MHCLG and the ONS have published updated Indices of Deprivation for 2025, including the index of multiple deprivation [IMD25]. The English indices of deprivation measure relative deprivation in lower-layer super output areas. In some of the materials these are referred to as ‘neighbourhoods’ of around 1600 people – but check as figures and areas vary. 

 

You can access all information about the statistical release here.

Introduction

Since the 1970s the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and its predecessors have calculated local measures of deprivation in England. This statistical release contains the latest iteration of these statistics, the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (IoD25), summarising key findings from the data and signposting further analysis and guidance. The IoD25 suite of resources are Accredited Official Statistics.

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is the official measure of relative deprivation in England and is part of a suite of outputs that form the Indices of Deprivation (IoD). It follows an established methodological framework in broadly defining deprivation to encompass a wide range of an individual’s living conditions. People may be living in poverty if they lack the financial resources to meet their needs, whereas people can be regarded as deprived if they lack any kind of resources, not just income. In the IoD, ‘deprivation’ refers to people’s unmet needs, whereas ‘poverty’ refers to the lack of resources required to meet those needs or socially perceived necessities. These needs and necessities may change and evolve other time, but relative deprivation remains (see technical report for further detail).

The IoD25 uses LSOAs from the 2021 Census to measure deprivation at a small area or neighbourhood level. LSOAs are produced by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) with each Census and are a standard statistical geography used for reporting small area statistics. They are deigned to be consistent, accounting for a similar population size across the country – on average 1,500 residents or 650 households – and all types of geographic area (urban, rural, costal, island or otherwise) in the same way. There are 33,755 LSOAs in England.

The IMD25 ranks all neighbourhoods in England according to their level of multiple deprivation relative to that of other areas. High ranking LSOAs or neighbourhoods can be referred to as the ‘most deprived’ or as being ‘highly deprived’ to aid interpretation. However, there is no definitive threshold above which an area is described as ‘deprived’. Across the IoD25, deprivation is measured on a relative rather than an absolute scale, so a neighbourhood ranked 100th is more deprived than a neighbourhood ranked 200th, but this does not mean it is twice as deprived.

At the neighbourhood-level, the IoD25 provides a place-based insight into deprivation. However, this description does not apply to every person living in these areas. Many non-deprived people live in deprived areas, and many deprived people live in non-deprived areas. It is important to note that the IoD25 is designed to identify and measure specific aspects of deprivation, rather than measures of affluence. This means that differences between the least deprived areas in the country are less well defined than differences between the more deprived areas.

This release focuses on headline findings from the IoD25 concentrating on neighbourhood and Local Authority District (LAD) patterns of deprivation across England. These are reported across domains using a range of summary measures to help facilitate a broader understanding of deprivation.

There is also a helpful post code look up tool, which you can view here.