About
Sources and Definitions
Area
The Super Output Area (SOA) and Local Government District displayed for the postcode entered is based on the Central Postcode Directory as of January 2019. See Central Postcode Directory. The classification as Urban/Rural/Mixed is based on the lookup table of the 890 Super Output Areas to the default urban/rural classification. See default urban/rural classification.
Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure
This is the official measure of spatial deprivation in Northern Ireland. The NIMDM 2017 provide information for seven distinct types of deprivation, known as domains, along with an overall multiple deprivation measure (MDM). The NIMDM 2017 provide a mechanism for ranking areas within Northern Ireland in the order of the most deprived to the least deprived. However, they do not quantify the extent to which one area is more or less deprived than another.
In considering the relative ranks of areas, it is important to acknowledge that there will be:
- Areas which have been ranked as the most deprived, which have people living there who may not be regarded as deprived; and
- Areas which have been ranked as the least deprived, which have people living there who may be regarded as deprived.
The main output geography for the NIMDM is the Super Output Area (SOA).
Distinct types, or domains, of deprivation are made up from one or more indicators. The seven domains of deprivation are:
- Income Deprivation Domain
- Employment Deprivation Domain
- Health Deprivation & Disability Domain
- Education, Skills & Training Deprivation Domain
- Access to Services Domain
- Living Environment Domain
- Crime & Disorder Domain
The indicators in each domain were analysed to produce a domain specific deprivation ranking of the 890 SOAs in Northern Ireland, from 1 (most deprived) to 890 (least deprived). The ranks of the seven domains were weighted and combined, to provide a ranking of multiple deprivation (MDM) for the 890 SOAs. See Domains
What the NIMDM 2017 can be used for
For each individual domain of deprivation and the overall MDM, the rankings can be used to:
✔ Explore the relative deprivation of small geographical areas by comparing them with each other
✔ Explore which small geographical areas are the most or least deprived
✔ Examine the spatial distribution of small geographical areas that are the most or least deprived, however defined
✔ Explore which small geographical areas have joined, left or remained in the most or least deprived areas over time
This can be done for Northern Ireland as a whole, or for each individual Local Government District or for other large geographies.
What the NIMDM 2017 cannot be used for
✗ Identifying deprived individuals or groups of people – these are area based spatial measures
✗ Quantifying the extent to which a small geographical area is deprived – they provide relative rankings of areas
✗ Quantifying the extent to which one area is more or less deprived than another – they provide relative rankings of areas
✗ Assessing how absolute deprivation in a small geographical area has changed over time – they provide a spatial ranking at a single point in time
✗ Measuring affluence – lack of deprivation is not the same as being affluent
✗ Undertaking UK comparisons – each UK country has a different set of indicators, time periods, domains and domain weights.
Population
Population Estimate for NI and Super Output Areas. See Population Estimate