Happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 6.69 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom stood at 6.69. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom peaked at 7.16 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 6.69, in 2025.
That places United Kingdom 28th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6.94 | — |
| 2012 | 6.88 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.87 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.72 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 6.71 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 6.81 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 7.05 | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 7.16 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 7.06 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 6.94 | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 6.8 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 6.75 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 6.73 | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 6.69 | -0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 6.69 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 6.69 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.4, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.89 | 6.71 | 7.16 | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.83 | 6.69 | 7.06 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in United Kingdom was 6.69 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 7.16 in 2019.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.69 in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- United Kingdom ranks 28th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.