Wellbeing of Wales 2025

This year marks a significant milestone, as we reach the tenth anniversary of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Act remains the foundation for this report and provides the framework for assessing national progress towards the seven well-being goals. As ever, this report aims to bring together the latest evidence across the breadth of well-being in Wales, to help us understand where we have made progress and where further efforts are needed.

Many of the indicators presented in this report are sourced from the National Survey for Wales. This year, fieldwork issues have resulted in smaller sample sizes and some differences in the sample composition. This has implications for the interpretation of trends, particularly for small groups, and means the assessment of change over time may be less robust than in previous years. We have highlighted these instances throughout the report, and I encourage readers to bear this in mind when drawing conclusions from this year’s findings.

Findings from the last year

The pace of change in our national indicators remains gradual, with limited movement from year to year. Consistent with previous reports, there has been very little change in the assessment of progress for the national milestones.

On a positive note, several environmental and place-based indicators, such as air quality, soil carbon, greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term water quality are either stable or showing improvements. However, our collective perception of place and community has worsened. After a temporary lift during the pandemic, indicators related to community cohesion have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels. This pattern is also evident in other areas, such as adult sport participation, where improvements seen during the pandemic have diminished and are now more in line with trends observed before 2020.

Economic challenges continue to impact the most disadvantaged groups. Large increases in fuel poverty, plus job losses for low paid roles are apparent. The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas has widened, and overall healthy life expectancy in Wales is now at its lowest recorded level.

Nonetheless, there are areas of positive progress. While inequalities persist, some gaps are narrowing. The gender pay gap has continued to fall, in line with a long-term trend. Gaps in school performance between some groups have reduced, and the employment rate gap between disabled and non-disabled people continues to close. Healthy behaviours are becoming more prevalent, with increases in the number of adults and children engaging in healthy lifestyles.

Changes to this year’s report

We have taken steps this year to make the Wellbeing of Wales report more concise, reflecting feedback from readers and analytics data on how the report is used. Alongside this, there are areas where we have made additions and improvements, such as reporting on the justice national indicator for the first time. This indicator, on confidence in the justice system, was added to the indicator set in 2021.

Looking ahead, Welsh Ministers have agreed that the set of national wellbeing indicators should be reviewed once every Senedd term to ensure that they remain relevant. As such, we expect to begin a review after the next Senedd election in 2026. I hope you will take the opportunity to contribute to this review as it is vital that the indicators reflect what is important to the people of Wales and our national wellbeing.

Stephanie Howarth
Chief Statistician

Summary of main points from the Wellbeing of Wales report 2025.

Economic performance has been mixed over the past year. The labour market has weakened, with job losses concentrated in relatively low-paying private sector industries. 

Longer-term trends show that Wales continues to lag behind the UK average in economic output and household income, though comparisons with similarly structured UK regions show more alignment. Relative income poverty in Wales has declined over the long term, with 22% of people affected in 2022 to 2024 compared to 25% in the late 1990s. Children remain more likely to experience poverty, though their rates have also fallen, with 31% affected in the latest period. Household incomes in Wales are closer to the UK average than economic output measures, particularly when using median income as a measure.

Employment gaps between Wales and the UK have narrowed since the turn of the century, with Wales outperforming some English regions over the medium term. However, Wales still has a higher proportion of people earning below the real living wage, and evidence on job quality and pay gaps presents a mixed picture. The proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 in education, employment or training rose to 86.4% in 2023, up from around 80% in 2010 to 2012. This marks encouraging progress towards the national milestone of at least 90% by 2050.

Qualification levels in Wales continue to improve, moving closer to the national milestone of 75% of working age adults being qualified to level 3 or higher by 2050. In 2024, 68.6% of working age adults were qualified to level 3 or higher, and six local authorities had 5% or fewer adults with no qualifications. Both figures have improved since 2023. However, attainment in secondary schools has declined slightly since the pandemic, with children from deprived backgrounds continuing to have poorer outcomes.

Innovation in Welsh businesses has fluctuated since the 2008 recession, with some signs of improvement in recent years. Managing the balance between economic growth and the development of a low-carbon economy remains complex, but there are positive signs in some sectors.

Data for some of the national indicators suggest that progress is being made towards the resilient Wales goal, but some of this progress has slowed recently. Biodiversity has declined over the long term but stabilised more recently. Soil carbon levels are generally stable, though losses have been observed in arable land and broadleaf woodland. Water quality has improved over recent decades, but challenges remain. Air quality has also improved since the 1970s, though it continues to pose risks to health and nature.

Wales has made significant progress in reducing waste and increasing recycling rates, but resource use remains unsustainable. Renewable energy capacity increased in 2023, with the highest installation rate in five years, though still far below the peak seen in 2015.

Limited progress has been made towards a healthier Wales. Healthy life expectancy has declined for both men and women since 2011 to 2013, with widening gaps between the most and least deprived areas. The proportion of single babies born with low birth weight has increased to 6.3%, the highest rate recorded.

The percentage of adults with two or more healthy behaviours declined before the pandemic but has improved slightly since financial year 2020 to 2021. Among young people, healthy behaviours have improved since 2017. Adult mental wellbeing scores have remained stable, while scores among young people have declined, with widening gaps based on family affluence. Housing conditions have improved, with 82% of dwellings free from serious hazards in 2017 to 2018, up from 71% in 2008.

Progress towards a more equal Wales remains mixed. The gender pay gap has narrowed to 1.9% in 2024, but ethnicity and disability pay gaps remain volatile, making it difficult to assess long-term trends. Employment rate gaps have narrowed over the past decade, with improvements for disabled people and people from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background.

Poverty levels have remained stable, with around one in five people living in relative income poverty. Children, disabled people, and ethnic minorities are more likely to be affected. Self-reported mental wellbeing has declined since financial year 2016 to 2017, with older people, non-disabled people, and people from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background generally reporting higher wellbeing. Feelings of safety have remained broadly unchanged, with men consistently reporting higher levels than women.

Recent data shows a return to pre-pandemic levels across several community cohesion indicators, including satisfaction with local areas and influencing local decisions. 

Volunteering has increased, exceeding the national milestone, while feelings of safety remain stable. 

Homelessness prevention rates have slightly declined, and rough sleeping has increased. Despite the proportion of adults who are victims of crime remaining relatively stable, public concern about rising crime has returned to pre-pandemic levels, after a drop in 2022 to 2023.

Progress towards this goal is inconsistent. Adult engagement in arts, culture and heritage has remained stable, with 72% of adults participating at least three times a year. However, children’s participation in the arts has declined and is now at or below levels seen a decade ago.

Adult sports participation has increased over the long term, though it fell in financial year 2024 to 2025. School sports participation has returned to levels seen in 2013. 

The number of Welsh speakers fell according to Census 2021, with daily use remaining stable at 11%. 

Museum and archive accreditation has improved, particularly for archives. Conditions of listed buildings have improved slightly, while scheduled monuments have worsened.

Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 6% in 2023 and are down 38% from the base year. Wales’s global footprint remains over twice its biocapacity, despite reductions since 2004. Participation in global citizenship education continues, with thousands of entries across key stages.

Authors: Dr Thomas Nicholls and Sue Leake

A prosperous Wales: An innovative, productive and low carbon society which recognises the limits of the global environment and therefore uses resources efficiently and proportionately (including acting on climate change); and which develops a skilled and well-educated population in an economy which generates wealth and provides employment opportunities, allowing people to take advantage of the wealth generated through securing fair work.

Longer term progress towards the Prosperous Wales goal has been mixed, with overall labour market outcomes improved as compared with the period prior to devolution in 1999. Progress has been less marked in addressing poverty, low productivity, pay and income levels. Whilst progress has been made on decarbonisation, more rapid change will be needed in future to meet targets.

Economic performance has been mixed over the last year, with economic data continuing to suggest the economy in Wales is performing in similar manner to the wider UK economy.

The labour market has weakened with job losses more concentrated in predominantly private sector industries.

Welsh economic performance continues to be weaker than the UK as a whole in terms of economic output (gross value added) and household income (for both gross disposable household income and median household income), but is broadly similar to some other parts of the UK with similar features and characteristics.

