Northern Ireland's Department for Communities will change how it produces poverty and income inequality statistics. The updates begin with the NI Poverty and Income Inequality report on 26 March 2026.

The statistics draw from the Department for Work and Pensions' Family Resources Survey, used for Northern Ireland since 2002/03. A transformation programme integrates administrative data with survey responses to address underreporting of benefits.

Benefit linkage replaces survey data in the 2026 outputs. Earnings linkage and an updated grossing regime will follow in later years. Past underreporting understated household incomes, particularly for lower-income groups.

The changes will revise prior statistics. Northern Ireland figures go back to 2021/22, the earliest year for consistent data linkage. The publications will appear as Official Statistics in Development due to ongoing revisions.

Absolute poverty measures will shift the anchor year from 2010/11 to 2024/25 for relevance and UK comparability. Publications will note series breaks and provide comparative data on impacts.

The Department for Communities will issue methodological papers and suspend the accredited official statistics status temporarily to allow further review of local effects.