The dashboard provides a visual overview of the data and can be explored by the areas of life (domains) or by the direction of change. It supports the Measuring National Well-being programme which provides a more detailed look at life in the UK. We describe well-being as “how we are doing” as individuals, as communities and as a nation, and how sustainable this is for the future. The full set of headline measures of national well-being are organised into 10 areas, such as health, where we live, what we do and our relationships. The measures include both objective data and subjective data.
For more detailed information, the national well-being measures dataset contains the latest data, back series, demographics where applicable and quality information.
We assess change over the short-term (mainly 1 year) and the long-term (mainly 5 years). Change is assessed over a 5 year basis in the dashboard below, however trend information can be found below in the graphs for each indicator.
The latest update provides a broadly positive picture of life in the UK, with the majority of indicators either improving or staying the same over the long-term. Areas of life that are improving include: our personal well-being, for example our life satisfaction and happiness, satisfaction with our leisure time and income and getting by financially. However, two areas deteriorated over the long-term – having someone to rely on and satisfaction with our jobs.
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Includes individual's feelings of satisfaction with life, whether they feel the things they do in their life are worthwhile and their positive and negative emotions.
In the year ending December 2017, 3 in 10 people aged 16 and over in the UK (30.1%) reported a very high rating of satisfaction with their lives overall (9 and 10 out of 10). While there was no change over the short term (29.6% in the year ending December 2016) there was an improvement over the long-term (26.2% in the year ending December 2012).
Updated: 17 May 2018
In the year ending December 2017, 35.7% of people in the UK aged 16 and over reported a very high rating that the things they do were worthwhile (9 and 10 out of 10). This was an improvement for both the short-term (34.9% in the year ending December 2016) and the long-term (31.5% in the year ending December 2012).
Updated: 17 May 2018
In the year ending December 2017, 35.1% of people aged 16 and over in the UK reported their happiness yesterday as very high (9 and 10 out of 10). While there was no overall change on the previous year (34.6% in the year ending December 2016) there was an improvement over the long-term (31.5% in the year ending December 2012).
Updated: 17 May 2018
In the year ending December 2017, 40.2% of people aged 16 and over in the UK rated their anxiety as very low. While there was no overall change on the previous year (40.3% in the year ending December 2016) there was an improvement over the long-term (38.1% in the year ending December 2012).
Updated: 17 May 2018
In 2015 to 2016, the average rating of positive mental well-being for people aged 16 and over in the UK was 25.2 out of 35. While there was an improvement over the short-term (24.6 out of 35 in 2012 to 2013), there was no overall change over the long-term (25.2 out of 35 in 2009 to 2010).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Positive relationships have one of the biggest impacts on our quality of life and happiness. This domain includes satisfaction with personal relationships and feelings of loneliness.
The proportion of people in the UK aged 16 and over who reported that they were fairly or extremely unhappy with their relationship in 2015 to 2016 was 3.6%. This was an improvement for both the short-term (8.3% in 2013 to 2014) and the long-term (4.3% in 2009 to 2010).
Updated: 25 April 2018
The proportion of people aged 16 and over in England who reported feelings of loneliness often or always was 5.4% in the year ending March 2017. There was no overall change over the short-term (5.1% in the year ending March 2016), or over the long-term (5.1% in the year ending March 2014).
Updated: 10 October 2017
In 2013 to 2014, 84.0% of people in the UK aged 16 and over reported having someone to rely on if they had a serious problem. This has fallen over the long-term with 86.1% reporting they had someone to rely on in 2010 to 2011.
Updated: 6 April 2017
An individual's health is recognised as an important component of their well-being. This domain contains both subjective and objective measures of physical and mental health.
The healthy life expectancy at birth for males and females in the UK in 2014 to 2016 was 63.1 and 63.7 years respectively. This represented no overall change since 2011 to 2013 for both males (62.9) and females (63.7). There was an improvement since 2009 to 2011 for males (62.7) and no overall change for females (63.9).