The percentage of people living in relative income poverty in financial year 2022 to 2023 to financial year 2023 to 2024 was 22% compared with 25% toward the end of the last century. Children are more likely to be in relative income poverty at 31% in the latest three-year period than the population overall, but here too, the incidence of poverty has decreased.

Average household incomes in Wales are considerably closer to the UK average than gross value added (GVA) per head, with differences depending on the measure used and with the gap smallest when assessed using the middle household (or median) which is considered a more typical household for comparisons.

The historical gaps in employment and activity rates between Wales and other parts of the UK have narrowed since the turn of the century, with Wales outperforming some English regions over the medium term. This represents a marked change from the period prior to devolution in the 1980s and 1990s.

Wales has a higher percentage of people earning less than the real living wage than some other parts of the UK. In addition, the evidence on other aspects of the quality of work and pay gaps suggests a mixed picture in Wales.

Provisional estimates for 2023 show that the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds who were in education, employment or training (86.4%), is approaching the 90% national milestone, up from around 80% in the period 2010 to 2012.

The qualification profile of the Welsh working age population has been improving over time, moving towards the relevant milestones, with an increase in the proportion of working age adults with level 3 (equivalent to A levels) and level 4 qualifications (equivalent to degree level) in the last decade whilst the proportion with no qualifications decreased.

Attainment in secondary schools rose in the years before the pandemic. Data for the academic year 2023 to 2024, which saw a full return to pre-pandemic examination arrangements, shows a small decrease in the headline measure (the Capped 9 indicator) since 2022 to 2023 and since the year prior to the pandemic (2018 to 2019). Children from deprived backgrounds still have poorer outcomes.

Management of the interaction between economic growth and the development of an innovative, low carbon economy is complex and poses challenges, but there are positive signs in some sectors.

Since the 2008 recession, investment in business innovation in Welsh firms has fluctuated, with some improvement in businesses being actively innovative recorded prior to the pandemic.

As across the UK as a whole, growth in the economy and in real incomes has been sluggish since the recession of 2008, reflecting poor productivity growth.   Productivity growth has also been weak in most other developed countries, but the UK has fared particularly badly. This issue is discussed in detail in the Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2024. The prolonged period of slow growth in productivity and real incomes is unprecedented in modern times.

Over the longer run, since 1998, and taking economic indicators in the round, Wales has broadly kept pace with the UK. While its economic performance continues to be weak compared with many other parts of the UK, productivity data over the last decade gives some grounds for optimism. However, the gap with the UK as a whole remains, and the UK itself does not perform strongly when productivity levels are compared internationally. 

Gross value added (GVA) represents the value of all goods and services produced in an area. It is both the source of the real incomes people earn and the base on which taxes can be levied to fund public services. 

While GVA per head of population in Wales has grown broadly in line with the UK since 1998, it remains lower than almost all other countries and regions of the UK. 

Latest data (for 2023) shows that GVA per head in Wales was 72.2% of the UK average, the second lowest of the 12 UK countries and English regions, ahead of the North East. 

Welsh performance on GVA per head is mainly a reflection of relatively low productivity levels. One measure of productivity, GVA per hour worked, is lower in Wales than in other UK countries and regions in England. In 2023 it was 84.9% of the UK figure. Since 2004, productivity in Wales has been in a range of 81.9% to 86.0% of the UK average.

Figure 1.1: Welsh gross value added per hour worked, relative to the UK (UK = 100), 1998 to 2023

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Description of figure 1.1: a line chart showing that GVA (gross value added) per hour worked in Wales relative to the UK (current price index UK = 100) has been relatively stable since 1998, with Welsh productivity remaining below the UK average.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of Regional labour productivity, UK, 1998 to 2023, ONS

The latest information from the UK innovation survey (which is published every 2 years with the latest data for 2020 to 2022) indicates that 31% of Welsh businesses are innovation-active (based on an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definition). This means that they are undertaking activities such as introducing new or significantly improved products, services, processes; or business structures or practices; or investing in research and development or training.

Wales had the lowest proportion of innovative firms of the UK countries and English regions over the period. This uses the geographic location based on businesses’ head office location. It is unclear how much of an effect this may have on measuring innovation in Wales. The most recent survey period (2020 to 2022) includes the COVID-19 pandemic, which is likely to have had an impact on business innovation.

Since the 2008 recession, investment in business innovation has fluctuated in Wales. The latest period (2020 to 2022) shows a decrease in Wales compared to previous periods, although there were also decreases in the percentages of businesses who were innovation active in all UK countries.

Figure 1.2: innovation-active businesses in Wales and the UK, 2008-10 to 2020-22

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Description of figure 1.2: a line chart showing that the proportion of innovation-active businesses in Wales has closely followed the UK trend, with both showing a decrease for the most recent survey period (2020 to 2022).

Source: UK Innovation Survey, Department for Business and Trade.

Household income is a better indicator of people’s prosperity and material wellbeing than economic output measures. Average household incomes in Wales are considerably closer to the UK average than GVA per head, but there are differences depending on the measure used, with the gap narrowest when median incomes are considered.

The national indicator on income uses the measure gross disposable household income (GDHI). The national milestone on household income is to improve GDHI per head by 2035. On this measure Wales, according to the most recent data (2023), has risen by 14% since 2020, It is, however, at 81% of the UK figure, having fallen from 88% at its peak in 2003. This relative fall has partly been driven by a steep increase in household incomes in London, which has helped to drive up the UK average.

Whilst Wales has the second lowest GDHI per head of the UK countries and regions, it is broadly comparable to areas of the UK with similar characteristics. This is also a mean measure of household income, which may be affected by Wales having an absence of a small share of very high-income households. This is discussed more in the Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2024. The Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2025 will be published on 14 October 2025.

Figure 1.3: gross disposable household income per head, Wales and UK, 1999 to 2023

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Description of figure 1.3: a line chart showing that GDHI per head has increased overall in Wales and the UK since 1999, with the value for Wales remaining below the UK across the timeseries.

Source: Regional Gross Disposable Household Income, ONS

The national milestone on employment is to eradicate the gap between the employment rate in Wales and the UK by 2050, with a focus on fair work and raising labour market participation of under-represented groups.

The Annual Population Survey (APS) allows for estimates of labour market outcomes at a local authority level and for sub-groups of the population and is the source for the national indicators and related national milestones. As most labour market data is survey-based and volatile, short-term changes should not be over-interpreted.

According to the APS, the employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 73.4% in the year ending March 2025 whilst the UK rate was 75.4%. Both these rates are roughly stable compared to the previous year. Since the year ending March 2005, the employment rate has increased by 4.0 percentage points in Wales and by 2.9 percentage points in the UK with the gap in the employment rate narrowing from 3.1 percentage points to 2.0 percentage points.

More recent data show that the labour market effects of COVID-19 which disproportionately affected some groups (such as those in low-paid jobs or less secure employment) appear to be reducing. (further analysis of the impact on inequalities is included in the More equal Wales chapter).

The Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2024 provides broad contextual information and analysis for labour market performance with particular focus on employment, unemployment and economic inactivity at the all Wales level. These headline indicators are not national milestones.

A national milestone on participation in education and the labour market was set in 2021 which is that at least 90% of 16 to 24 year olds will be in education, employment or training by 2050.

Provisional estimates for 2023 show that 86.4% of 16 to 24 year olds were in education, employment or training, up from 86.1% in 2022. The increase was largely driven by an increase in employment for 19 to 24 year olds.

Using the main measure of young people in education, employment or training, there was an increase in the proportion of 16 to 18 year olds in education, employment or training (from 87.7% in 2022 to 89.9% in 2023) and a decrease in the proportion of 19 to 24 year olds (from 85.4% in 2022 to 84.8% 2023). For 16 to 18 year olds, this is a return to the relatively stable rate of 89% to 90% seen between 2012 and 2018.

Figure 1.4: percentage of young people in Wales in education, employment or training, 2005 to 2023 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.4: a line chart showing that the percentage of young people in Wales aged 16 to 18 years old in education, employment or training has remained relatively steady since 2005, whilst the percentage of those aged 19 to 24 years fell below 80% between 2009 and 2014 but has since recovered to 84.8% in 2023.

