Deprivation across Oxford has reduced, but city remains unequal – new data reveals

The English Indices of Deprivation 2025 includes data on the following seven ‘domains’: income, employment, health, education, crime, housing, and living environment and is a measure of relative deprivation by small area across England. 

The latest figures, which are typically updated every three to five years, were released yesterday (30 October). The last publication of data was in 2019.  

Oxford overall 

The 2025 data shows that there continues to be a stark divide between the most and least deprived areas of the city.  

Twenty-one of Oxford’s 83 neighbourhoods are now in the 10% least deprived areas in England, with one area in Headington in the 1% least deprived.  

By contrast, two areas of Oxford – both in Northfield Brook – are in the top 10% most deprived areas in the country, and four areas – two in Blackbird Leys, one in Littlemore, and one in Rose Hill – are in the 20% most deprived areas.  

Key findings of the report 

• In 2025, Oxford is now relatively less deprived in the domains of ‘health, deprivation and disability’, ‘barriers to housing and services’, ‘living environment’, ‘income’, ‘income deprivation affecting children’ and ‘employment’ indexes 
• There are now 21 areas of Oxford that are in the top 10% least deprived areas for the country – an increase from 12 in 2019. Within this, three areas of Oxford (parts of Headington, Jericho and North Oxford) are within the top 2% least deprived areas across the country, and one area (in Headington) is in the 1% least deprived 
• Northfield Brook remains in the top 10% most deprived areas in the country, and a second area in Northfield Brook is now in the top 10% most deprived, having been in the top 20% most deprived since 2019 
• Four areas are now in the 20% most deprived in the country, fewer than the nine in 2019. These are: two areas in Blackbird Leys, one area in Littlemore, and Rose Hill. Areas that have moved out of the 20% most deprived areas of the country are: Barton and Sandhills, an area in Blackbird Leys, an area of Northfield Brook, Rose Hill and Iffley, and Carfax 
• There are no longer any areas of Barton that are in the 10% or 20% most deprived areas of England 

A more detailed report on Oxford’s data will be published later this year.  

Tackling deprivation in Oxford 

Oxford City Council is investing millions of pounds every year to support Oxford residents and tackle inequality across the city, including by:  

• Providing more than 8,000 council homes for Oxford families. Our council homes are let at about 40% of what a private landlord would charge for the same home 
• Creating a housing company, OX Place, to build 2,000 new homes over the next decade 
• Founding and promoting the Oxford Living Wage, which in 2025/26 has over 175 organisations accredited, meaning over 30,000 employees received a fairer wage of at least £13.16  
• Investing in Oxford’s five leisure centres to tackle health inequality 
• Investing in the city’s 23 community centres, including building new centres in Blackbird Leys and East Oxford 
• Providing low-cost youth clubs and holiday activities for young people, including in Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill and Barton 
• Providing over £1m in grant funding in 2025/26 to the city’s community groups and charities to provide support for local communities 

The Council has also worked with partners across the city on the Community Impact Zone which aims to tackle inequalities of health, education and opportunity in South East Oxford. The zone brings organisations together to collaborate on supporting the community, as well as empowering local people to build their own local networks. 

Continuing to tackle inequalities in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys 

In 2015, Oxford City Council opened the Leys Pools and Leisure Centre in Blackbird Leys, which has since welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors. To tackle health inequality, the centre features a swimming pool, newly refurbished gym, large sports hall, 3G floodlit sports pitch and two multi-purpose studios.   

In September, the Council opened the Leys Youth Hub in the leisure centre, aiming to give young people new opportunities to enhance their wellbeing. 

The Council is current redeveloping Blackbird Leys Community Centre to create a new, modern purpose-built community centre, designed with input from the community, as well as building 294 new homes and significant investment in local infrastructure and public spaces.       

Last month, Greater Leys was also awarded £20m from the Government as part of a 10-year investment to support the local community. The Pride in Place Programme is a UK-wide programme aiming to invest in disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the country. This is an exciting opportunity to work with local communities to tackle inequality.  

Wider data for Oxfordshire 

Across Oxfordshire, Oxford and Cherwell districts saw the most improvement in their levels of relative deprivation.  

Oxford remains the most deprived area of Oxfordshire, whereas South Oxfordshire is in the top 10 of least deprived districts in the country. 

Comment 

“We know that Oxford is one of the most unequal cities in the country, with the gap between the most and least deprived areas continuing to persist. 

“Much of the council’s work aims to address this. This is why, for example, we built the Leys Pools and Leisure Centre where we did, and why we’ve invested millions of pounds into Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill and Barton community centres. 

“While this latest data shows that there are some positive trends in some areas of Oxford, the fact remains that there are still areas of the city that are some of the most deprived areas of the country and we must redouble our efforts to address this.  

“We know that one of the main drivers of poverty and inequality in Oxford is the high cost of housing in the city, with many families having to move out of Oxford due to rising costs. Oxford needs more genuinely affordable homes, particularly council homes, and through our housing company and our local government reorganisation proposals, we are working to address this.” 

Councillor Susan Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council