ONS Map Accessibility Guide | Census Maps & Data Visualisations

If an Office for National Statistics map or interactive data visualisation is difficult to load, navigate with a keyboard, or interpret with a screen reader, the ONS accessibility statement is the official place to check what limitations are already known. It is not a map viewer or a statistical dataset. Instead, it explains how accessible ons.gov.uk is, which types of content can still create barriers, and what alternatives are available when an interactive visual does not work well for a particular user.

Official page: ONS – Accessibility statement for ons.gov.uk

For map users, the most important part is the section on embedded data visualisations. ONS specifically identifies advanced interactive products such as Explore local statistics, Build a custom area profile, and Census maps as tools whose core functions depend on dynamic interaction. The statement says some visualisations may not load or function correctly when JavaScript is disabled, while the underlying information remains available in other forms such as accompanying datasets and explanatory HTML content.

What the accessibility statement tells ONS map users

The statement applies to the ons.gov.uk website and was updated on 30 April 2026. ONS says the site is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA because of listed non-compliances and exemptions. At the general website level, ONS says users can change colours, contrast levels and fonts, zoom up to 300% without text spilling off the screen, navigate most of the site with a keyboard, use speech-recognition software, and listen to most content with current versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver.

Those capabilities should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every interactive map behaves exactly like a standard HTML page. The same statement separately lists data visualisations, embedded content, tables, downloadable files, PDFs and some Excel documents among the areas where accessibility problems can remain. A user who can navigate the main site successfully may therefore still encounter barriers once a map opens an embedded or highly interactive interface.

Overall status: ons.gov.uk is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA
General navigation: most of the website supports keyboard navigation and common screen readers
Interactive visualisations: some may not load or work correctly without JavaScript
Advanced products named by ONS: Explore local statistics, Build a custom area profile and Census maps
Alternative access: underlying data can be available through datasets and surrounding HTML commentary
Download limitations: some auto-generated PDFs, historical spreadsheets and older tables are not fully accessible

What to do when Census maps or local-statistics tools do not work

Census maps and the other advanced tools named in the statement depend heavily on dynamic user interaction. A blank panel, controls that do not respond, or information that cannot be reached with assistive technology may therefore be related to the way the visualisation is embedded rather than to the absence of the underlying statistical data.

If JavaScript is disabled by a browser setting, extension or security policy, the visual may fail to load correctly. Enabling JavaScript can restore functionality for some users, but that is not a universal accessibility solution. Someone using a screen reader or keyboard-only workflow may still find the interactive map less practical than a structured dataset or an HTML table. The official statement is useful because it explicitly separates the visual interface from the availability of the underlying information.

A practical fallback is to return to the publication or article that contains the visualisation and look for an accompanying dataset, a data-download link, or a “view all data used” option. If the map is designed to reveal values after clicking regions, the same figures may be easier to use in a spreadsheet or structured table, especially when exact values matter more than the visual pattern.

Use the map and the underlying data for different purposes

Interactive maps are useful for seeing geographic distribution quickly. They can reveal clusters, contrasts and the location of higher or lower values in a way that a long table cannot. Accessibility, however, becomes more important when the information is communicated mainly through colour, hover states, pop-up panels or controls that require precise pointer movement.

ONS states that information shown in its data visualisations can be accessed through other formats such as accompanying dataset files and the surrounding commentary on the HTML page. This means a user does not have to treat the visual as the only authoritative form of the information. For exact figures, sorting, filtering or assistive-technology use, the dataset can be the better source; for spatial context, the interactive visual can remain useful when the interface is accessible to the user.

The accessibility statement itself does not provide the statistics shown by Census maps or local-area tools. It does not tell you a population count, employment rate, housing figure or boundary value. Its purpose is to explain the conditions under which ONS content can be accessed and what to do when a particular presentation format creates a barrier.

Why HTML may be preferable to an auto-generated PDF

ONS says that many pages offer an automatically generated PDF copy of the HTML page, but those generated PDFs are not fully accessible. If the same information is already available on the HTML page, the HTML version can therefore be the more reliable starting point for screen-reader navigation, headings, links and page structure.

Some supplementary PDFs also contain appended data tables that are not fully accessible. ONS explains that related data can instead be reached through links such as “View all data used in this bulletin or article” and through the relevant accompanying datasets. For users who need the numbers rather than a print-ready document, going directly to the data is often more practical than trying to extract information from an inaccessible table inside a PDF.

