Official stats reveal 54 areas where people are in worst health

Do YOU live in one of the sickest areas in England and Wales? Use this interactive map to find out – as officials name 54 areas in poorest health

• Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales was ranked bottom as the sickest area, stats show 
• Click here to view the interactive map from the Office for National Statistics 

The sickest authorities in England and Wales were today revealed by a fascinating interactive map. 

Census data collected by the Office for National Statistics shows the proportion of people living in each area that are in bad or very bad health.

It also breaks down the percentage of residents who’re disabled and limited a lot in day-to-day activities, and those who provide unpaid care.

Analysis of the figures show there are 54 areas which rank in the worst 20 per cent among all three measures. 

Merthyr Tydfil, in south Wales, came bottom of the table. 

To view the interactive map published by the Office for National Statistics, click here. 

Official data shows the 54 areas where people are in bad health, struggle with disabilities and have the most caring duties

Data was collected from the most recent census in 2021.

The percentage of people whose general health was bad or very bad was calculated for each local authority area in England and Wales.

Combining the areas’ number of people in each of the three groups, the ONS ranked them from one to 331, with one being the healthiest.

In Merthyr Tydfil, the area ranked bottom, 13.1 per cent of people are disabled and limited a lot, while 7.1 per cent provide more than 20 hours of unpaid care. 

Second behind Merthyr Tydfil was Blaenau Gwent in south-east Wales and in third was Knowsley in north-west England.

But in both England and Wales, the percentage of people reporting to be in bad or very bad health has decreased in every area since 2011

The areas ranked fourth and fifth were also in Wales – Neath Port Talbot and Caerphilly.

Rounding out the top 10 sickest boroughs were Blackpool, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Liverpool, Hartlepool and Halton.

But in both England and Wales, the percentage of people reporting to be in bad or very bad health has decreased in every area since 2011.

In 2011, 7.9 per cent of people in Wales said they were in poor health, compared with just 6.8 per cent in 2021.

And North East England saw a large drop, going from 7.8 per cent in 2011 to 6.9 per cent in 2021. 

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