The persistence of relative deprivation shows that something needs to give. Where you are born or live should never determine your chances in life.

Weak labour markets and low employment rates are likely contributing to poverty in these areas. While some areas may have lower housing costs, other local factors (such as access to services, rural vs. urban settings, housing quality, and local economic conditions) can intensify these challenges.

Monmouthshire was the only local authority to have none if it’s areas in the most deprived decile; Powys and Ceredigion each had one.

This amounts to approx. 13400 Blaenau Gwent residents and approx. 28700 Newport residents living in the most deprived local areas where work is insecure and pay does not go far enough, where economic and educational opportunities are limited, and where people are more likely to live in poor health.

Blaenau Gwent continues to have the highest rates of deprivation, with 9 of its 46 areas (20%) falling into the most deprived decile, followed by Newport, where 18 of 100 local areas (18%) fall into the same category.

This isn’t about individual choices, it’s about the environments people live in, the opportunities they have, and the support systems around them.

source: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

This isn't just a statistic, it's people's family members dying before they should, and all the pain that comes with that. It's also a reflection of deep-seated structural issues.

In the most deprived parts of England, there were an expected 569 early deaths for every 100,00 people. The (unweighted) average in England was 446.

The data shows a clear and growing trend: inequality is deepening, and it’s costing people not just years of life, but years of quality life. This growing disparity highlights the urgency of addressing the social and economic factors that continue to shape unequal health outcomes across the country

‼️ That's a nearly 20-year gap, not in lifespan, but in the number of years lived in good health‼️

With the state pension age now at 66 (and rising), many people in the most deprived areas are spending their final working years in poor health, or not living long enough to enjoy retirement at all.

Between 2020 and 2022, men and women born in the most deprived areas could expect to live just 51.1 and 50.5 years in good health, respectively.

In contrast, those in the least deprived areas could expect over 70 years of healthy life.

🚨 New data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals a stark and persistent truth: in England, the place you're born still plays a major role in determining how well (and how long) you live.