The data relating to 2022 in this publication is currently under review and will be re-weighted. Revised estimates are expected to be published in early 2023.
Households that are excluded and marginalised from consuming goods and services which are considered the norm for other people in society, due to an inability to afford them, are considered to be deprived. The identification of the marginalised or deprived is currently achieved on the basis of a set of eleven basic deprivation indicators. See Survey on Income and Living Conditions Fact Sheet (PDF 105KB)
The most common deprivation items in 2022 were being unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture (20.2%), followed by being unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes (10.1%), and being unable to afford have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month (9.7%). See figure 2.1.
| X-axis label | % of Individuals |
|---|---|
| Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture | 20.2 |
| Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes | 10.1 |
| Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or a meal once a month | 9.7 |
| Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in last fortnight | 9.3 |
| Without heating at some stage in the last year | 8.9 |
| Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm | 7.4 |
| Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year | 4.1 |
| Unable to afford a roast joint (or its equivalent) once a week | 3.7 |
| Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes | 2.3 |
| Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat | 1.7 |
| Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day | 1.1 |
All but two of the eleven deprivation items increased in 2022. The decreases were in the percentage of people living in households unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes, 3.0% in 2021 and 2.3% in 2022; and being unable to afford a meal with meat chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day, down from 1.6% in 2021 to 1.1% in 2022. See tables 2.1 and 2.2.
The largest increases were seen in those unable to afford a morning, afternoon, or evening out in last fortnight, increasing from 3.8% in 2021 to 9.3% in 2022; and being unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm, 3.2% in 2021 and 7.4% in 2022. See tables 2.3 and 2.4.
The proportion of persons living in households unable to afford a roast joint (or its equivalent) once a week remained relatively unchanged, 3.6% in 2021 and 3.7% in 2022. In 2022, just over one in a hundred (1.1%) were unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day, down from 1.6% in 2021. See figure 2.2.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to afford a roast joint (or its equivalent) once a week | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
In 2022, one in seven (14.6%) of those unable to work due to long-standing health problems and one in ten (10.3%) of unemployed persons are unable to afford a roast joint (or its equivalent) once a week. This compares with 2.1% of employed persons and 1.7% of retired. See figure 2.3.
Similarly, by principal economic status, unemployed persons (4.1%) and those unable to work due to long-standing health problems (8.5%) were most likely to be unable to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every second day. See table 2.1.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Unemployed | 9.7 | 8.9 | 10.3 |
| Retired | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Unable to work due to long-standing health problems | 10 | 14.2 | 14.6 |
| Student, pupil | 4.8 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Fulfilling domestic tasks | 4.4 | 3.3 | 4.5 |
In 2022, one in ten (10.1%) of persons were unable to afford new (not second-hand clothes), an increase of almost three percentage points from 7.2% in 2020. Around one in fifty were unable to afford a warm waterproof coat (1.7%) or two pairs of strong shoes (2.3%). See figure 2.4.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes | 7.2 | 8.9 | 10.1 |
| Unable to afford a warm waterproof coat | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Unable to afford two pairs of strong shoes | 2.1 | 3 | 2.3 |
By household composition, one in four (26.4%) persons living in single-adult household with children are unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes, compared with one in eight (13.5%) in two-adult households with one to three children. See figure 2.5.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 8.5 | 7.2 | 9.9 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 12.3 | 14 | 12.5 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 2.7 | 4.7 | 2.2 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 7.2 | 11.1 | 11.5 |
| 3 or more adults | 3.3 | 5.8 | 4.5 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 21.5 | 33.1 | 26.4 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 6 | 6.3 | 13.5 |
| Other households with children under 18 years | 9 | 9.6 | 6.9 |
By principal economic status, unemployed persons and those unable to work due to long-standing health problems were least likely to be able to afford each of the clothing and footwear-related deprivation items. One in four (24.8%) of those unable to work due to long-standing health problems and three in ten (30.9%) of unemployed persons are unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes, compared with 6.4% of employed.
