Measures that describe the spatial distribution of deprivation or disadvantage have been developed and used by Government and others in Northern Ireland since the 1970s.
They have played a pivotal role in both informing the targeting of resources to the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland and monitoring the spatial impact of policy interventions.
The 2017 Multiple Deprivation Measures (NIMDM2017) replace the NIMDM 2010 as the official measure of deprivation in Northern Ireland. NISRA personnel are currently seeking to resource exploratory work on how and when to update the NIMDM to account for new data including the 2021 Census, new statistical geographies and potential methodological changes. NISRA will keep key stakeholders including local government updated.