Belfast home to half of NI's 100 most deprived areas
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The research evaluated deprivation by factors like health, income and education
New official analysis has identified Northern Ireland's 100 most deprived areas, external with Belfast accounting for half the list.
The work involved splitting Northern Ireland into 890 areas, each with an average population of around 2,100.
It then used data on things like health, income and education to compare the areas.
The most relatively deprived area was Strabane East and the least deprived was Belmont in east Belfast.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), which produced the analysis, cautioned that it does not quantify the extent to which one area is more or less deprived than another.
It said it is also important to acknowledge that there will be areas that have been ranked as the most deprived that have people living there who may not be regarded as deprived and vice versa.
Among the 100 most deprived areas, 50 are in Belfast City Council area and 20 are in Derry City and Strabane Council area.
Those two council areas accounted for all the top 10 most deprived areas but Belfast also has eight of the 10 least deprived areas.
Lisburn and Castlereagh was the only council area that has no areas among the 100 most deprived.
'Substantial inequalities'
Nisra last produced a similar piece of analysis in 2010 but this update uses improved data and some additional indicators.
Among the 100 most deprived areas in 2010, 80 are still on the new list.
Seamus McAleavey, the chief executive of the NI Council for Voluntary Action, said community organisations can use the data to support their work in areas challenged by deprivation.
He encouraged more regular updates saying "a steady flow of continuous and dynamic data" is needed to support evidence-based policy making.
Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey said the figures need to carefully studied but that it is "evident from them that substantial inequalities still exist between and within communities.".
"For instance, the highest levels of multiple deprivation are still occurring in the Belfast and Derry/Strabane Council areas.
"These inequalities need to be robustly tackled if we are going to improve the lives of everyone and help them fulfil their true potential.
"It will be imperative that any incoming executive utilises the most recent data to fully develop an anti-poverty strategy which clearly targets those most in need, setting out the actions and outcomes they plan to achieve alongside a budget for ensuring the work is carried out."