Why this data matters for the VCSE sector
The English Indices of Deprivation (IMD) 2025 have now been published, providing the most up-to-date official measure of relative deprivation across England.
For voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, the IMD is a valuable tool for understanding local need, targeting services, and strengthening funding and commissioning bids.
What is the IMD?
The Indices of Multiple Deprivation are produced by the government and rank small geographic areas in England, known as Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), from the most deprived to the least deprived.
The 2025 release combines 55 separate indicators across seven domains:
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Income
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Employment
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Education, skills and training
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Health deprivation and disability
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Crime
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Barriers to housing and services
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Living environment
Important note on comparability: IMD 2025 is not a like-for-like update on previous releases. It uses a larger set of indicators and revised methods, meaning scores should not be directly compared with earlier IMD results. This is the first update since 2019, with much of the underlying data reflecting the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on communities.
Together, these provide a detailed picture of how deprivation is experienced in different places, rather than relying on a single measure.
You can read the full statistical release here.
Why it’s useful for VCSE organisations
Leeds context: Detailed analysis of the Leeds results is currently being undertaken by Leeds Public Health and Leeds City Council policy teams. Early findings suggest that while deprivation remains significant, Leeds has fewer neighbourhoods in the most deprived 1% nationally than in previous releases. In the meantime, organisations can explore the data for Leeds neighbourhoods directly using the government’s IMD tool.
Organisations can explore the data for Leeds neighbourhoods using the government’s IMD tool.
IMD data has practical value across many areas of VCSE work.
It can help organisations identify needs and target services by highlighting specific types of deprivation and revealing smaller pockets of need that may be hidden within larger neighbourhoods.
The data is also widely used to support funding applications and commissioning bids. Many funders and public bodies rely on IMD rankings when deciding where to invest, and referencing this data can help evidence local need clearly and consistently.
For organisations involved in strategy, advocacy and partnership working, the IMD provides a shared evidence base that can support conversations with local authorities, the NHS and other statutory partners. It can also help highlight inequalities that may otherwise be overlooked, including in less obviously deprived or more rural areas.
Over time, IMD data can also be used for benchmarking and comparison, helping organisations understand how their area compares nationally and how relative deprivation is changing.
Explore the data for your area
The government provides a free online tool to explore the IMD data at a local level.
There is also a clear guide explaining how to use the IMD and interpret the results:
These tools allow you to look up specific neighbourhoods, compare areas, and download data to support reports, funding bids and presentations.
View the West Yorkshire IMD 2025 Research and Intelligence document
Using data to strengthen local impact
Used well, the IMD can help VCSE organisations make stronger cases for investment, work more effectively with partners, and ensure resources are directed to where they are needed most.
By grounding lived experience and frontline insight in robust data, organisations can better demonstrate impact and advocate for action on inequality.
Further reading:
Commentary from Alex Sobel on health inequalities in Leeds (Guardian, Dec 2025)