Updated: 25 April 2018
17.4% of people aged between 16 and 64 reported they had an illness or disability in April to June 2017, the same proportion as the same period in the previous year. This change has not been assessed.
Updated: 10 October 2017
In 2015 to 2016, over half (51.0%) of people aged 16 and over in the UK were mostly or completely satisfied with their health, an improvement over the short-term (49.6% in 2014 to 2015) and no overall change over the long-term (51.8% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2015 to 2016, 17.8% of people in the UK aged 16 and over showed some evidence of anxiety or depression. While over the short-term this measure showed no overall change (17.4% in 2014 to 2015), there was an improvement over the long-term (18.9% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
There was an improvement in the unemployment rate in the UK over the long-term between the three months ending February 2018 (4.2%) and the three months ending February 2013 (8.0%). There was also an improvement over the one year period (4.7% in the three months ending February 2017).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Over half of people aged 16 and over in the UK (55.5%) were mostly or completely satisfied with their job in 2015 to 2016. While over the short-term this measure showed no overall change (55.8% in 2014 to 2015), there was a deterioration over the long-term (59.0% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
The proportion of people aged 16 and over in the UK who were mostly or completely satisfied with their amount of leisure time was 44.6% in 2015 to 2016. While over the short-term this measure showed no overall change (43.7% in 2014 to 2015), there was an improvement over the long-term (42.2% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Almost 1 in 5 people in the UK (19.1%) aged 16 and over reported that they had participated in some kind of volunteering more than once in the last year in 2014 to 2015. This was an improvement over both the short-term (17.4% in 2012 to 2013) and the long-term from 2010 to 2011 (16.5%).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In the year ending March 2017, just over 8 in 10 people in England (82.2%) had participated in an arts or cultural activity at least three times in the past year. This has remained unchanged over both the short-term (82.1% in the year ending March 2016) and the long-term (83.9% in the year ending March 2012).
Updated: 10 October 2017
Over 6 in 10 adults aged 16 and over in England took part in at least 150 minutes of sport and physical activities a week between November 2016 and November 2017 (61.8%). There was no overall change since the previous year (62.1%). Due to this measure originating from a new survey the long-term change cannot be assessed.
Updated: 25 April 2018
Reflects an individual's dwelling, their local environment and the type of community in which they live. Measures include having a safe, clean and pleasant environment, access to facilities and being part of a cohesive community.
In the year ending March 2017, there were an estimated 51 personal crimes per 1,000 adults (aged 16 and over) in England and Wales. There was no overall change over the short-term (56 crimes per 1,000 adults in the year ending March 2016) and an improvement over the long-term (82 crimes per 1,000 adults in the year ending March 2012).
Updated: 10 October 2017
In the year ending March 2016, 87.9% of men and 61.7% of women aged 16 and over in England and Wales reported that they felt fairly or very safe walking alone after dark. While there has been an improvement over the long term for men (86.0%) in the year ending March 2011, there was no overall change for women (63.5%). Over the short-term there was no change for either men or women (85.8% and 61.7% respectively in the year ending March 2015).
Updated: 6 April 2017
Nearly 6 in 10 people in the UK (57.6%) visited the natural environment at least once a week in the 12 months prior to interview in the year ending March 2016. There was no overall change from the previous year (58.9%) and an improvement over the long-term (53.4% in the year ending March 2011).
Updated: 10 October 2017
The proportion of people in the UK aged 16 and over who agreed or agreed strongly they felt they belonged to their neighbourhood in 2014 to 2015 was 68.8%. While change was not assessed over the short-term period, there was an improvement over the long-term (66.0% in 2009 to 2010).
Updated: 6 April 2017
The average minimum travel time by public transport or walking to an average of 8 main services was 17.5 minutes in England in 2015. As there is only two data points at present, the change has not been assessed.