One in twenty (5.2%) of persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems and 2.6% of the unemployed are unable to afford a warm waterproof coat, compared with 1.2% of those employed. See table 2.2.
Data collection for SILC occurred from January to July 2022. At the midpoint of data collection, April 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicated that, on average, prices were 7.0% higher compared with April 2021. In particular, Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels had increased 17.1%.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Without heating at some stage in the last year | 9.1 | 7.1 | 8.9 |
| Unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm | 3.3 | 3.2 | 7.4 |
| Unable to afford to replace any worn out furniture | 16.2 | 16.5 | 20.2 |
The inability to afford to keep the home adequately warm increased across all analysed subgroups in 2022. Persons living in single-adult households with children are the most likely to be unable to keep the home adequately warm (21.5%), while those living in two-adult households where at least one is aged 65 or over are the least likely (2.8%). See figure 2.7.
By household composition, those living in single-adult households with children are also most likely to be unable to have gone without heating at some stage in the last year (23.4%); or be unable to afford to replace worn out furniture (52.7%). See table 2.3.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult aged 65 years and over | 3.1 | 3.5 | 8 |
| 1 adult aged less than 65 years | 7.1 | 7.2 | 10.9 |
| 2 adults, at least 1 aged 65 years and over | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.8 |
| 2 adults, both aged less than 65 years | 2 | 4.8 | 7.8 |
| 3 or more adults | 2.3 | 3.7 | 5.2 |
| 1 adult, with children under 18 years | 9.8 | 7.9 | 21.5 |
| 2 adults, with 1-3 children under 18 years | 2.6 | 2 | 6.4 |
| Other households with children under 18 years | 4 | 2.4 | 8 |
By principal economic status, those most unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm are persons unable to work due to long-standing health problems (19.5%) and the unemployed (17.4%), compared with 5.7% of either employed or retired persons. See figure 2.8.
Those that are unemployed or unable to work due to long-standing health problems are more likely to have gone without heating at some point in the last year, 23.3% and 21.0% respectively, compared with 8.2% of retired persons and 6.8% of employed. See table 2.3.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed | 2.1 | 2.4 | 5.7 |
| Unemployed | 8.6 | 5.9 | 17.4 |
| Retired | 1.9 | 2.1 | 5.7 |
| Unable to work due to long-standing health problems | 8.5 | 11.4 | 19.5 |
| Student, pupil | 4 | 3.6 | 9.5 |
| Fulfilling domestic tasks | 3.6 | 2.3 | 6.9 |
By tenure, persons living in rented or rent-free accommodation were more likely to experience heating-related deprivation than those in owner-occupied homes. One in five (19.3%) living in rented or rent-free accommodation went without heating at some point in the last year, compared with one in twenty (4.4%) of persons in owner-occupied housing. Similarly, 13.5% of those in rented or rent-free and 4.7% in owner-occupied accommodation are unable to keep the home adequately warm. See table 2.3.
The proportion of persons experiencing each of the social-related deprivation items increased in 2022. As noted in the SILC 2021 publication, public health restrictions were in place during the January to June 2021 data collection period, including level 5 restrictions for more than three months, and as a result the reduction in social deprivation measures observed in 2021 appear to have been temporary.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to afford a morning, afternoon or evening out in the last fortnight | 7.4 | 3.8 | 9.3 |
| Unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month | 10.5 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
| Unable to afford to buy presents for family or friends at least once a year | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
One in five persons living in rented or rent-free accommodation were unable to afford a morning, afternoon, or evening out in the last fortnight (18.0%), and unable to afford to have family or friends for a drink or meal once a month (18.5%); compared with one in twenty in owner-occupied housing, 5.6% and 5.9% respectively. See figure 2.10 and table 2.4.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 4.7 | 3.7 | 5.9 |
| Rented or rent free | 23.4 | 20.2 | 18.5 |
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.