The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is England’s official way of comparing relative deprivation between every neighbourhood or Lower Super Output Area (LSOA). It blends seven domains—Income, Employment, Education, Health, Crime, Barriers to Housing & Services, and the Living Environment—into one overall ranking. Because the IMD is relative, it shows where areas sit compared to others nationally (an area ranked 1,000 is more deprived than one ranked 10,000, but not “ten times” more deprived). There are also specialist measures for children (IDACI) and older people (IDAOPI).
Nottingham City Council (NCC) ranks 18th out of 296 lower‑tier authorities on overall deprivation (rank of average rank)—meaning the city is more deprived than around 94% of districts in England. More than 30% of neighbourhoods fall within the most deprived 10% nationally.
Child poverty is a particular concern: on the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), Nottingham ranks 10th by average and 5th for the concentration of highly deprived neighbourhoods.
By contrast, Barriers to Housing & Services are a relative strength for the city (overall rank 155th, and 222nd among the most‑deprived‑10% areas), indicating comparatively better access to housing and essential services than other domains.
Looking across domains, the picture is mixed. Employment is Nottingham’s least‑deprived domain on average (53rd), yet conditions are still acute in the city’s most‑deprived neighbourhoods (10th). A similar pattern appears for Income and IDAOPI (Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index). Education is the reverse—more of a city‑wide challenge (overall 23rd) but less concentrated in the very most deprived areas (45th). Health stands out as particularly concerning, with the city ranking 14th overall and 15th in its most‑deprived area.
Deprivation is widespread across Nottingham: 15 of 20 wards include at least one neighbourhood in the most deprived 10% nationally. There are however some distinct spatial patterns that can be noted:
A clear north‑west grouping— primarily in Bulwell, Aspley and Bilborough—contains many of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods, with Bestwood also experiencing high (though slightly lower) levels.
The city centre and the wider suburbs surrounding it show a mix of very deprived and less deprived areas, with Hyson Green & Arboretum, Radford, and Dales each containing neighbourhoods in Nottingham’s top decile of deprivation. Within this area there are also several areas with low deprivation scores, such as The Park, Mapperley Park, and Alexander Park.
Clifton East (and parts of Clifton West) form another cluster with several very deprived neighbourhoods.
In contrast, the Southwest, notably large parts of Wollaton West, Lenton & Wollaton East, and parts of Clifton West, include some of the city’s least deprived areas. Some neighbourhoods in the Northeast, including part of Woodthorpe, also have low levels of deprivation.
To explore the spatial patterns in more detail, please see the IMD 2025 interactive application.
Direct comparisons are difficult because both the methodology and some boundaries have changed since 2019. Even so, there are notable shifts. Nottingham’s overall rank has moved from 10th of 317 (2019) to 18th of 296 (2025). On Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI), the city has improved from 2nd of 317 to 10th of 296 (still severe, but less extreme than in 2019). Crime has worsened (now 15th from 43rd), while Barriers to Housing & Services shows a marked improvement (now 155th from 86th).
Geographically, six wards—Hyson Green, Berridge, Radford, Dales, Sherwood, and Bulwell Forest—now contain neighbourhoods in the most deprived 10% nationally that previously did not (often moving up from the 10.1–20% band).
Looking at upper‑tier local authorities (which group councils differently, namely looking at unitary councils and counties), Nottingham City ranks 14th of 153, while Nottinghamshire County ranks 106th—a stark contrast that highlights a city–county inequality. About 31% of Nottingham City’s neighbourhoods are in the most deprived 10% nationally, compared with only 5% in Nottinghamshire. Leicester is the most similar of nearby cities to Nottingham on average scores, but deprivation in Nottingham is spread across more areas (31% vs 20% most deprived).
Derby and Sheffield are slightly better off than Nottingham. They rank 57th and 64th out of 153, with slightly better average scores. But there’s an important point about geography: Derby and Sheffield each sit mostly within one council area. Nottingham City is split across 5–7 councils (depending on how you define it), and some of these councils are much wealthier than Nottingham City itself.
For more information on the above, you can download the 2025 IMD report for Nottingham by clicking here. This report expands on this page and includes further observations at a ward level. Also check out our IMD 2025 interactive application.