This document discusses the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), which is used to identify relatively deprived areas in Scotland. The SIMD ranks small areas from most to least deprived based on indicators like income, employment, health, education, crime, and housing. It is a relative measure that compares deprivation between areas but does not measure absolute deprivation levels or change over time. While SIMD helps identify issues in deprived areas, not all individuals in those areas are deprived and some deprived people live outside of deprived areas.

1. Alastair McAlpine
Communities Analysis Division
@A_SIMD
#SIMD16
SIMD@gov.scot

2. SIMD is the official tool for
finding the most deprived areas
in Scotland

3. 6,976
1 – Most Deprived
6,976 – Least Deprived
1,396
5,581
4,186
2,791
20% most deprived

4. 1 – Most Deprived
6,976 – Least Deprived
1,396
5,581
4,186
2,791
Income
Employment
Health
Education
Crime
Access to
Services
Housing

5. Income
Employment
Health
Education
Crime
Access to
Services
Housing
‘Deprived’ does not
just mean ‘poor’ or ‘low
income’
It can mean
people have fewer
resources and
opportunities, for
example in health
and education.

6. 25
20
15
10
SIMD is a relative measure of
deprivation – not an absolute
measure
SIMD does not say
how more or less
deprived one data
zone is to another
More deprived than

7. 5
1
10
SIMD is a relative measure of
deprivation – not an absolute
measure
SIMD does not say
how more or less
deprived one data
zone is to another
Less deprived than

8. Area ranks may move position
because of changes in other
areas
SIMD cannot be
used to measure
change over time
Data zones boundaries in
SIMD16 are different to those in
previous SIMDs

9. 1 – Most Deprived
6,976 – Least Deprived
1,396
5,581
4,186
2,791

10. 1 – Most Deprived
6,976 – Least Deprived
1,396
5,581
4,186
2,791SIMD can be
used to identify
issues in a data
zone or area

11. 1 – Most Deprived
6,976 – Least Deprived
1,396
5,581
4,186
2,791

12. Not all deprived people live in
deprived areas: Two out of three
people who are income deprived
do not live in deprived areas.
Not everyone in a deprived
area is deprived: Just under one
in three people living in a
deprived area are income
deprived.

13. SIMD can be used to
identify where relative
deprivation exists in
an area

14. SIMD can be used to
compare deprivation in
areas

15. 3
14
= 21.4%
4
12
= 33.3%

18. http://SIMD.scot

19. S01006506

20. S01006506
b
AB1 0UP

21. £10

23. Alastair McAlpine
Communities Analysis Division
@A_SIMD
#SIMD16
SIMD@gov.scot