The most deprived area is in Greenock town centre in Inverclyde, which replaces Ferguslie Park in Paisley. The figures have emerged in the latest update of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 which has been published by Scotland's Chief Statistician. Inverclyde council area has the largest share of deprived communities with 45% of data zones among the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. Glasgow City has similar deprivation levels at 44% Other local authorities with relatively high levels of deprivation include North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire at 40% and Dundee City at 38% Scotland’s Chief Statistician, Roger Halliday, said: "I know how widely the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is used as a vital resource for local planning, by third sector organisations bringing together resources needed to do their great work, and by many others. "However, we must also focus on the strengths and assets of communities if we are to work together to make Scotland a fair and inclusive place to live." SIMD is a tool for identifying the places in Scotland where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives, by giving a ranking for each small area, or data zone, which shows how deprived that area is compared to other areas. Levels of deprivation have fallen in Glasgow City, Renfrewshire and City of Edinburgh compared to SIMD 2016. Glasgow City showed the biggest fall, from 48% of data zones in the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland, to 44%. Aberdeen City, North Lanarkshire, Moray, East Lothian, Highland and North Ayrshire all saw modest rises in deprivation levels.