (ITL 2) statistical region. Within Wales, various geographical sub-divisions were designated as ITL 2 statistical regions. The East Wales region was one of the two sub-divisions, with the remainder of Wales termed as West Wales and the Valleys. It was further divided into four ITL 3 regions.
ITL 1CodeITL 2CodeITL 3CodeWalesTLLEast WalesTLL2Monmouthshire and NewportTLL21Cardiff and Vale of GlamorganTLL22Flintshire and WrexhamTLL23PowysTLL24
Sport Welsh Athletics divides the Wales region into four sub-regions based on the cardinal directions. The leagues for various disciplines having regional and inter-region competitions, are conducted based on the same. The East Wales region covers Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly (eastern half), Monmouthshire, Newport, South Powys and Torfaen.
Sports associations such as Wales Bridge Association use a similar methodology with the East Wales Bridge Association one amongst the four in Wales, the others being Mid, West and North. The East Wales Association consists of the historic counties of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Brecknockshire.
See also Geography of Wales List of Welsh principal areas by percentage Welsh language Subdivisions of Wales Mid Wales North Wales South Wales West Wales Welsh Marches
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