Source: Participation of young people in education and the labour market, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Chart axis does not start at zero.

(p): Figures for 2023 are provisional.

A national indicator on the proportion of employees whose pay is set by collective bargaining was introduced in December 2021, based on data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Some 53% of employee jobs were covered by collective bargaining arrangements in 2024, where pay and conditions are negotiated between an employer and a trade union. This has remained steady since 2022 but is lower than in many previous years. However, it is considerably higher than the majority of the other UK countries and England regions and reflects the relatively higher share of employees in Wales who work in the public sector and in manufacturing.

The national indicator on fair work and earnings considers the percentage of people in employment, who are on permanent contracts (or on temporary contracts, and not seeking permanent employment) and who earn at least the real living wage. The real living wage is calculated by the Living Wage Foundation who determine the methodology. It aims to reflect the cost of living.

In 2024, 67% of people on permanent contracts (or on temporary contracts, and not seeking permanent employment) earned at least the real living wage, an increase from 64% in 2023. This is based on the real living wage for financial year 2024 to 2025 as published in October 2024.

Figure 1.5: percentage of people in employment, who are on permanent contracts (or on temporary contracts, and not seeking permanent employment) and who earn at least the real living wage, 2012 to 2024

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Description of figure 1.5: a line chart showing that the number of people in employment earning at least the real living wage in Wales increased over the year to 67% in 2024. The series had dipped in 2023 to 64%.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the APS

A national milestone has been set to eliminate the pay gap for gender, disability and ethnicity by 2050. Over the long-term, the gender pay gap (on a median hourly full-time basis and excluding overtime) has narrowed. In April 2024, the (full-time) gender pay gap was 1.9%, down from 4.9% in the previous year. The gap narrowed slightly in the UK to 7.0%.

The gender pay gap for all employees remains considerably higher at 8.9%. This is because women fill more part-time jobs, which in comparison with full-time jobs have lower hourly median pay.

These gaps do not take into account differences in education levels and experience, which vary across genders and affect earning levels.

Figure 1.6: percentage difference in median hourly full-time earnings between men and women, 1999 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.6: a line chart showing that the difference in median hourly full-time earnings between men and women has decreased over the last 20 years for both Wales and the UK. Wales has had a narrower gender pay gap than the UK since 2013.

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, ONS

[Note 1] A pay difference greater than zero means men’s earnings are higher than women’s.

In 2024, the pay difference between disabled and non-disabled people in Wales was £1.18 an hour (7.8%). This means that disabled employees in Wales earned, on average £1.18 less per hour than non-disabled employees. This is a decrease on the previous year when the pay gap was £1.75 (12.2%). However, there is high volatility in the disability pay difference data which means we are unable to determine whether there has been a significant change since 2015.

In 2024, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees in Wales earned, on average £0.54 (3.6%) less per hour than White employees . This compares to an ethnicity pay difference of £1.93 (or 13.8%) in 2023. However, much like the disability pay gap, there is high volatility in the ethnicity pay difference data which means we are unable to determine whether there has been a significant change since 2015.

Disability and ethnicity pay differences are based on median hourly earnings for all employees.

Due to the high volatility in the data for the ethnicity pay difference in Wales, short-term changes should be considered alongside longer-term trends where possible. Since 2019, the ethnicity pay difference has seen an overall increase where average hourly earnings for White employees have increased by 31.8% whereas average hourly earnings for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees have increased by 28.8%.

Relative income poverty

People living in relative income poverty are those who live in a household where the total household income from all sources is less than 60% of the average UK household income (as given by the median).

For regions and countries of the UK, the latest data point published is for the 3-year period between financial years 2021 to 2022 and 2023 to 2024.

Between 2021 to 2022 and 2023 to 2024, 22% of all people in Wales were living in relative income poverty (after housing costs were paid). Children are more likely to be in relative income poverty, at 31% in the latest 3-year period, than working-age adults (21%) and pensioners (16%).

The percentage of people living in relative income poverty has been relatively stable in Wales for over 18 years, with children more likely to be in relative income poverty than the population overall. Although rates of people living in relative income poverty in Wales increased for children and decreased for pensioners in the most recent period, none of the changes were statistically significant.

Figure 1.7: percentage of each age group in Wales living in relative income poverty (after housing costs), 3-financial-year averages [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.7: a line chart showing people in Wales living in relative income poverty (after housing costs were paid) from 1997 onwards. The percentage of people living in relative income poverty has been relatively stable in Wales for over 18 years, with children more likely to be in relative income poverty than the population overall.

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of the DWP's Households below average income dataset, based on the Family Resource Survey

[Note 1] Estimates for periods which span 2020 to 2021 do not include the data collected during 2020 to 2021 in calculations. For those 3 periods , estimates formerly calculated as 3 year rolling averages are based on 2 year rolling averages that omit the 2020 to 2021 survey data. 2020 to 2021 estimates are unreliable as they are based on data collected during the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when lockdown rules severely disrupted the data collection.

A person is considered to be in persistent poverty if they are in relative income poverty in at least 3 out of 4 consecutive years. Data from the Understanding Society survey shows that an individual in Wales had a 12% likelihood of being in persistent poverty between 2019 and 2023 (after housing costs were paid). A child in Wales had a higher likelihood of being in persistent poverty at 16%.

Material deprivation

Material deprivation is a measure of living standards, and a person is defined to be living in material deprivation if they are not able to access a certain number of goods and services.

Data on material deprivation is sourced from the National Survey for Wales. The continuation of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions into financial year 2021 to 2022 affected the measurement of material deprivation. The restrictions that remained in place affected people’s access to some social opportunities or services, regardless of deprivation or financial constraint.

Fieldwork issues for  the National Survey for Wales in 2024 to 2025 have resulted in  smaller sample sizes than in previous years and some differences in the sample composition.. This may have an impact on the estimates of material deprivation for this year. See the National Survey for Wales quality report for more information.

In the years prior to the pandemic, the percentage of working-age adults in material deprivation reduced from 19% in 2017 to 2018 to 16% in 2019 to 2020. There was also a decrease in material deprivation among pensioners (from 7% to 4% in the period).

More recently, between 2021 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025, levels of material deprivation for working age adults rose up to 19% in 2022 to 2023 but then fell back to 14% in 2024 to 2025. Levels of material deprivation in pensioners has remained around 4% to5% since 2018 to 2019.

Earlier data from 2022 to 2023, indicated that 25% of people who had children in their household were in material deprivation, compared with 11% of people in child-free households. However, a lower proportion of parents had children who were experiencing material deprivation themselves (9%).  This was an increase from when last measured in 2019 to 2020, when 6% of parents had children who were experiencing material deprivation.

Figure 1.8:  percentage of people in material deprivation (in Wales, financial years 2016-17 to 2024-25 [Note 1] [Note 2] [Note 3] [Note 4]

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Description of figure 1.80: a line graph showing that the proportion of working-age adults and pensioners who were materially deprived both fell prior to the pandemic whilst the trend for children was relatively stable. The proportion for each of these groups rose in 2022 to 2023 before falling to around 2021 to 2022 levels in 2024 to 2025 (where data is available).

Source: National Survey for Wales

[Note 1] Material deprivation data was not collected for the 2020 to 2021 survey year.

[Note 2] From 2021 to 2022, material deprivation statistics are not strictly comparable with the pre-pandemic period. The National Survey transitioned from a face-to-face to telephone-based survey, which may have influenced respondents answering of the material deprivation questions.

[Note 3] Fieldwork issues for the National Survey for Wales in 2024 to 2025 have resulted in smaller sample sizes than in previous years and some differences in the sample composition. This may have an impact on the estimates of material deprivation for this year [Note 4] The percentage of children in material deprivation is not available for the 2024 to 2025 survey year.

Income spent on housing costs

The national indicator on the percentage of households spending 30% or more of income on housing costs is based on data from the DWP Family Resources Survey.

For the latest period (financial year 2021 to 2022 to financial year 2023 to 2024), 15% of households spent 30% or more of their income on housing costs, but this varies by housing tenure.

