ADR NI research highlights opportunities to strengthen Northern Ireland's deprivation measurement
Categories: ADR Northern Ireland, Health & wellbeing, Social mobility & inclusion
3 August 2026
New research by ADR Northern Ireland has examined the reliability and validity of the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) 2017, providing evidence that could help inform the development of future deprivation measures in Northern Ireland.
The Data Insight explores how well the NIMDM 2017 captures patterns of deprivation and whether it is associated with health outcomes in ways that researchers would expect. Using publicly available NIMDM data and deidentified, linked administrative health records for more than 740,000 adults, researchers assessed both the structure of the measure and its relationship with physical and mental health outcomes.
The study was conducted in two phases. The first examined whether the indicators within the NIMDM's seven domains measure the same underlying aspects of deprivation. The second explored the relationship between deprivation and a range of physical and mental health conditions using linked hospital admissions data.
Researchers found that while many indicators performed as expected, some domains may benefit from further investigation as future versions of the measure are developed. For example, indicators within the Living Environment domain were only weakly related to one another, and the data did not fully support the measure's inferred seven-domain structure.
The study found that associations between deprivation and many health outcomes examined were relatively weak, although comparatively stronger relationships were observed for some conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression and substance-related mental health disorders. Relationships with several other health conditions, including diabetes, stroke and dementia, were minimal.
Overall, the findings suggest that the current NIMDM may not be performing optimally in all areas and provide evidence that may be useful in the development of future iterations of the measure.
Why it matters
The NIMDM plays a vital role in helping policymakers, public bodies and researchers understand patterns of deprivation across Northern Ireland and target resources where they are most needed. This research contributes to the evidence base that can support future developments of Northern Ireland's official deprivation statistics and their continued use by policymakers and researchers.
With new statistical geographies introduced following the 2021 Census, there is an opportunity to build on the strengths of the current measure. This study contributes to that process by identifying areas where the measure performs well and highlighting considerations for future refinement.
The findings also highlight the value of validating small-area deprivation measures to ensure they continue to provide robust evidence for policy, resource allocation and research. By using linked administrative data, the study demonstrates how data-driven approaches can support the ongoing development of deprivation measures and improve understanding of health and social inequalities.
The research forms part of a wider ADRC NI programme exploring deprivation, social mobility and health outcomes in Northern Ireland, with the aim of improving understanding of inequalities and supporting evidence-based policy responses.
The authors would like to acknowledge the help provided by the staff of the Honest Broker Service (HBS) within the Business Services Organisation Northern Ireland (BSO). The HBS is funded by the BSO and the Department of Health (DoH). The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data and any views or opinions presented are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the BSO.
