The SIPHER Inclusive Economy dataset is now available on the HASP Data Catalogue!
Designed for researchers and policy actors, the SIPHER (Systems Science in Public Health and Health Economics Research) Inclusive Economy An economic system structured so that communities can accessibly participate in and benefit from the benefits of economic development dataset can bolster exploration into economic inclusion across Great Britain, as well as support research into the relationship between inclusive economy policies and wider health outcomes.
Thirteen indicators build a holistic picture of economic inclusion encompassing employment, poverty and wealth inequality, cost of living, and physical and digital connectivity. It is further supplemented by demographic and wellbeing variables.
To enable a nuanced view of economic inclusion, the SIPHER dataset is granular to the electoral ward level, recording nearly 8000 wards of data captured between 2019 and 2021 for England, Wales, and Scotland.
Explore the SIPHER Inclusive Economy data
The SIPHER dataset is available for download from the HASP Data Store.
With the availability of the data itself comes an interactive visualisation, hosted by the Geographic Data Service, enabling a user-friendly and code-free use of the data.
Both are designed to support research and policymaking through a succinct and integrated dataset filling the gap between existing resources.
Addressing the data gap in economic inclusion
Funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership, the SIPHER dataset was developed to address the lack of detailed economic inclusion data at the local level.
A scarcity of consistent, cross-nation metrics of deprivation in the UK presented a gap in which a unique resource aligning key measures of inclusion and economic participation could be created.
The importance of such a resource is highlighted in a Scientific Data article co-authored by Director of HASP Professor Nik Lomax; in the post-pandemic context, economic inclusion has become a key focus within policymaking (Moore and Collins, 2021), without a clear data source to support evidence-based decision making in this area.
With the SIPHER Inclusive Economy dataset comes the opportunity to explore the empirical basis of the relationship between economic inclusion, physical and mental wellbeing, and health inequality (Rice et al., 2025).
Enhancing existing capabilities
Ensuring the robustness of the dataset has been crucial to cementing its utility for place-based, economic inclusion research. In the above paper, validation against external data sources demonstrated the reliability of the SIPHER dataset in representing economic inclusion.
Validating with existing indices of multiple deprivation showed strong correlation between datasets where metric definitions align. Likewise, validation against local authority-level data presented striking comparisons, particularly for metrics concerning economic participation, digital and physical connectivity, and electoral participation.
This alignment to existing data, without duplicating the metrics, further ensures the SIPHER dataset’s utility for researchers and policy actors needing a granular, ward-level resource.
Informing policymaking
The breadth of economic inclusion metrics and granularity of the SIPHER dataset establish it as reliable and harmonised resource for policymakers to better understand the impact of economic policy on outcomes in physical and mental wellbeing.
Alignment with existing local authority datasets, as well as its availability at the electoral ward level, enables a nuanced view of economic inclusion for policy actors across Great Britain.
This is particularly the case for stakeholders in higher-level geographies, where granular data can scale up to the local authority and city level.
Access the data: Leeds HASP > SIPHER Inclusive Economy Ward Level Dataset @ 6103
Explore the interactive visualisation: GeoDS Mapmaker: Inclusive Economy (Population of ward 2019)
References
Macintyre, A.K., Shipton, D., Sarica, S. et al. Assessing the effects of population-level political, economic and social exposures, interventions and policies on inclusive economy outcomes for health equity in high-income countries: a systematic review of reviews. Systematic Reviews 13, 58 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-023-02429-5
Moore, H. L. and Collins, H. Rebuilding the post-Covid-19 economy through an industrial strategy that secures livelihoods. Social Sciences & Humanities Open 3, 1 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100113
Rice, H.P., Höhn, A., Meier, P., Heppenstall, A and Lomax, N. An inclusive economy dataset for wards in Great Britain using administrative and synthetic data sources. Scientific Data 12, 1230 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05502-x
Shipton D, Sarica S, Craig N, et al. Knowing the goal: an inclusive economy that can address the public health challenges of our time. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 75, 11 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2020-216070
