Deprivation is much higher in Northern Ireland than in the regions of England, and in Scotland and Wales, new research by Queen’s University Belfast has found.
For the first time ever, researchers have been able to compare census data on deprivation by employment, education and health right across the UK.
The researchers found two local authorities in Northern Ireland – Derry and Strabane and Belfast – have more deprived areas than any of the other 374 local authorities in England, Scotland or Wales and the rest of Northern Ireland.
The study also highlights that Belfast has the worst levels of self-reported health deprivation in the UK.
Most deprived areas
When the researchers looked at census data on the most deprived areas in the UK, they found that:
- Northern Ireland has the highest level of the most deprived areas in the UK at 25 per cent
- The North East of England has the second highest levels of deprived areas at 21 per cent
- The West Midlands (England) has the third highest levels at 16.5 per cent
Health deprivation
The researchers also examined data on health deprivation. This data was self-reported by those who responded to the 2021 census (2022 in Scotland).
They found that:
- Health deprivation is particularly high in Northern Ireland with nearly 28 per cent of areas ranked among the most deprived by poor health across the UK.
- In Scotland, 23 per cent of areas were among the most deprived by poor health
- This was the case for 16 per cent of areas in North East England
Levels of health deprivation were lowest in London, with just 1.5 per cent of areas ranked most deprived by poor health. The level was also low in the East of England at 2.65 per cent.
Professor Christopher Lloyd from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s led the study. He explains: “Our research shows, for the first time, how deprivation by employment, education and health vary within and between the four nations of the UK.
“This type of analysis is important for everyone in our society as it allows us to see how our local authority areas are affected by deprivation and how this compares to other areas in the UK.”
He adds: “The insights are critical for informing public policy. Our study will allow policy makers to make a case for funding or to better direct resources given a knowledge of how their areas compare to other areas within their region, within their nation, or the UK as a whole.”
The Queen’s researchers used 2021 census data from England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 census data from Scotland. The project was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the University of Leeds and deprivation.org were key partners.
