Conditions of childhood
Published: 11 September 2024
Data on the conditions of childhood in UK local authorities – measured by childhood poverty, and the qualifications and occupation levels of parents. This index captures whether the conditions children grow up in are good for promoting social mobility.
Visualisation
Index of conditions of childhood, by local authority (UK)
203 local authority areas in the UK are put into 5 groups – from ‘most favourable’ to ‘least favourable’ conditions – based on their ‘index of conditions of childhood’ composite scores. The categories are not equally sized – the middle category is larger because most local authorities are very near the average. Areas with the highest scores have the most favourable childhood conditions.
Data
| Region | Index of 'conditions of childhood' ('Z-scores') | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen city | 0.25 | Middle Group |
| Aberdeenshire | 0.64 | Middle Group |
| Angus | 0.05 | Middle Group |
| Argyll and Bute Islands | -0.17 | Middle Group |
| Barking and Dagenham | -1.03 | Unfavourable |
| Barnet | 1.23 | Favourable |
| Barnsley | -1.11 | Unfavourable |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 1.28 | Favourable |
| Bedford | 0.88 | Middle Group |
| Bexley | 0.45 | Middle Group |
| Birmingham | -1.44 | Unfavourable |
| Blackburn with Darwen | -2.01 | Least Favourable |
| Blackpool | -1.43 | Unfavourable |
| Blaenau Gwent | -1.47 | Unfavourable |
| Bolton | -0.88 | Middle Group |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 0.58 | Middle Group |
| Bracknell Forest | 1.10 | Favourable |
| Bradford | -1.49 | Unfavourable |
| Brent | -0.24 | Middle Group |
| Bridgend | -0.24 | Middle Group |
| Brighton and Hove | 1.71 | Most Favourable |
| Bristol | 0.93 | Middle Group |
| Bromley | 1.57 | Favourable |
| Buckinghamshire | 1.51 | Favourable |
| Bury | 0.40 | Middle Group |
| Caerphilly | -0.73 | Middle Group |
| Calderdale | -0.29 | Middle Group |
| Cambridgeshire county council | 0.91 | Middle Group |
| Camden and City of London | 1.16 | Favourable |
| Cardiff | 0.67 | Middle Group |
| Carmarthenshire county council | -0.48 | Middle Group |
| Central Bedfordshire | 0.98 | Middle Group |
| Ceredigion county council | -0.01 | Middle Group |
| Cheshire East | 0.99 | Middle Group |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 1.58 | Favourable |
| Edinburgh city | 1.57 | Favourable |
| Clackmannanshire | -0.75 | Middle Group |
| Conwy | -0.80 | Middle Group |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | -0.11 | Middle Group |
| Coventry | -0.64 | Middle Group |
| Croydon | 0.34 | Middle Group |
| Cumbria county council | -0.39 | Middle Group |
| Darlington | -0.07 | Middle Group |
| Denbighshire county council | -0.86 | Middle Group |
| Derby | -0.40 | Middle Group |
| Derbyshire county council | 0.01 | Middle Group |
| Devon county council | 0.66 | Middle Group |
| Doncaster | -1.29 | Unfavourable |
| Dorset | 0.43 | Middle Group |
| Dudley | -0.82 | Middle Group |
| Dumfries and Galloway | -0.33 | Middle Group |
| Dundee city | -0.47 | Middle Group |
| Durham county council | -0.81 | Middle Group |
| Ealing | 0.62 | Middle Group |
| East Ayrshire | -0.71 | Middle Group |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2.25 | Most Favourable |
| East Lothian | 0.88 | Middle Group |
| East Renfrewshire | 1.96 | Most Favourable |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 0.11 | Middle Group |
| East Sussex county council | 0.02 | Middle Group |
| Enfield | -0.03 | Middle Group |
| Essex county council | 0.35 | Middle Group |
| Falkirk | -0.43 | Middle Group |
| Fife | -0.16 | Middle Group |
| Flintshire county council | -0.67 | Middle Group |
| Gateshead | -0.69 | Middle Group |
| Glasgow | -0.93 | Middle Group |
| Gloucestershire county council | 0.57 | Middle Group |
| Greenwich | 0.25 | Middle Group |
| Gwynedd | -0.42 | Middle Group |
| Hackney | -0.27 | Middle Group |
| Halton | -0.64 | Middle Group |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 1.49 | Favourable |
