Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2025 results report - Health domain results
WIMD is designed to identify the small areas of Wales that are the most deprived.
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In this page
Introduction
The purpose of this domain is to measure lack of good health in all people, and to capture predictors of future health based on deprivation experienced in childhood. The domain has a relative weight of 15% in the overall index.
Indicators
Figure 4.1: health domain indicators, WIMD 2025
Description of figure 4.1: diagram showing that the health domain has seven indicators, each a rate within the relevant population, and the percentage shown next to each indicator is the amount it contributes to the overall domain.
Of the indicators, 2 relate to children:
- low birth weight (live single births less than 2.5kg), 2015 to 2024 (4.3%)
- children aged 4 to 5 living with obesity, 5 years combined: 2016/17 (September 2016 to August 2017), 2017/18, 2018/19, 2022/23 and 2023/24 (3.6%)
Of the indicators, 3 capture specific diagnosed conditions:
- chronic conditions diagnosed by GPs, July 2025 (19.6%)
- mental health conditions diagnosed by GPs, July 2025 (8.1%)
- cancer incidence, all malignancies excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, 2012 to 2021 (4.7%)
Of the indicators, 2 capture broader population health status:
- premature deaths (death under the age of 75), 2015 to 2024 (27.9%)
- self-reported limiting long-term illness, 2021 (31.7%)
Some of the indicators are age-sex standardised to account for population differences across small areas. Within the health domain, factor analysis is used to determine the weights.
Full details on the indicators and construction of the domain is available in the WIMD 2025 technical report.
Main points
Figure 4.2: map of LSOAs shaded by health deprivation group, WIMD 2025
© Crown copyright 2025. Cartographics. Welsh Government.
Description of figure 4.2: the map shows that for the WIMD 2025 health domain there were pockets of high health deprivation in the South Wales valleys and large cities, and in some North Wales coastal towns.
- For the health domain, the most deprived small area was Rhyl West 2 followed by Rhyl West 1 (in Denbighshire) then Brackla 3 (in Bridgend).
- These areas were ranked as the second, fourth and fifth most deprived respectively in WIMD 2019.
- The overall patterns of health deprivation in WIMD 2025 are fairly similar to those for WIMD 2019.
- The local authorities with the highest concentration of areas in the most deprived 10% of small areas were Merthyr Tydfil (28%), followed by Neath Port Talbot (19%) and Cardiff (16%).
- Ceredigion had no small areas in the most deprived 10%, and Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire and Powys had one each.
Comparison between WIMD 2019 and WIMD 2025
There have been some small methodological changes to the health domain between WIMD 2019 and WIMD 2025, but they remain broadly comparable. For full information on how the domain has changed since 2019 see the WIMD 2025 technical report.
| WIMD deprivation group | 10% most deprived 2025 | 10% to 20% most deprived 2025 | 20% to 30% most deprived 2025 | 30% to 50% most deprived 2025 | 50% least deprived 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% most deprived 2019 | 76% | 20% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
| 10% to 20% most deprived 2019 | 20% | 52% | 21% | 7% | 0% |
| 20% to 30% most deprived 2019 | 4% | 22% | 38% | 35% | 2% |
| 30% to 50% most deprived 2019 | 0% | 3% | 16% | 62% | 19% |
| 50% least deprived 2019 | 0% | 0% | 1% | 7% | 92% |
The table shows the percentage of small areas (LSOAs) in each deprivation group for WIMD 2019 that have stayed or moved group in WIMD 2025. For an explanation of how we have treated the minority of areas that changed boundary, please see the guidance report.
The diagonal (top left to bottom right) shows the percentage of areas which have remained in the same deprivation group. Above the diagonal are percentages of areas which have moved from a more to a less deprived group. Below the diagonal are the percentages of areas which have moved from a less to a more deprived group.
The table shows that:
- except for the 20% to 30% most deprived group, most LSOAs remained in the same deprivation group between 2019 and 2025
- of the 10% most deprived areas in 2019, 76% remained in that group in 2025
- of the 50% least deprived areas in 2019, 92% remained in that group in 2025
Only one area moved by more than 2 deprivation groups, Llanishen 11 in Cardiff, which moved from the 50% least deprived in 2019 to the 10% to 20% most deprived in 2025 (note that this does not appear in the above table due to rounding).
