Official stats reveal 54 areas where people are in worst health and struggle with disabilities

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

Census data collected by the Office for National Statistics shows the percentage of people living in poor or very poor health in each area.

It also breaks down the percentage of residents who are disabled and severely limited in daily activities, and those who provide unpaid care.

Analysis of the figures shows that there are 54 areas that are in the worst 20 percent of all three measures.

Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales, finished bottom of the table.

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

Data has been collected from the most recent census in 2021.

The percentage of people in poor or very poor general health was calculated for each municipal area in England and Wales.

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

In Merthyr Tydfil, the area at the bottom, 13.1 percent of people are disabled and disabled, while 7.1 percent provide more than 20 hours of unpaid care.

Second behind Merthyr Tydfil was Blaenau Gwent in South East Wales and third was Knowsley in North West England.

But in both England and Wales, the proportion of people reporting poor or very poor health has declined 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, since 2011, the proportion of people reporting poor or very poor health has declined in every area.

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

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