Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2025 results report - Background information

Our proposals report describes how we developed WIMD 2025 and our summary report describes our response to the user feedback received.

We will continue to share information with users about WIMD 2025 via our website and emails to subscribers, please contact us at stats.inclusion@gov.wales if you want to subscribe.

Official statistics status

Official statistics are sources that have been published by government statisticians, or by other public bodies, under the Code of Practice for Statistics.

The UK Statistics Authority has designated WIMD as an accredited official statistic. This means it has been independently assessed as meeting the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value.

Although not all of the data sources used for WIMD’s 54 indicators are from official statistics, the report itself has been developed and published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority).

These statistics last underwent a full assessment against the Code of Practice in 2010 (Office for Statistics Regulation, OSR) and a compliance check in 2020 (OSR). 

Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR. OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with a number of statements and protocols to enhance trustworthiness, quality and value. These are set out in our Statement of Compliance.

These accredited official statistics demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways. 

Trustworthiness

These statistics are compiled by professional analysts and statisticians who work under the supervision of our Chief Statistician to ensure that the statistics, data and explanatory material are presented impartially and objectively and are in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Our proposals summary report outlines the rationale behind the choice of indicators to reflect different aspects of deprivation.

Quality

The published figures provided are compiled by professional analysts using the latest available data and applying methods using their professional judgement and analytical skillset. This included careful and independent validation of all elements of the compiling and drafting process by our statisticians. 

Statistics published by us adhere to the Statistical Quality Management Strategy which supplements the Quality pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics and the European Statistical System principles of quality for statistical outputs.

Accuracy

WIMD 2025 follows on from the previous iterations of the index and has been designed to ensure the reliability of results. Our proposals report includes a list of the indicator criteria. WIMD 2025 brings together 54 indicators from a wide range of data sources (some official or accredited statistics, others based on administrative datasets) which ensures robustness of the overall results. 

Areas that are very deprived according to WIMD are likely to be very deprived on several of the domains. Due to the variety of data inputs, there is little chance that an area is identified as very deprived due to a bias in any one of the underlying indicators. 

In terms of the accuracy of the processing of the data, the quality assurance plan for WIMD 2025 included several stages of data checks such as:

• replicating results for any new or changed indicators with different analysis tools
• expert assurance of data with the domain groups of topic experts, and local authority representatives 

Timeliness 

We used the latest available information for all indicators at the time of data processing (October 2025). 

Some of our indicators use the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Small Area Population Estimates (SAPE) in the denominators. We used the SAPE data published in November 2024 (estimates up to mid-2022) which was available for the WIMD 2025 data processing period in October 2025. Since then, the ONS have published updates and revisions to some of this data on 7 November 2025. We have looked at this and assessed the impact of changes at small area level to be small. 

The list of indicators below and our technical report describe the reference period for each indicator.

Comparability 

Our guidance report provides further information about indices of deprivation for the other three countries of the UK, and why results should not be compared across countries.

Value

In publishing this data, we aim to provide evidence for ministers, policy makers and external stakeholders on deprivation, and to inform the wider public.

This report has been produced as an online report to improve the accessibility, responsiveness, and user experience.

Most data underlying the report, and more detailed breakdowns, are available on StatsWales and through the StatsWales open data services.

We have published results in a range of formats to help different people access and interpret WIMD results. These are signposted in our outputs timetable. 

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must:

(a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals 

(b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru

Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable: 

(a) publish the indicators as revised 

(b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd 

These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.

WIMD includes one indicator (low birth weight) which is one of the national indicators:

(1) Percentage of live single births with a birth weight of under 2,500g

Several other WIMD indicators are a fairly close match to a national indicator, including:

(4) Levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in the air

(8) Percentage of adults with qualifications at the different levels of the National Qualifications Framework

(18) Percentage of people living in households in income poverty relative to the UK median: measured for children, working age and those of pension age

(32) Number of properties (homes and businesses) at medium or high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea

(33) Percentage of dwellings with adequate energy performance

Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the wellbeing goals and associated technical information is available in the Well-being of Wales report.

As a national indicator under the Act they must be referred to in the analyses of local well-being produced by public services boards when they are analysing the state of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being in their areas. 

The Act states national milestones must be set that “…the Welsh Ministers consider would assist in measuring whether progress is being made towards the achievement of the well-being goals.” In doing so Welsh Ministers must specify how we know that a national milestone has been achieved and the time by which it is to be achieved. 

National milestones are not performance targets for any individual organisation, but are collective measures of success for Wales. 

Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local wellbeing assessments and local wellbeing plans.

Additional information will be available in the technical report.

Income

• Percentage of people in income deprivation.

Employment

• Percentage of working age people in employment deprivation.

Health

• Low birth weight, percentage.
• Children aged 4 to 5 living with obesity, percentage.
• Cancer incidence, rate per 100,000.
• GP recorded mental health conditions, rate per 100.
• GP recorded chronic conditions, rate per 100.
• Limiting long term illness, rate per 100.
• Premature deaths, rate per 100,000.

Education 

• Key Stage 4 average points score for core subjects.
• Persistent absenteeism rate (per 100) primary.
• Persistent absenteeism rate (per 100) secondary.
• Percentage of Key Stage 4 leavers entering higher education.
• Percentage of adults aged 25 to 64 with no or low qualifications.

Access to services

• Average travel time by public and private transport to a food shop.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a GP surgery.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a sports facility.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a secondary school.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a pharmacy.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a post office.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a primary school.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to a public library.
• Average travel time by public and private transport to childcare services.
• Average travel time by private transport to a petrol station.
• Access to digital services (percentage unavailability of broadband at 30Mb/s).

Housing

• Percentage of overcrowded households (bedroom measure).
• Likelihood of poor quality housing (being in disrepair or containing serious hazards).
• Inability to afford to enter owner occupation or the private rental market (score).
• Energy efficiency of dwellings (average score).

Community safety

• Police recorded crime, burglary (rate per 100 properties).
• Police recorded crime, criminal damage (rate per 100).
• Police recorded crime, theft (rate per 100).
• Police recorded crime, violence without injury (rate per 100).
• Police recorded crime, violence with injury (rate per 100).
• Police recorded crime, stalking and harassment (rate per 100).
• Police recorded crime, public order offences (rate per 100).
• Police recorded anti-social behaviour incidents (rate per 100).
• Fire incidences (rate per 100).

Physical environment

• Population weighted average concentration values of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
• Population weighted average concentration values of particulates < 10 µm (PM10).
• Population weighted average concentration values of particulates < 2.5 µm (PM2.5).
• Proximity to accessible, natural green space (percentage of households within 300m).
• Ambient green space score (mean household Normalised Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI).
• Households at risk of flooding score.
• Percentage of population exposed to noise pollution.