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UK going backwards on key wellbeing measures, new figures show

  • 8 June 2026
  • 2 minute read

An update to a key government dashboard shows fewer young people in employment, education and training alongside decreasing healthy life expectancies for men and women.

The annual update to the UK Measures of National Well-being Dashboard reveals that healthy life expectancy at birth has decreased for both males and females in the UK in 2022 to 2024, compared with the last non-overlapping period (2019 to 2021) and since the time series began (2011 to 2013). The figures also show more young people in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January to March 2026 compared with five years earlier.

More positively the research shows that around 3 in 4 adults in Great Britain are fairly or very satisfied with their local area as a place to live.

In addition, in April 2026, fewer adults in Great Britain agreed that they do not have any say in what the government does, compared with last year. However, the statistics also show only 3 in 10 adults in Great Britain tend to trust the UK government.

Carnegie UK – a foundation that works on wellbeing public policy – urged UK politicians and officials to analyse these trends and to work systematically to improve people’s lives.    

Sarah Davidson, chief executive of Carnegie UK, said: “Improving people’s lives should be the central priority of any government. Concerningly, these figures show several indicators of UK collective wellbeing are moving in the wrong direction.

“The fall in healthy life expectancy for both men and women is particularly troubling, as it points to people spending more of their lives in poor health. At the same time, the rise in young people not in education, employment or training risks storing up long-term challenges for individuals and communities alike.

“While it is encouraging that most people remain satisfied with their local area, and that fewer feel shut out of decision making, low levels of trust in government should give pause for thought. Trust is hard won and easily lost, and it matters for the success of public policy.

“Many of the most important shifts in wellbeing take time to achieve. But that makes it all the more important that governments use evidence like this to focus on shared outcomes, take a long-term view and act consistently to improve people’s lives.”

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Stuart Mackinnon [email protected] / 07934296831