Merton
Poverty and inequality data for Merton
Overview
Merton is a southwest Outer London borough and a fairly affluent area. The poverty rate of 20.3% is below the London average of 27%, and the unemployment ratio is just under 4%, which is the sixth lowest rate of any borough. Merton also performs well on health indicators, with low rates of infant mortality and premature mortality. However, in the three years leading up to 2015/2016 the number of affordable homes only increased by 147 – the 7th lowest figure out of 32 boroughs.
The rankings below show how Merton is performing on key poverty and inequality indicators, in comparison with all 32 London boroughs. The first section gives a snapshot from the latest data: the deeper the red, the worse the problem; those coloured green are in the top half of London boroughs, which are performing better.
The circles show whether the issue is getting better or worse in comparison to previous period. Where there is no change, the circle is orange. Where there is no comparative data, the circle is grey.