Indices of Multiple Deprivation

Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) measures relative and collective deprivation across neighbourhoods in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each nation uses unique domains and indicators tailored to its specific socioeconomic context, allowing governments to allocate resources and design policies effectively to tackle local deprivation.

Overview by Nation

• England: IMD is calculated using seven weighted domains: Income, Employment, Education, Health, Crime, Barriers to Housing and Services, and Living Environment. England’s IMD ranks 32,844 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs), with 1 being the most deprived.
• Scotland: The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) uses seven domains and ranks 6,976 Data Zones, Scotland’s equivalent to LSOAs.
• Wales: The Welsh IMD incorporates eight domains, such as Income, Employment, Health, Education, and Access to Services, ranking 1,909 LSOAs.
• Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland’s IMD ranks 890 LSOAs using seven domains, including Income, Employment, Health and Disability, Education, Access to Services, Living Environment, and Crime.

Each index reflects local conditions, and rankings allow policymakers to focus on the most deprived areas while recognising variations within affluent or deprived communities.

Recent Updates and Legislation

• The IMD 2024 Update for England includes adjustments to reflect changing socioeconomic factors such as post-pandemic recovery and digital access disparities.
• Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 provides additional funding and targeted policies for addressing deprivation in lower-ranked areas.
• Wales’ IMD 2023 Review introduced a new sub-domain for climate resilience, reflecting the growing importance of environmental factors in assessing deprivation.

Key Use Cases

• Policy Design: Supports equitable resource distribution across health, education, and housing sectors.
• Research and Analysis: Offers robust data for academic studies and NGO reports on socioeconomic inequality.
• Community Investment: Helps businesses identify underserved markets and opportunities for impact-driven initiatives.

Useful Links

• English Indices of Deprivation (Gov.uk) Provides access to detailed data, methodology, and rankings for England’s LSOAs.
• Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) Offers interactive maps, data, and reports detailing deprivation rankings in Scotland.
• Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) Includes methodology, datasets, and insights for analysing deprivation across Welsh communities.

For more detailed insights into local areas, explore our Geodemographics data product which provides extensive demographic information linked to postcodes across the the whole of the UK.