A considerable amount of data is regularly collected across Government Departments, from both survey data and administrative sources. This publication will present relevant, already publicly available data from a unique urban/rural perspective, in order to highlight key urban/rural differences and disparities across a range of domains.
In doing so, the publication will provide a robust evidence base to inform the future direction of rural policy in NI, to underpin the Rural Needs Act (2016), and to support the equitable treatment of rural communities in policies and programmes across Government.
The domains explored in this publication, in terms of urban/rural comparison, include:
- Population
- Education
- Employment
- Industry
- Travel and Tourism
- Crime and Poverty
- Connectivity and access to services
- Health, Wellbeing and quality of life
- Household Income, Housing and Poverty
Key Rural Issues 2023