About the indices of deprivation
The English indices of deprivation measure relative deprivation in small areas in England. The index of multiple deprivation is the most widely used of these indices.
The updated index of multiple deprivation (IMD) was published by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) on 30 September 2015.
The IMD brings together data covering seven different aspects or ‘domains’ of deprivation into a weighted overall index for each Lower-layer Super Output Area (LSOA) in England. The scores are then used to rank the LSOAs nationally and to calculate an IMD score for each local authority area. Local authorities are then ranked by their IMD score. The IMD presents a ranking of relative deprivation between and within local authorities in England. It is not a measure of affluence in an area, nor an absolute measure of how much more or less deprived an area is compared to another.
The domains used in calculating the index are: Income; Employment; Education, Skills and Training; Health Deprivation and Disability; Crime; Barriers to Housing and Services; Living Environment. There are also two supplementary domains - Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and Income Deprivation Affecting Older People (IDAOPI).
LSOAs are a geographical unit which has an average of 1,500 residents and 650 households. They were developed following the 2001 census, through the aggregation of smaller census output areas, to create areas with a reasonably compact shape and which were socially similar (assessed through housing type). Around one percent of LSOAs were changed following the 2011 Census in order to maintain the characteristics described above. There are now 32,844 LSOAs in England. Leicester now has 192 LSOAs.
Leicester IMD
Leicester is ranked 21st most deprived in IMD 2015 out of 326 local authorities, compared with 25th in the 2010 Index.
Leicester is ranked within the 10% most deprived local authorities in England
Compared to England, Leicester has almost double the population living in the two fifths (40%) most deprived LSOA’s in the country. 76% of Leicester’s population, compared with only 40% of England’s, live in the 40% most deprived LSOAs in the country.
A full report on deprivation in Leicester can be found on the Leicester City Council website here: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/policies-plans-and-strategies/health-and-social-care/data-reports-information/