Updated: 10 October 2017
Around 9 in 10 people aged 16 and over in England (90.3%) were satisfied with their accommodation in the year ending March 2016. This has remained unchanged over both the short-term and the long-term (89.9% in the year ending March 2015 and 90.8% in the year ending March 2011).
Updated: 17 October 2017
In the year ending March 2017 the proportion of individuals living in households in the UK with less than 60% of median income before housing costs was 16%. There was no overall change in both the short-term (16% in the year ending March 2016) and the long-term (16% in the year ending March 2012).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In July 2014 to June 2016 the median wealth per household, including pension wealth was £259,400. While change was not assessed over the short-term there was an improvement over the long-term (£216,500 in July 2010 to June 2012).
Updated: 6 April 2017
Real median household income was £27,310 in the UK in the year ending March 2017, an improvement on both the short-term (£26,683 in the year ending March 2016) and over the long-term (£24,466 in the year ending March 2013).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2015 to 2016, 45.6% of people in the UK aged 16 and over were mostly or completely satisfied with the income of their household. This was an improvement for both the short-term (42.8% in 2014 to 2015) and the long-term (37.9% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2015 to 2016, 5.9% of people in the UK aged 16 and over reported finding it quite or very difficult to get by financially. While there was no overall change over the short-term (6.6% in 2014 to 2015), there was an improvement over the long-term (10.7% in 2010 to 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Provides an important contextual domain for national well-being and includes measures of inflation and public sector debt.
The real net national disposable income per head in the UK was £25,368 in 2017, an improvement from the previous year (£24,752) and over the 5 year period (£23,149 in 2012).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2017, public sector net debt in the UK stood at 85.4% of GDP, compared with 84.7% in 2016. This change has not been assessed.
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2017 the rate of inflation in the UK was 2.6%, compared to 1.0% a year earlier. This change has not been assessed.
Updated: 25 April 2018
Includes aspects of education and the stock of human capital in the labour market with some more information about levels of educational achievement and skills.
In 2015, the value of full human capital amounted to £19.9 trillion. This was an improvement both from the previous year's data (£19.1 trillion) and over the long-term (£19.4 trillion in 2010).
Updated: 6 April 2017
The percentage of all young people in the UK who were NEET was 11.2% in October to December 2017. While there was no overall change since the previous year (11.6%) there was an improvement over the long-term (14.8% in October to December 2012).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In 2017, 8.0% of UK residents had no qualifications, there was no change over the short-term (8.2% in 2016) however there was an improvement over the long-term (9.4% in 2012).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Voter turnout at the UK general election in 2017 was 68.8%, an improvement on 2015 (66.2%) and 2010 (65.1%)
Updated: 10 October 2017
In the autumn of 2017, 34% of people aged 15 and over in the UK reported that they 'tended to trust'' their national government. While there was no overall change over the short-term (35% in 2016) there was an improvement over the long-term (25% in 2012).
Updated: 25 April 2018
Reflects areas such as climate change, the natural environment and the effects our activities have on the global environment.
The UK's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 467.9 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2016. This decreased (improved) both for the short-term (492.4 MtCO2e in 2015) and the long-term (549.1 MtCO2e in 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018
In the UK in 2017, 27.4 million hectares of land and sea was designated as a nationally or internationally important protected area. This was an improvement on the previous year (23.5 million hectares) and over the long-term (14.5 million hectares in 2012).
Updated: 10 October 2017
8.9% of energy consumption came from renewable sources in 2016. This has improved over both the short term (8.2% in 2015) and the long term (4.3% in 2011).
Updated: 10 October 2017
The household recycling rate for the UK in 2016 was 44.6%. An assessment of change is made by measuring progress towards the EU target of recycling 50% of waste from households by 2020. Change is only assessed as improved if growth is sufficient to meet this target, therefore there was no overall change over the short-term (44.2% in 2015) and the long-term (42.9% in 2011).
Updated: 25 April 2018