3% of households who own their own home outright and 8% of those who own a home with a mortgage spend 30% or more of their income on housing costs. Percentages are higher for other tenures, with 37% of those in private rented and 36% of those in social rented housing spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs.

Whilst it may appear that the percentage of households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs has fallen recently (figures for the period 2011 to 2012 to 2013 to 2014 were around 19%) it is important to note that these figures are based on results from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) which has a small sample for Wales, and it is unlikely that year-on-year changes are statistically significant. Therefore, we advise caution when looking at changes over time. However, note that during the most recent periods the income element of the indicator includes increases in state support (for example fuel support payments, Cost of Living support scheme payments) as well as increased interest payments on savings as a result of higher interest rates. In addition, many households in the period on fixed rate mortgages may not yet have been impacted by increases seen in the mortgage interest rates following increases in the Bank of England base rate from autumn 2022 if their fixed rate mortgage deals hadn’t yet come to an end.

Note that this indicator does not include household energy costs, which have been rising in recent years, or non-housing costs which households face (e.g. food) which will have had a wider impact on households.

Fuel poverty 

Household energy costs have been volatile since early 2022 when energy prices rose sharply, reaching a peak by the end of 2022. They have fallen since but remain well above prices from before 2022.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, the average household energy bill (based on standard energy consumption) was estimated to be £1,850, which is 37% higher than in 2021 to 2022. Such price increases have impacted the number of households estimated to be in fuel poverty, as they are likely to be larger increases than changes to income.

A household is regarded as being in fuel poverty if they are unable to keep their home warm at a reasonable cost. In Wales, this is measured as any household that would have to spend more than 10% of their income on maintaining a satisfactory heating regime. Any household having to spend more than 20% is defined as being in severe fuel poverty.

Latest modelled estimates for October 2024 indicate that 340,000 households in Wales (1 in 4 households) were estimated to be in fuel poverty. This is up from around 1 in 7 households in October 2021. 63,000 households in Wales (1 in 20 households) were estimated to be in severe fuel poverty in 2024.

The qualification profile of the Welsh working age population has been improving over time, though there is a break in the series between 2021 and 2022 due to changes to the questions on qualifications in the APS, which now reflect the current qualifications framework.

Skills and qualifications are the biggest single influence on people’s chance of being in employment and on their incomes.

In 2024, 46.4% of working age adults (aged 18 to 64 years) were qualified to at least higher education level (level 4), up from 45.0% in 2023.The proportion of the working age population with at least higher education qualifications has increased considerably in the last 15 years; rising by 12  percentage points in the period from 2009 to 2021, and continuing to rise since.

One of the national milestones on qualifications is that 75% of working age adults in Wales will be qualified to level 3 or higher by 2050. In 2024, 68.6% of working age adults in Wales were qualified to level 3 or higher.

Between 2008 and 2021, there were large falls in the share of working age adults with no qualifications. This proportion stood at 7.9% in 2024. The proportion of working age adults qualified to at least level 2 (equivalent to 5 or more GCSEs at grade A* to C) stood at 87.6% in 2024.

Older adults are more likely to have no qualifications than younger adults.

Within the working age population there was no significant difference in the proportion of men and women who held  no qualifications. However, women are more likely to hold qualifications at or above level 4.

Figure 1.9: highest level of qualification held by adults of working age, 2008 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.9: qualification levels in Wales have steadily increased since 2008, though there is a break in the series between 2021 and 2022 due to comparability issues.

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of APS, ONS

[Note 1] Estimates for 2022 onwards cannot be compared to previous years following changes to the questions on qualifications in the APS.

The other national milestone on qualifications is that the percentage of working age adults with no qualifications will be 5% or below in every local authority in Wales by 2050. In 2024, 6 of Wales’s 22 local authorities have 5% or less of working age adults with no qualifications: Ceredigion (2.3%), Powys (3.1%), Wrexham (3.2%), Monmouthshire (3.9%), Gwynedd (4.0%), Vale of Glamorgan (4.2%).The proportion of working age adults with no qualifications was highest in Blaenau Gwent (13.8%) and Rhondda Cynon Taff (13.6%).

Figure 1.10: proportion of working age population with no qualification by local authority, 2024

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Description of figure 1.10: a bar chart showing the proportion of the working age population with no qualifications in each local authority in 2024. The proportion is less than 5% in the Ceredigion, Powys, Wrexham, Monmouthshire, Gwynedd and the Vale of Glamorgan, but is over 13% in Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of APS, ONS

Attainment in schools rose in the years prior to the pandemic, however public examinations (such as GCSE and A Levels) were disrupted, particularly in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In those years all grades that would have been awarded following an examination were replaced with the centre assessed or determined grades. Academic year 2021 to 2022 was a transitionary year in which pupils sat written exams with some adjustments whilst in the 2022 to 2023 school year there was a further transition back to pre-pandemic assessment arrangements (whilst keeping some support in place for learners). The 2023 to 2024 school year saw a full return to pre-pandemic examination arrangements. Further details on these arrangements can be found in our annual Examination results publication.

The ‘capped 9 ‘points score is the national indicator on secondary school performance which focuses on year 11 pupils’ best 9 results at GCSE, including some subject specific requirements.

In 2023 to 2024 the average capped 9 indicator (interim measures version) was 352.1 points, a small decrease from 358.1 points in 2022 to 2023. Children from deprived backgrounds still have poorer outcomes.

In 2023 to 2024 pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) scored 298.6 points and pupils not eligible for FSM scored 378.2 points on average in the capped 9 indicator (interim measures version). This means that pupils not eligible score higher than pupils eligible by 79.6 points. This is a decrease in the gap from 87.1 points in 2022 to 2023.

Figure 1.11: school attainment: Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility, academic years 2018/19, 2022/23 and 2023/24 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 1.11: a bar chart showing the average Capped 9 indicator for students eligible for free school meals and students not eligible for free school meals in academic years 2018 to 2019, 2022 to 2023, 2023 to 2024. Pupils not eligible for free school meals scored higher in each of the years shown.

Source: Examination Results, Welsh Government

[Note 1] The Capped 9 indicator was not reported between 2019 to 2020 and 2021 to 2022 due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous versions of the Wellbeing of Wales report included further analysis of the following.

Assessments of stage of development of 4 year old pupils in mathematics, language, literacy and communication related to the Foundation Phase Framework. This information is no longer captured due to the roll-out of the new Curriculum for Wales from September 2022.

Labour market overview, provides a monthly update on the Welsh labour market.

The Welsh economy in numbers dashboard shows trends in the main economic outcomes for Wales, compared to the UK.

The Wales Economic and Fiscal Report reviews recent economic developments and the economic and fiscal prospects facing Wales.

There are several studies covering productivity and real incomes, for example, see Resolution Foundation’s Stagnation nation: the Inquiry and The UK Productivity puzzle in an international comparative perspective (Wiley Online Library).

Further information on regional income can be accessed from the Institute for Fiscal Studies Living standards, poverty and inequality in the UK.

Data is also available from the Census of Population on highest qualification levels. Census in Education in Wales (Census 2021) provides a summary of the data for Wales. The statistics available from the Census are not directly comparable to those presented in this Wellbeing of Wales report. As well as the different data collection modes, these statistics are based on working age adults (aged 18 to 64) whereas those from the Census are based on all usual residents aged 16 and over.

Information on the awarding of grades for school and college qualifications (GCSE, A Level, AS, Skills Challenge Certificate and Welsh Baccalaureate) in the years impacted by COVID-19 is available in the statements below:

• Statement from the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, August 2020
• Written Statement: Update on General Qualifications in 2021 (20 January 2021)

Author: Luned Jones

A resilient Wales: a nation which maintains and enhances a bio-diverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change (for example, climate change).

Data for some of the national indicators suggest that progress is being made towards the resilient Wales goal, but some of this progress has slowed recently, and further improvements are needed in order to reach the goal and national milestones. 

