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The Index of Multiple Deprivation, often shortened to IMD, is the main way the government describes levels of deprivation across small areas in England.
The Index of Multiple Deprivation combines information from different parts of life into a single measure of relative deprivation. It is calculated for small areas so that patterns of disadvantage are visible within towns, cities and regions, not just at national level.
IMD does not measure every aspect of life, but it provides a consistent way to compare areas and to identify where challenges are most concentrated.
IMD is calculated for Lower-layer Super Output Areas. These are small statistical areas that usually contain around 1,500 people. There are 33,755 such areas in England.
Each one receives a score and a rank. A rank of 1 indicates the most deprived small area in England. A rank of 33,755 indicates the least deprived.
The word multiple is used because IMD combines information from several domains, such as income, employment, health, education, crime, housing and environment. Each domain captures a different dimension of deprivation and is built from several indicators.
These domains are given weights and combined into an overall Index of Multiple Deprivation score. The areas are then ranked from most to least deprived based on this combined score.
You can read more about these domains in the explainer on what IMD measures.
IMD is widely used in government, the NHS, local authorities, charities, research and funding decisions. Common uses include:
Because it is consistent across England, IMD allows different organisations to work from the same picture of relative deprivation.
The index is updated periodically. The IMD 2025 release follows earlier versions such as IMD 2019. Each release refreshes the data sources and sometimes updates the method. This means care is needed when comparing results over time.
If you are interested in what has changed since 2019, see the explainer on IMD 2019 compared with IMD 2025.