The proportion of individuals within the UK who really feel dissatisfied with life has failed to enhance for the reason that pandemic regardless of the financial outlook enhancing, official figures present.
The Workplace for Nationwide Statistics stated a survey of private wellbeing within the UK confirmed common life satisfaction remained under its pre-pandemic peak, regardless of the speed of gross home product per individual rising since 2021.
The report additionally flagged the newer decline in dwelling requirements, stating that UK GDP per individual fell within the third and fourth quarters of 2025.
The ONS additionally stated belief within the UK authorities remained low, with about one in 5 adults (21.9%) in Nice Britain reporting belief in December 2025 to January 2026.
The statistics physique stated that after an extended interval of stability by the mid-2010s, the proportion of individuals reporting low ranges of life satisfaction rose sharply between 2020 and 2021 throughout the Covid pandemic. This reached a nine-year excessive within the first three months of 2021, when 6.4% of adults aged 16 and above stated they felt very unhappy with life.
Since then, the measure has fallen a bit, however has remained broadly at about 5%, with the newest figures, for July to September 2025, exhibiting 5.1% of adults felt very unhappy with life.
The survey confirmed that these aged between 45 and 64 had been essentially the most unhappy with life, whereas these aged 30 to 34 reported the bottom proportion of life dissatisfaction.
Nevertheless, the proportion of adults reporting a really excessive stage of life satisfaction has additionally risen over the previous yr, from 25.5% in July to September 2024 to 26.7% throughout the identical interval in 2025.
The ONS stated folks’s sense of life satisfaction used to develop consistent with GDP per individual, however this “diverged sharply” throughout the pandemic and had did not realign. GDP per individual was £10,127 within the remaining three months of 2025, down 0.1% from £10,135 within the earlier quarter, however up 0.6% from £10,071 a yr earlier.
Alongside much less satisfaction with life, the proportion of adults reporting good or excellent well being had additionally fallen considerably, from 76% on the finish of 2020 to 70.9% within the remaining quarter of 2025. The ONS stated this indicated “a sustained publish‑pandemic decline in general well being”. This aligned with separate statistics that confirmed financial inactivity because of long-term illness had risen for the reason that pandemic.
The figures ccame as various client surveys steered that households had been nonetheless feeling downbeat in regards to the future, regardless of inflation dropping to three% in January, from 3.4% a month earlier, and rates of interest steadily coming down.
A protracted-running survey by GfK reported that client confidence within the UK fell for the primary time in three months in February because of an increase in folks reporting worries about their private funds for the yr forward. Equally, a report by S&P International stated the temper amongst UK households about their funds was “dismal” in February, with customers worrying about their money owed, their future monetary prospects and their financial savings.