An experimental indicator on the status of biological diversity in Wales published in 2021 showed that the distribution of species in Wales has declined over the long term but has been stable more recently. Most habitat types have seen a reduction in diversity over the last 100 years, with the rate of decline increasing from the 1970s onwards. The national indicator on soil carbon for 2021 to 2023, shows that the concentration of carbon in our topsoil is generally stable, apart from in arable land and broadleaf woodland where a loss of carbon in topsoil has been observed relative to concentrations in 2013 to 2016.

The quality of our water whether in seas, rivers, streams or the ground has generally improved in recent decades. But, whilst some progress has been made in protecting and enhancing our waters, there is still a long way to go. 

Air quality has improved greatly since the 1970s,but remains a risk to human health and nature.

Wales has seen decreases in waste generation and considerable improvements in the recycling rate, but we continue to use up resources faster than they can be replenished. 

Installed electrical capacity from renewable energy continues to increase but at a considerably slower pace than in recent years. The installation rate for renewable energy capacity in 2023 was the highest in the last 5 years, but remained 6 times lower than the peak in 2015. 

SoNaRR 2020 provides a comprehensive assessment of progress against the 4 aims of the sustainable management of natural resources, and a further update will be published in December 2025.

The national milestone on biodiversity is to reverse the decline in biodiversity with an improvement in the status of species and ecosystems by 2030 and their clear recovery by 2050. 

An experimental indicator on the status of biological diversity in Wales published in 2021 showed that the distribution of species in Wales has declined over the long term but has been stable more recently. Although there have been improvements in the status of populations of some species in Wales, SoNaRR 2020 and recent State of Nature annual reports also show that, overall, biodiversity is declining. Further analysis on this topic is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report 2021. 

Most habitat types have seen a reduction in diversity over the last 100 years, with the rate of decline increasing from the 1970s onwards. In the 2019 Wellbeing of Wales report we reported that 31% of our land was considered semi-natural. This national indicator is used to assess the proportion of our land that has semi-natural, less modified habitats as these are most likely to form healthy and resilient ecosystems. 

Well managed soil will safeguard food production, support habitats, help manage flood risk and reduce water treatment costs. The national indicator on soil carbon for 2021to 2023, shows that the concentration of carbon in our topsoil is generally stable, apart from in arable land and broadleaf woodland where a loss of carbon in topsoil has been observed relative to concentrations in 2013 to 2016.

The quality of our water whether in seas, rivers, streams or the ground is generally improving. 

Water is one of Wales’s natural resources which we rely on constantly including for drinking water, the economy, industry, sewage treatment and agriculture. In financial year 2024 to 2025 Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy provided around 920 megalitres per day (Ml/d) of water to meet demand, with higher demand experienced during peak periods such as during hot dry weather or tourism hot spots. Private water supplies (not on mains) are estimated as 13.8 Ml/d.

New national indicator data for 2024 shows that 40% of 933 surface and ground water bodies were at good or better status. This is similar to 2021 and a 3 percentage point increase since 2015.

Water quality compliance assessments for the nine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) rivers in Wales have reviewed monitoring data against new targets for phosphorus and wider indicators of pollution.  In relation to phosphorus, 122 water bodies were assessed with half passing the new targets.  

Good quality bathing waters are very important for coastal communities, visitors and the economy in Wales. During the past 8 years, nearly all bathing waters met the standards set by the Bathing Water Regulations. Bathing water quality was monitored at 110 designated sites around Wales’s coast in 2024. 108 bathing waters met the standards. 75 were classified as excellent, 28 achieved good and 5 were classified as the minimum, sufficient, standard. 2 bathing waters failed to achieve the standard and were assessed as poor, the same as in 2023 Typically, the classifications are based on 4-years of bathing water quality data.

Figure 2.1: bathing water quality, percentage of designated sites, 2017 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 2.1: a line chart showing bathing water quality for designated sites in Wales between 2017 and  2024. In 2024, 68% were classed as excellent (the lowest percentage since 2017), 25% as good, 5% as sufficient and 2% as poor. 

Source: NRW Bathing Water Quality Report 2024

[Note 1] Typically, the classifications are based on 4-years of bathing water quality data

The latest flood risk assessment shows that some homes in Wales are at risk of flooding from seas, rivers and surface water, with some properties at risk from more than one type of flooding. In 2025, 1 in 7 (275,000) residential and non-residential properties are at either low, medium or high risk of flooding. In terms of the national indicator on flooding, nearly 49,000 properties in Wales were at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers and over 80,000 properties at high or medium risk of tidal flooding. Of these, nearly 26,000 benefit from river flood defences, nearly 42,000 from tidal flood defences and nearly 35,000 benefit from river and sea flood defences. 

Air quality has improved greatly since the 1970s, but remains a risk to human health. 

The national indicator on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) shows that overall, the average concentration levels to which people are exposed have been declining over the past decade. After a period of relative stability between 2017 and 2019 (at around 9 µg/m3), the average concentration decreased to 7 µg/m3 in 2020 and 2021, rising slightly to 8 µg/m3 in 2022 before returning to 7 µg/m3 in 2023.  Average concentrations to which people are exposed of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) decreased in 2023 by roughly 20%. 

The highest concentrations of nitrogen dioxide emissions are found in urban areas and near busy roads, reflecting the contribution of traffic and urban activities to poor air quality. 

Air pollution has a significant effect on public health. There are currently 44 air quality management areas declared in Wales. 

In 2022, the UK Health Security Agency estimated that long-term outdoor air pollution contributed to the equivalent of between 29,000 and 43,000 deaths (at typical ages) per year in the UK. Public Health Wales estimated the burden of long-term air pollution exposure to be around the equivalent of 1,000 to 1,400 deaths in Wales each year. This does not reflect ‘actual’ deaths from air pollution exposure, but is an estimate of the ‘equivalent’ reduced life expectancy, when summed, which everyone experiences because of air pollution exposure.

Figure 2.2: air quality indicators, 2007 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 2.2: a line chart showing a general improvement in air quality indicators over the period 2007 to 2023. 

Source: Air Quality Emissions Indicators

Wales has made considerable progress in managing waste over the last decade by increasing the amount sent for recycling, and reducing the amount sent for disposal. Wales is a world leader in household recycling, but we continue to use up resources faster than they can be replenished.

There was a considerable decrease in the amount of waste generated, that is not recycled, per person, between 2012 and 2019 (from 794kg to 523kg). The amount of waste not recycled decreased for each of the three components that comprise this national indicator:

• household waste
• industrial and commercial waste
• construction and demolition waste 

Whilst the industrial and commercial, and the construction and demolition waste components are measured periodically through surveys, more regular and up-to-date data is available on household waste.

The amount of household waste generated but not recycled per person has generally decreased over the last decade, apart from small increases during the COVID-19 pandemic. In financial year 2023 to 2024, on average 168kg of household waste generated was not recycled per person. 

The recycling rate (i.e. the percentage of local authority municipal waste that was reused, recycled or composted) has increased considerably during the last two decades – from around 5% in the late 1990s to two-thirds (66.6%) in 2023 to 2024.

Figure 2.3: percentage of local authority municipal waste reused,  recycled or composted, between financial years 2013 to 2014 and 2023 to 2024

Image

Description of figure 2.3: a line chart showing that the percentage of municipal waste reused, recycled or composted in Wales generally increased from 54.3% in 2013 to 2014 to 66.6% in 2023 to 2024. 

Source: Local Authority Municipal Waste, StatsWales

Around a third (34%) of electricity generated in Wales was from renewable sources in 2023, up from 27% in 2022, due to falling fossil gas generation. In 2023, renewable electricity generation in Wales was estimated to be equivalent to 53% of its electricity consumption, including losses. 

The national indicator on renewable energy relates to renewable energy generation capacity (electrical and heat). This has increased considerably over the last decade, though progress has slowed in recent years. At the end of 2023, the installed electrical capacity for renewable energy was 3,663 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than the previous year and more than twice the capacity in 2012. At the end of 2023, the total renewable heat capacity in Wales was 869 MW, 9% more than the previous year and nearly 15 times the heat capacity in 2012. The installation rate for renewable energy capacity in 2023 was the highest in the last five years, but remained 6 times lower than the peak in 2015. 

Wales remains a net exporter of electricity to the rest of the UK, Ireland and the wider European electricity network.  

