Islington is an inner London Borough and the second smallest borough by area after Kensington & Chelsea. Despite its reputation for affluence, poverty is a significant problem in the borough, with over a third of people living in poverty (33.7% compared to 27% across London). Child poverty is high here as well, with Tower Hamlets the only borough with a higher rate than Islington (and Westminster). However, the rate of low pay here is the 3rd lowest in London (14%) and the unemployment ratio is fractionally below the London average (4.65% compared to 4.90%). Income inequality is high in Islington, with a bigger gap between rich and poor than 25 out of 32 boroughs.

The rankings below show how Islington 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.