| Hampshire county council | 1.06 | Favourable |
| Haringey | 0.46 | Middle Group |
| Harrow | 0.78 | Middle Group |
| Hartlepool | -1.30 | Unfavourable |
| Havering | 0.61 | Middle Group |
| Herefordshire | -0.05 | Middle Group |
| Hertfordshire county council | 1.38 | Favourable |
| Highland | 0.20 | Middle Group |
| Hillingdon | 0.10 | Middle Group |
| Hounslow | 0.28 | Middle Group |
| Inverclyde | -0.47 | Middle Group |
| Isle of Anglesey | -0.22 | Middle Group |
| Isle of Wight | -0.29 | Middle Group |
| Islington | 0.71 | Middle Group |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 1.37 | Favourable |
| Kent county council | 0.42 | Middle Group |
| Hull | -1.83 | Least Favourable |
| Kingston upon Thames | 1.98 | Most Favourable |
| Kirklees | -0.81 | Middle Group |
| Knowsley | -0.90 | Middle Group |
| Lambeth | 0.82 | Middle Group |
| Lancashire county council | -0.39 | Middle Group |
| Leeds | 0.10 | Middle Group |
| Leicester | -2.18 | Least Favourable |
| Leicestershire county council | 0.69 | Middle Group |
| Lewisham | 0.88 | Middle Group |
| Lincolnshire county council | -0.61 | Middle Group |
| Liverpool | -0.47 | Middle Group |
| Luton | -1.42 | Unfavourable |
| Manchester | -1.07 | Unfavourable |
| Medway | -0.27 | Middle Group |
| Merthyr Tydfil | -1.05 | Unfavourable |
| Merton | 1.33 | Favourable |
| Middlesbrough | -2.17 | Least Favourable |
| Midlothian | 0.50 | Middle Group |
| Milton Keynes | 0.65 | Middle Group |
| Monmouthshire county council | 0.48 | Middle Group |
| Moray | -0.61 | Middle Group |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 0.29 | Middle Group |
| Neath Port Talbot | -0.40 | Middle Group |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | -0.61 | Middle Group |
| Newham | -1.41 | Unfavourable |
| Newport | -0.42 | Middle Group |
| North Ayrshire | -1.23 | Unfavourable |
| North East Lincolnshire | -1.77 | Least Favourable |
| North Lanarkshire | -0.78 | Middle Group |
| North Lincolnshire | -1.10 | Unfavourable |
| North Northamptonshire | -0.37 | Middle Group |
| North Tyneside | 0.09 | Middle Group |
| North Yorkshire county council | 0.60 | Middle Group |
| Northern Ireland | -0.26 | Middle Group |
| Northumberland county council | -0.52 | Middle Group |
| Norfolk county council | -0.43 | Middle Group |
| Nottingham | -1.38 | Unfavourable |
| Nottinghamshire county council | 0.14 | Middle Group |
| Oldham | -1.84 | Least Favourable |
| Orkney Islands | 0.26 | Middle Group |
| Oxfordshire county council | 1.68 | Most Favourable |
| Pembrokeshire county council | -0.95 | Middle Group |
| Perth and Kinross | 0.74 | Middle Group |
| Peterborough | -1.02 | Unfavourable |
| Plymouth | -0.51 | Middle Group |
| Portsmouth | -0.22 | Middle Group |
| Powys county council | -0.32 | Middle Group |
| Reading | 1.33 | Favourable |
| Redbridge | 0.30 | Middle Group |
| Redcar and Cleveland | -1.57 | Unfavourable |
| Renfrewshire | -0.10 | Middle Group |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | -0.63 | Middle Group |
| Richmond upon Thames | 2.75 | Most Favourable |
| Rochdale | -1.44 | Unfavourable |
| Rotherham | -1.28 | Unfavourable |
| Rutland county council | 1.19 | Favourable |
| Salford | -0.55 | Middle Group |
| Sandwell | -1.93 | Least Favourable |
| Scottish Borders | -0.14 | Middle Group |
| Sefton | 0.30 | Middle Group |
| Sheffield | -0.17 | Middle Group |
| Shetland Islands | -0.09 | Middle Group |
| Shropshire | 0.26 | Middle Group |
| Slough | -0.57 | Middle Group |
| Solihull | 0.91 | Middle Group |
| Somerset county council | 0.19 | Middle Group |
| South Ayrshire | 0.28 | Middle Group |
| South Lanarkshire | 0.03 | Middle Group |
| South Tyneside | -0.72 | Middle Group |
| Southampton | -0.32 | Middle Group |
| Southend-on-Sea | 0.16 | Middle Group |
| Southwark | 0.70 | Middle Group |
| St Helens | -0.26 | Middle Group |
| Staffordshire county council | 0.29 | Middle Group |
| Stirling | 1.37 | Favourable |
| Stockport | 1.20 | Favourable |
| Stockton-on-Tees | -0.60 | Middle Group |
| Stoke-on-Trent | -1.81 | Least Favourable |