Figure 2.4: renewable energy generation capacity, 2012 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 2.4: a line chart showing an overall considerable increase in both renewable electrical and heat capacity in Wales between 2012 and 2023, with the increase slowing in recent years.

Source: Energy Generation in Wales report

The national milestone on dwelling energy performance is that all homes in Wales will have adequate and cost-effective energy performance by 2050. According to the Welsh Housing Conditions Survey,  financial year 2017 to 2018, 47% of residential dwellings were considered to have adequate energy performance (a SAP rating of 65 or above). A further Housing Survey is planned for 2027 to 2028.

Previous versions of the Wellbeing of Wales report include further analysis of:

• flooding
• semi-natural habitats
• biodiversity
• green spaces
• quality of soil
• energy efficiency of homes

State of Natural Resources Report 2020 (Natural Resources Wales) provides a comprehensive assessment of the extent to which natural resources are being sustainably managed. This will be updated in December 2025. 

 Wales Environmental Information Portal (Natural Resources Wales)

State of Nature report for Wales (State of Nature Partnership)

Author: Dr William Perks 

A healthier Wales: a society in which people’s physical and mental wellbeing is maximised and in which choices and behaviours that benefit future health are understood.

Limited progress has been achieved towards a healthier Wales, with many national indicators deteriorating and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affecting trends.

Healthy life expectancy has declined for both males and females since 2011 to 2013. The gap between most and least deprived areas has also widened for females, while initially narrowing for males up until 2018 to 2020 before widening again until 2020 to 2022. 

The proportion of single babies born with low birth weight has shown an increase in the last decade, rising to 6.3% in the latest period, the highest rate recorded. 

The percentage of adults with two or more healthy behaviours declined between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2020. Since 2020 to 2021, the trend appears to have improved slightly, though changes in methods limit comparability across the full time series.

Among young people, the percentage with two or more healthy behaviours has improved since 2017.

Adult mental wellbeing scores and the gap between the most and least deprived were stable between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019. Since 2021 to 2022, the trend also appears to have remained stable, though changes in methods limit comparability across the full time series.

For young people, average mental wellbeing scores declined between across the time series, with the gap between low and high family affluence widening. 

Housing conditions have improved, with 82% of dwellings free from serious hazards in 2017 to 2018, up from 71% in 2008, across all housing types.

Life expectancy had been rising since World War II but has slowed in the past decade. 

Main contributors to past improvements were for people aged 60 to 84, though gains in this group have now slowed.

In 2021 to 2023, life expectancy increased compared to 2020 to 2022, rising to 82.0 years for females and 78.1 years for males, and are now broadly in line with the last pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (2017 to 2019).

Healthy life expectancy in the same period dropped to 60.3 years for males and 59.6 years for females, both lower than 2020 to 2022 and 2011 to 2013, when the time series began. 

Figure 3.1: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth, by sex, between 2001 to 2003 and 2021 to 2023 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 3.1: line chart showing life expectancy had been increasing but recently stalled and declined. Healthy life expectancy has also decreased, with a notable drop for females.

Source: Life expectancy and Health state life expectancies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, Office for National Statistics (ONS)

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

In 2024, deaths decreased compared to 2023 but remained higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

Long-term trends show falling age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs), which adjust for population size and age structure, although these also remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. 

Dementia and Alzheimer disease and ischaemic heart disease were the top causes of death.

Figure 3.2: age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 people, 1994 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 3.2: line chart showing improvements in age-standardised mortality rates over the long-term

Source: Deaths registered in England and Wales, ONS 

The national milestone on healthy life expectancy is to increase the healthy life expectancy of adults and narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy between the least and the most deprived by at least 15% by 2050.

Inequalities in life expectancy and mortality remain wide. 

Between 2013 to 2015 and 2020 to 2022, the gap in healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas increased for females and for males, initially decreasing up until 2018 to 2020, but subsequently increasing again until 2020 to 2022. 

The life expectancy gap is smaller than the gap in healthy life expectancy for males and females but has also been increasing for both, indicating growing inequality. 

Figure 3.3: absolute gap in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas, males and females, between 2011 to 2013 and 2020 to 2022 

Image

Description of figure 3.3: line chart showing the gap in healthy life expectancy has increased for females and remained stable for males. The life expectancy gap is smaller for males and females but has been increasing for both.

Source: Healthy life expectancy by national area deprivation, Wales, time series ONS

The percentage of low birth weight single babies has been relatively stable over time, at between 5% and 6%. But there has been an upward trend since 2015, with 6.3% in 2024 the highest rate recorded. 

In 2024, 7.0% of female babies and 5.6% of male babies had low birth weight, consistent with long-term patterns.

Figure 3.4: percentage of singleton births with a birth weight of under 2,500g, 2005 to 2024

Image

Description of figure 3.4: line chart showing rate of low birth weight babies has typically fluctuated between 5% and 6%. There has been an upward trend since 2015 with the highest rate recorded in 2024.

Source: Maternity and birth statistics, Welsh Government

The national milestones on adult and children’s healthy lifestyle behaviours are:

• to increase the percentage with two or more healthy behaviours to more than 97% for adults by 2050
• to increase the percentage with two or more healthy behaviours to 94% for children by 2035, and to more 99% by 2050

The National Survey for Wales was adapted due to the pandemic, as such it is not possible to directly compare results for adults from prior to financial year 2020 to 2021.

Prior to the pandemic, between 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2020 the percentage of adults with two or more healthy behaviours deteriorated and is short of the national milestone. The trend since 2020 to 2021 appears to have improved slightly but is not comparable with previous years.

In 2024 to 2025 93.6% of adults reported following two or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, such as not smoking, drinking within guidelines, eating fruit and vegetables, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight. 

In 2024 to 2025, the percentage of adults with two or more healthy lifestyle behaviours were less common among males, adults aged 45 to 64, and those living in more deprived areas. 

Figure 3.5: percentage of adults with two or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025 [Note 1] [Note 2] [Note 3] [Note 4]

Image

Description of figure 3.5: line chart showing percentage of adults with two or more healthy behaviours deteriorated between 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2020. The trend since 2020 to 2021 appears to have improved slightly.

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Results from 2020 to 2021 are not comparable with previous years

[Note 2] Results from 2020 to 2021 are for quarter 4 only and not annual data

[Note 3] The National Survey did not take place in 2023 to 2024 therefore there is no data for that year

[Note 4] Y axis does not start at zero

In the academic year 2023to 2024, 90.7% of young people aged 11 to 16 met the national milestone for healthy lifestyle behaviours, an improvement from previous years. These behaviours include not smoking, rarely drinking alcohol, eating fruit or vegetables daily, and being physically active for at least an hour each day.

Young people reported low levels of smoking (4.2%) and drinking alcohol (35.6%) but also reported low levels of eating fruit or vegetables daily (46.5%) or being physically active for an hour or more each day (18.3%). Since 2017, smoking and alcohol behaviours have improved, but diet and physical activity have remained the same.

Figure 3.6: percentage of young people aged 11 to 16 with two or more healthy behaviours, 2017 to 2018 (academic year) to 2023 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 3.6: line chart showing percentage of young people with two or more healthy behaviours has improved between 2017 to 2018 and 2023 to 2024.

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing Survey

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

The national milestone on mental wellbeing is to improve adults’ and children’s mean mental wellbeing and eliminate the gap in adults’ and children’s mean mental wellbeing between the most deprived and least deprived areas in Wales by 2050.

The National Survey for Wales was adapted due to the pandemic, as such it is not possible to directly compare results for adults from prior to 2020 to 2021.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, the average mental wellbeing score among adults was 48.4 on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), indicating medium wellbeing, similar to the previous year. 

33% of adults scores corresponded to a low mental wellbeing, 52% to a medium mental wellbeing and 15% to a high mental wellbeing.

The gap in the average WEMWBS score between the most and least deprived areas has remained similar since 2021 to 2022.

Figure 3.7: average Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score for adults, by deprivation, between 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025 [Note 1] [Note 2]

Image

Description of figure 3.7: line chart showing the average mental wellbeing score did not show significant change prior to 2018 to 2019 or since 2021 to 2022. 

