The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 was published by the Scottish Government on the 28^th January 2020. A revision was released on the 17th of May 2020 as a result of an error in the data supplied to calculate the income domain ranks.

The SIMD is the Scottish Government's official tool for identifying deprivation across Scotland, it incorporates several different aspects (domains) of deprivation, combining them into a single relative index across Scotland. The domains covered by the SIMD are:

• Employment
• Income
• Crime
• Housing
• Health
• Education

The nuts and bolts of the SIMD is to divide Scotland into 6,976 small geographical areas (Data Zones, each contains around 760 persons based on the Census 2011). The Index provides a ranking for each of these Data Zones, from 1 (most deprived) to 6,976 (least deprived) across each of the domains and finally as an overall ranking based on the domains.

The SIMD is a relative index, one area becoming more or less deprived will affect other data zones around it and methodology changes in domain calculation with each iteration do mean, that although the SIMD is in its 6th publication direct comparison from publication to publication is not recommended.

The official way to measure deprivation within an areas is to use the Local Share calculation, to produce the the proportion of data zones which are the most deprived in Scotland. Glasgow is covered by 746 data zones and 339 of those data zones are within the 20% most deprived in Scotland (339 ÷ 746 = 44%) giving Glasgow a 45% local share of data zones within the 20% most deprived in Scotland.

SIMD 2020 Findings

The 2020 publication places Glasgow as a local authority with one of the highest levels of deprivation across Scotland, and the local authority with the highest local share.

Glasgow City Map

5% Most Deprived Data Zones in Scotland data zones are highlighted red (This uses Version 1 data and it yet to be updated)

Analysis is continuing, however initial analysis can be downloaded here:

•  SIMD-2020-Revision-Version2 [57kb]
•  Glasgow City Council 56 Neighbourhoods Analysis [46kb]
•  Glasgow City Council Multi Member Wards 2020 [37kb]
•  Local Authority SIMD 2020 [39kb]

Information and analysis of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation can also be sourced from the Scottish Government website at:http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SIMD/