| Suffolk county council | -0.14 | Middle Group |
| Sunderland | -1.41 | Unfavourable |
| Surrey county council | 1.88 | Most Favourable |
| Sutton | 1.55 | Favourable |
| Swansea | -0.24 | Middle Group |
| Swindon | 0.28 | Middle Group |
| Tameside | -0.76 | Middle Group |
| Telford and Wrekin | -0.61 | Middle Group |
| Thurrock | -0.08 | Middle Group |
| Torbay | -0.43 | Middle Group |
| Torfaen | -1.13 | Unfavourable |
| Tower Hamlets | -1.49 | Unfavourable |
| Trafford | 1.87 | Most Favourable |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 1.06 | Favourable |
| Wakefield | -0.89 | Middle Group |
| Walsall | -1.43 | Unfavourable |
| Waltham Forest | -0.03 | Middle Group |
| Wandsworth | 2.07 | Most Favourable |
| Warrington | 0.73 | Middle Group |
| Warwickshire county council | 0.89 | Middle Group |
| West Berkshire | 1.64 | Favourable |
| West Dunbartonshire | -1.19 | Unfavourable |
| West Lothian | -0.44 | Middle Group |
| West Northamptonshire | 0.54 | Middle Group |
| West Sussex county council | 0.82 | Middle Group |
| Westminster | 1.00 | Middle Group |
| Wigan | -0.26 | Middle Group |
| Wiltshire | 1.05 | Favourable |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 2.39 | Most Favourable |
| Wirral | 0.43 | Middle Group |
| Wokingham | 2.39 | Most Favourable |
| Wolverhampton | -1.63 | Unfavourable |
| Worcestershire county council | 0.35 | Middle Group |
| Wrexham | -0.31 | Middle Group |
| City of York | 0.91 | Middle Group |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
Summary main findings
Children brought up in Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames – as well as in Surrey county council area, Windsor and Maidenhead – have the ‘most favourable’ conditions of childhood. This means their parents are more likely to have higher earnings, higher levels of education, and higher occupation levels.
Outside London and the home counties, Trafford and East Dunbartonshire also have more favourable conditions of childhood.
Less favourable conditions of childhood tend to be found in the North East of England, in coastal cities, industrial and former mining areas, such as Oldham and Stoke-on-Trent, as well as some inner-city areas in London.
Some regions contain both favourable and less favourable areas. Many favourable areas are in London and the South of England, while there are also areas of high deprivation in London. The same applies in Scotland and Wales. This means that the ‘north-south divide’ for conditions of childhood is less clear than it is for labour market opportunities for young people.
About the data
Data source(s)
- Households below average income (HBAI) statistics, Department for Work and Pensions
- Labour Force Survey (LFS), Office for National Statistics
Time period
- 2014 to 2022 combined (LFS)
- 2018 to 2022 (HBAI)
Geographic area
UK
What the data measures
This page combines data from the following drivers into a single 'composite' score:
- Childhood poverty
- Distribution of parental education
- Distribution of parental occupation – data on parents in working class and professional occupations
Things you need to know
Areas are based on where respondents lived when they were surveyed, not where they grew up.
The unit used for this index is the 'Z-score'. This is a type of statistical measurement which can be used to tell us how likely it is that a region is different to the UK average.
The values shown are not percentages, and the difference between regions cannot be compared in percentage terms.
The Z-scores are used to put regions into one of five groups, according to a set of thresholds for each group. Please see our technical annex for more information on how each area was scored.
Type of data
Survey data
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 53KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Indicator code
- Indicator name
- Area type
- Area code
- Area name
- Time period
- Socio-economic background
- Age
- Sex
- Category type
- Category
- Value
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
11 September 2024