What is an IMD decile?

IMD deciles split all neighbourhoods in England into ten equal sized groups based on their deprivation rank.

How IMD deciles work

The Index of Multiple Deprivation ranks every Lower-layer Super Output Area from most deprived (rank 1) to least deprived (rank 33,755). Deciles divide this list into ten groups, each containing ten percent of areas.

This means:

Decile	Position in England	Meaning
1	Most deprived ten percent	Areas with the highest levels of deprivation.
2	Ten to twenty percent most deprived	Areas still facing relatively high deprivation.
3 to 8	Middle groups	Areas around or slightly above or below the England average.
9	Ten to twenty percent least deprived	Areas with relatively low deprivation.
10	Least deprived ten percent	Areas with the lowest levels of deprivation.

Why deciles are useful

Deciles allow you to summarise deprivation levels quickly without looking at full ranks. They are commonly used to:

Highlight priority areas for funding or services
Summarise deprivation across a wider area such as a local authority
Group participants in research studies
Create clearer charts and maps

A relative, not absolute, measure

Deciles are based on relative ranking. An area in decile 1 is not twice as deprived as an area in decile 2. It is simply placed in a different ten percent band.