Below we focus on other areas that have moved most in or out of the more deprived groups.
Relatively more deprived
Seven areas have moved from the 20% to 30% most deprived group in WIMD 2019 to the 10% most deprived group in WIMD 2025, spread across seven different local authorities.
Relatively less deprived
Seven areas moved from the 10% most deprived group to the 20% to 30% most deprived group in WIMD 2025, although 2 of those had changed LSOA boundary between WIMD 2019 and WIMD 2025.
Local authority analysis
Figure 4.3: box plot of WIMD 2019 health domain ranks, by local authority
Description of figure 4.3: the chart shows the spread of health domain ranks for each local authority. The blue boxes contain half the total number of small areas (LSOAs) in each local authority, centred on the median (middle) rank for each local authority and the ‘whiskers’ show the full range of ranks within the local authority. Deprivation increases with decreasing rank (that is, towards the left-hand side of the plot).
The chart shows that the spread of health domain ranks is greatest in Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Swansea, and narrowest in Isle of Anglesey, Ceredigion and Gwynedd. Powys has the highest median rank (less deprived) and Blaenau Gwent has the lowest (more deprived).
Concentrations of WIMD 2019 health deprived areas, by local authority
One way of considering WIMD data at the local authority level is to look at the proportion of areas within the local authority that are in the most deprived 10% (or 20% etc) of all areas. This method can be seen as identifying the concentration of the most deprived areas in a local authority, rather than an average level of deprivation.
The WIMD 2025 health domain results show that:
- the local authority with the highest proportion of areas in the most deprived 10% was Merthyr Tydfil (28%, or 10 areas), followed by Neath Port Talbot (19%, or 17 areas) then Cardiff (16%, or 34 areas)
- Ceredigion had no small areas in the most deprived 10%, and Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire and Powys each had one small area in the most deprived 10%
- Powys had the lowest concentrations of areas in the most deprived half of Wales, at 20%
- Blaenau Gwent had the highest percentage of areas in the most deprived 50%, at 83%
Concentrations of WIMD 2025 health deprived areas, by local authority on StatsWales.
Other relevant sources
Welsh Government Health and Social Care Statistics
We publish a comprehensive set of information on health, health services and social services in Wales. These statistics cover a wide range of topics including NHS primary and community activity, waiting times and NHS staff.
Dental health
We have published new data on oral health assessments performed during NHS dental contacts. We mentioned plans to look into this as a potential WIMD indicator in our proposals report and subsequent summary of user feedback. However we found that the coverage of the data (proportions of people having recent NHS dental contacts) was variable by LSOA, meaning at present we cannot confidently assess dental health consistently across Wales, which is required for a WIMD indicator.
National Survey for Wales
The National Survey for Wales asks questions about health and use of health services. This covers a wide range of topics which vary by survey year, and results can be found on the Survey topic pages for Population Health and NHS & Social Care.
Public Health Wales
The Public Health Wales Observatory provides public health intelligence for decision makers and the public. As part of this, the Public Health Outcomes Framework compiles information on health outcomes for the people of Wales.
Childhood vaccinations
Public Health Wales publish reports on the uptake of childhood vaccinations based on data from the national community child health database (managed by Digital Health and Care Wales). We mentioned plans to look into this as a potential WIMD indicator in our proposals report and subsequent summary of user feedback. We looked at 6 years’ worth of data and found the data contained a very high degree of variability for LSOAs compared to other indicators in the domain. We will review in future with a longer, post-pandemic set of data.
Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit
The Welsh Cancer Intelligence & Surveillance Unit is the National Cancer Registry for Wales and its primary role is to record, store and report on all incidence of cancer for the resident population of Wales wherever they are treated.
Health Maps Wales
Health Maps Wales contains a wide range of health data about Welsh residents, including hospital admissions, mortality and child health.
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics also publishes statistics on health and social care, including life expectancy, and mortality data, collected from registrations and surveys.
School Health Research Network
The student health and wellbeing survey of secondary schools conducted by the School Health Research Network provides a range of data including measures of mental wellbeing and physical activity in 11 to 16 year olds.