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government 

[Note 1] Results from 2021 to 2022 are not comparable with previous years

[Note 2] Y axis does not start at zero

Using Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), the average mental wellbeing score for young people aged 11 to 16, fell from 24 in 2017 to 2018 to 23.5 in 2023 to 2024, indicating a decline in mental wellbeing. 

Scores from the SWEMWBS is based on a shorter set of questions to the adult WEMWBS and so scores are not directly equivalent.

The gap between low and high family affluence groups has widened, from 1.7 in 2017 to 2018 to 2.0 in 2023 to 2024.

Young people identifying as neither a boy nor a girl reported the lowest wellbeing, followed by girls, with boys reporting the highest. Mental wellbeing also declined with age.

Figure 3.8: average Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score for young people aged 11 to 16, by affluence, between academic years 2017 to 2018 and 2023 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 3.8: line chart showing the average mental wellbeing score for young people declined between 2017 to 2018 and 2023 to 2024. The gap between those from low and high family affluence has widened.

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing Survey

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

A range of factors influence health, including employment, air pollution, and housing. Housing conditions have improved over the decade to financial year 2017 to 2018, reducing health risks. 

The most recent Welsh Housing Conditions Survey in 2017 to 2018 showed 82% of homes were free from serious (category 1) hazards, up from 71% in 2008, with improvements across all housing types.

Housing is also assessed using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), mainly in the private rented sector and typically in response to complaints. As such these figures are not directly comparable with the broader Welsh Housing Conditions Survey. In 2023 to 2024, 66% of these assessments were free from category 1 hazards, consistent with previous years. 

Author: Scott Clifford

A more equal Wales: A society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances (including their socio-economic background and circumstances). 

This chapter is organised by protected characteristic and brings together equality breakdowns for a selection of national indicators where these are available. However, some equality breakdowns are covered in other chapters and the extent and quality of available data varies by protected characteristic. 

This chapter previously included a section which focused on data relating to socio-economic disadvantage. However, it included limited information on socio-economic background and the impact of this on people fulfilling their potential. We will continue to review the content of this chapter as more data on socio-economic background becomes available. 

There is a national milestone to reduce the poverty gap between people in Wales with certain key and protected characteristics (which mean they are most likely to be in poverty) and those without those characteristics by 2035. Where data sources on income poverty and material deprivation are available by protected characteristics they have been included throughout this chapter. For more general information on socio-economic disadvantage see a prosperous Wales chapter. 

Data on material deprivation, mental wellbeing and feelings of safety come from the National Survey for Wales. However, the sample size for financial year 2024 to 2025 is smaller than in previous years and the composition of people in the sample is less representative of the population of Wales than in previous years. This may have an impact on the estimates for these indicators. See the National Survey for Wales quality report for more information.

There has been mixed progress towards achieving the goal. Some of the national indicators show improvement in recent years, in particular, the decreases in the employment gap for disabled people and the pay gap between women and men. However, some of the indicators show little sign of improvement or have deteriorated such as women reporting lower feelings of personal safety and high levels of income poverty in minority ethnic households. 

There is a national milestone to eliminate the pay gap for gender, disability and ethnicity by 2050. The gender pay gap has generally been narrowing over the last 2 decades, and decreased to 1.9% in 2024. Both the ethnicity and disability pay gap are highly volatile which means we are unable to determine whether there has been a significant change since 2015.

The gap between the employment rate for different groups has generally decreased over the last decade. Between financial years 2014 to 2015 and 2024 to 2025, the gap between the employment rate of disabled and non-disabled individuals has decreased by 4.9 percentage points and the gap between White individuals and those from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background has decreased by 5.0 percentage points. 

Poverty has been stable over the last decade with around 1 in 5 people living in relative income poverty. Children remain the age group most likely to be in poverty. Households with a disabled person or a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic head of household are also more likely to be in poverty.

Self-reported mental wellbeing has decreased from 50.9 in financial year 2016 to 2017 to 48.4 in 2024 to 2025. Older people, non-disabled people and people from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background generally have higher self-reported mental wellbeing. 

Between financial years 2016 to 17 and 2024 to 2025 the percentage of men and women reporting feeling safe at home, walking in the local area and travelling have remained broadly the same at just over 80% for men and around 55% for women. 

The indicators show differences in education, employment, deprivation and wellbeing between men and women. 

This chapter uses a range of data sources on sex. Each data source will have an approach to collecting data on sex or gender that is aligned to its user needs, which means there will be limited consistency between the definitions of sex and gender across the sources. The later section on gender identity includes data on those whose gender identity differs from their sex registered at birth.

Girls continue to achieve better educational outcomes at GCSE. In academic year 2023 to 2024 girls scored 363.6 and boys scored 341.4 points on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version). This means that girls score higher than boys by 22.2 points. This narrowed from a gap of 32.9 points in 2018 to 2019, and a gap of 24.0 points in 2022 to 2023.

In terms of the working age population, there was no significant difference in the proportion of men and women who held no qualifications in 2024. Although, women were more likely to hold qualifications at or above level 4. 

Employment rates for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales are lower for women than for men (70.5% and 76.2% respectively in financial year 2024 to 2025). This relates to the higher economic inactivity rates (excluding students) for women (23.3%) than men (16.5%) over this period. This difference is to some extent driven by caring responsibilities (looking after family/home) which represents a higher proportion of women who were economically inactive than men.

Figure 4.1: employment rate (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) by sex and year, between financial years 2005 to 2006 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 4.1: a line chart showing employment rates for those aged between 16 and 64 by sex between financial years 2005 to 2006 and 2024 to 2025. The employment rate gap narrowed in 2024 to 2025 compared to the previous year, as the employment rate for men decreased to 76.2%, while the employment rate for women increased slightly to 70.5%.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

The gender pay gap, based on median hourly full-time earnings (excluding overtime), stood at 1.9% in 2024, a decrease of 3.0 percentage points compared to the previous year. However, for part-time employees in Wales, women were paid 3.5% more than men on average (a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year). 

When considering both full-time and part-time employees, the gender pay gap remains considerably higher at 8.9% in 2024. This is higher than for each of full-time employees and part-time employees, because women fill more part-time jobs, which in comparison with full-time jobs have lower hourly median pay. Wales had the second smallest (full-time employees) gender pay gap of the 12 UK countries and regions.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, a similar percentage of women and men were classed as materially deprived. In previous survey years women were consistently more likely to be classed as materially deprived. The National Survey for Wales sample was smaller in 2024 to 2025 than in previous years and included fewer people from low-income areas. This may have impacted on the estimates for material deprivation. 

In financial year 2024 to 2025, self-reported mental wellbeing (as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for adults) was slightly higher for men than women, with men having a mean score of 49.0 and women having a mean score of 47.8. Self-reported levels of loneliness were similar for men and women in the latest available data (2022 to 2023). 

In financial year 2024 to 2025, women were less likely to report feeling safe at home, in their local area and travelling (56%) compared to men (82%). 

The indicators show differences in wellbeing and deprivation across different age groups. 

Self-reported wellbeing tends to be higher in older age groups with loneliness also being lower in older adults. In financial year 2024 to 2025, self-reported mental wellbeing (as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for adults) was 47.5 for those aged 16 to 44 compared to 49.7 for those aged 65 and over. 

Children are the population group most likely to be in relative income poverty. The most recent figures show that 31% of children in Wales were in relative poverty compared to 15% of pensioners. Since the early 2000s a higher proportion of the working-age population has been in relative income poverty than pensioners.

When looking at the proportion of the adult population living in material deprivation in 2024 to 2025, there is a similar picture with those aged 25 to 44 most likely to live in material deprivation (16%) and those aged 65 to 74 being least likely (5%). 

Figure 4.2: Material Deprivation by age group and year, between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 4.2: a line chart showing the percentage of different age groups in material deprivation between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025. Material deprivation has been highest for the 25 to 44 age group and lowest for the 65 to 74 and 75 and over age groups over this time period. Due to uncertainty in the estimates the changes within age groups are generally not significant, however the differences between age groups are.

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

[Note 1] The years 2020 to 2021 and 2023 to 2024 have no data.