ONS is introducing a new website platform and content management system in 2026 and says the new system will no longer generate PDF copies of HTML web content in the same way or publish appended data-table PDFs for future publications. Older files will not necessarily be transformed into the new format, so the experience of a historical publication can remain different from that of a newly published page.

Spreadsheets, table headers and confusing download names

The statement also warns that some Excel documents, especially historical and previous versions of datasets, may be difficult to use with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. ONS says it has been improving spreadsheet accessibility since September 2020, with attention to regular and high-profile releases and the latest editions of datasets. That does not mean every older workbook has been retrofitted.

Older tables can have another problem: some do not contain row headers where they are needed. ONS says its table-builder tool was updated in September 2020 to enforce a header row or column, so content published after that change should not be affected in the same way. Historical tables may still be corrected, archived or removed as content moves to the new platform.

Some downloadable files also have computer-generated names that are difficult to read or understand. The issue originally affected custom-dataset filter downloads and ONS says further cases have been identified for generated table data and time-series download names. When a filename is unclear, keeping the source page title and dataset name with the downloaded file is a sensible way to avoid losing context.

Historical data visualisations can have different accessibility limits

ONS says there are many historical data visualisations published between 23 September 2018 and 23 September 2020 that may not comply with current WCAG 2.2 AA expectations. Many appear in previous or superseded versions of publications and have low use. ONS considers the work required to make every historical visual fully accessible disproportionate compared with its use and relevance.

For researchers, this is an important distinction. An older map that is difficult to interact with today does not necessarily mean the underlying statistics have disappeared. ONS says the information in visualisations can be available through surrounding commentary or accompanying datasets. When an archived visual is inaccessible, moving to the dataset or a newer version of the publication may be more productive than repeatedly trying to use the original interface.

How to request ONS information in an accessible format

If the available presentation does not meet your needs, the statement provides a formal route for requesting information in another format. ONS asks users to provide the URL of the content, their name and email address, and the format they would like. ONS says it will reply within five working days to explain when it expects to provide the information, although it may not be able to supply every requested alternative format in every case.

This can apply to more than a single map image. A user may need an accessible version of a table, information contained in a PDF, or data that is difficult to reach through an interactive visualisation. Giving the exact source URL and describing the required format makes the request more specific. The statement also says users who cannot view the maps on the ONS office-locations page can contact ONS by telephone or email for directions.

The 2026 platform transition may change how tools behave

ONS is developing a new website platform and content management system for launch in 2026. The accessibility statement says the organisation is working with the Digital Accessibility Centre, reviewing future approaches for advanced data visualisations, expanding automated accessibility checks, and training members of the Data Visualisation team. The statement lists October 2026 as the next review point.

That transition matters for anyone writing long-lived instructions about ONS maps. A workflow that is accurate on the legacy website may change as tools move or interfaces are redesigned. For that reason, it is safer to treat the accessibility statement and the current tool page as the authoritative references rather than describing one browser interaction as a permanent feature of ONS services.

What this page can and cannot answer

The accessibility statement can answer questions about known barriers on ons.gov.uk, the accessibility status of the website, problems that can affect data visualisations and downloads, and the process for requesting an alternative format. It cannot verify the statistical meaning of a value on a particular map, the geographic accuracy of a boundary, whether a dataset uses the latest available year, or how a specific indicator was calculated.

For map users, the best way to use the page is therefore as an official accessibility reference for ONS data tools. Use Census maps, Explore local statistics or another statistical product to investigate the geography itself. Use the accessibility statement when the interface, download format or assistive-technology experience prevents you from reaching that information comfortably.

Official source

The accessibility status, limitations affecting data visualisations, PDF and spreadsheet issues, and the alternative-format request process described here are based on the Office for National Statistics accessibility statement for ons.gov.uk. The page was updated on 30 April 2026 and states that the website is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA.

Frequently asked questions

Will ONS Census maps work if JavaScript is disabled?

ONS says some advanced interactive tools, including Census maps, may not load or function correctly when JavaScript is disabled. If the visual cannot be used, check the surrounding publication for an accompanying dataset or HTML explanation that provides the underlying information in another format.

Is the downloadable PDF better than the HTML page for accessibility?

Not necessarily. ONS says its auto-generated PDF copies of HTML pages are not fully accessible. When the same content is available on the web page, the HTML version is often the better starting point, with separate dataset links used when exact data are needed.

Can I ask ONS for a different accessible format?

Yes. ONS asks for the content URL, your name and email address, and the format you need. It says it will respond within five working days to indicate when it can provide the information, although a requested format may not be available in every case.

Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.

These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.