In June 2022 the Welsh Government published its Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) which includes guidance on anti-racist language. This section and chapter uses a range of data sources with different categorisations of ethnic group. In general, we reflect the language of the source data collection which may not align with the ARWAP guidance. However, we have used anti-racist language in this chapter where possible.

The indicators show differences in education, employment, poverty and wellbeing across ethnic groups. 

GCSE results for academic year 2023 to 2024 show that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils scored 380.6 on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) compared to 360.7 for White pupils. This is a gap of 19.9 points down from 22.7 points in 2022 to 2023, although it is up from the gap of 17.0 points in 2018 to 2019. On average, pupils from most ethnic groups other than White British achieved a higher GCSE capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) score than all pupils in 2023 to 2024; apart from White and Black Caribbean, Caribbean, Gypsy, Traveller and Roma pupils. 

Figure 4.3: GCSE capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by ethnic group, academic year 2023 to 2024

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Description of figure 4.3: a bar chart showing the GCSE capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by ethnic group in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. Those who identify as Gypsy, Traveller and Roma are the only ethnic groups below 275, other ethnic groups range from 330 to 465. 

Source: Examination Results, Welsh Government

Working age adults from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (excluding those from a Gypsy, Traveller or Roma background) were more likely to hold qualifications at levels 3 and above than White (including those from a Gypsy, Irish Traveller or Roma background) working age adults in 2024.

Employment rates in financial year 2024 to 2025 among the Welsh population aged 16 to 64 are higher among individuals from a White ethnic background (74.0%) than for individuals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (63.8%).  

Figure 4.4: employment rate (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) by ethnicity and year, between financial years 2011 to 2012 and 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 4.4: a line chart showing employment rates for those aged between 16 and 64 by ethnicity between 2011 to 2012 and 2024 to 2025. The employment rate gap generally decreased up to 2022 to 2023. Although, in 2024 to 2025 the gap widened to 10.2 percentage points from 1.7 percentage points in 2022 to 2023.   Those from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background continue to have a lower employment rate than white individuals. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees earned, on average £0.54 (3.6%) less per hour than White employees in 2024. This compares to an ethnicity pay difference of £1.93 (or 13.8%) in 2023. However, there is high volatility in the ethnicity pay difference data which means it is not possible to determine whether there has been a significant change since 2015.

Being part of a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic group is linked with a greater likelihood of relative income poverty. For the period from financial year 2019 to 2020 to financial year 2023 to 2024 there was a 50% likelihood of people whose head of household identifies as Black, Asian or part of a Minority Ethnic group to be living in relative income poverty. This compares to a 21% likelihood for those whose head of household identifies as White.

Those who identify as Black, Asian, or part of a Minority Ethnic group had higher levels of self-reported loneliness in 2022 to 2023 at 24% compared to 12% for those who identify as White. However, self-reported mental wellbeing (as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for adults) was higher in 2024 to 2025 for those who identified as Black, Asian, or part of a Minority Ethnic group (50.9) or White (Irish, Gypsy, Irish Traveller or any other white background) (51.5) than White (Welsh, English, Scottish, Northern Irish) (48.1).

The indicators show differences in education, employment, wellbeing and feelings of safety across religious groups. 

In the 2021 Census, people who identified as Muslim, Sikh or Christian had the highest level of individuals with no qualifications. Those who identified as Hindu or an ‘other’ religion had the lowest level of individuals with no qualifications. 

In the 2021 Census, people who identified as Hindu or as having no religion were the most likely to be employed. Those who identified as Jewish, Muslim or Christian were the least likely to be employed.

Those who identified as Christian or with no religion had similar levels of self-reported loneliness in financial year 2022 to 2023 at 10% and 13% respectively. This compared to 29% for those who identified with another religious affiliation. Although, in 2024 to 2025, self-reported mental wellbeing (as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale for adults) was higher for Christians (49.3) and those with another religious affiliation (50.8) than those with no religion (47.4). 

In 2024 to 2025, those with no religious affiliation were more likely to report feeling safe at home, in their local area and travelling (70%) compared to Christians (66%).

The available data show differences in education, employment, deprivation, wellbeing, and feelings of safety between sexual orientations. 

In the 2021 Census, 8.4% of LGB+ people reported having no formal qualifications, compared to 19.5% of people who identified as Straight/Heterosexual. The percentage of people with no qualifications was lower for LGB+ people across all age groups. 

In the 2021 Census, people who identified as “Gay or Lesbian”, and people who identified as “Straight/Heterosexual” were the most likely to be employed (69.9% and 69.8% respectively). People who identified as “Bisexual” and people who identified with another sexual orientation were less likely (52.5% and 49.9% respectively).

For the period from financial year 2021 to 2022 to financial year 2023 to 2024, 22% of people in households where the head of the household identified as Straight/Heterosexual were in relative income poverty compared with 29% of people in households where the head of household identified as LGB+. 

The 2022 to 2023 National Survey for Wales indicated that people who identify as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual are about twice as likely to report feeling lonely than others.

Those who identified as Straight/Heterosexual in the 2024 to 2025 national survey were more likely to report feeling safe at home, in their local area and travelling (69%) compared to those who identified as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (52%). 

A voluntary question on gender identity was asked for the first time in Census 2021. Respondents aged 16 and over were asked “Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?” and had the option of selecting either “Yes” or selecting “No” and writing in their gender identity. Caution should be used when interpretating these results due to the uncertainty associated with the Census 2021 gender identity estimates. Users should refer to the specific advice in the Census 2021 gender identity estimates for England and Wales, additional guidance on uncertainty and appropriate use statistical article (ONS) published by ONS for guidance on the confidence in different variables broken down by gender identity.

The 2021 Census also found that 41.2% of people aged 16 and over whose gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth reported being employed, compared to 54.5% of people whose gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth.

The School Health Research Network’s Student Health and Wellbeing survey collects data on mental wellbeing for 11 to 16 year olds. In academic year 2023 to 2024 those who selected ‘neither word describes me’ for their gender reported lower mental wellbeing and higher levels of loneliness than those who selected the gender ‘boy’ or ‘girl’.

In 2002 the Welsh Government adopted the social model of disability. Rather than defining people as disabled by their impairment (the medical model of disability), people with impairments or long-term health conditions are considered to be disabled by physical, attitudinal and organisational barriers created by society. Many of the data sources in this chapter use medical model definitions of disability in line with the Equality Act 2010 definition. In the Equality Act a “disability” means a physical or a mental condition which has a substantial and long-term impact on your ability to do normal day to day activities. However, we have used social model language in this section and chapter where possible. 

The indicators show differences in education, employment, deprivation, wellbeing, and feelings of safety for disabled and non-disabled individuals. 

The educational outcomes of pupils with special educational needs or additional learning needs broadly mirror the pattern seen in all pupils. In academic year 2023 to 2024, pupils with special educational needs scored 263.9 on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version).

Of the working-age population in 2024, disabled people were more likely to have no qualifications (14.6%) than non-disabled people (5.2%) and were less likely to hold qualifications at level 3 or higher. Compared to 2023 the proportion of disabled adults of working age with no qualifications increased by 0.7 percentage points.

For the year ending 31 March 2025, the employment rate among disabled people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 52.7% whilst the rate for people who are not disabled was 81.9%. The employment rate gap for disabled people in 2024 to 2025, of 29.2 percentage points, has reduced from 35.4 percentage points in 2015 to 2016. 

Figure 4.5: employment rates (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) of disabled and non-disabled people by financial year, 2013-14 to 2024-25 (rates for year ending March)

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Description of figure 4.5: a line chart showing employment rates for disabled and non-disabled individuals aged between 16 and 64 between financial years 2013 to 2014 and 2024 to 2025. The employment rate gap has generally decreased over time, although disabled people continue to have an employment rate that is 29.2 percentage points lower than non-disabled people in 2024 to 2025. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

The pay difference between disabled and non-disabled people in Wales was £1.18 (7.8%) in 2024. This means that disabled people in Wales earned, on average, £1.18 less per hour than non-disabled people. This is a decrease on the previous year when the pay gap was £1.75 (12.2%). However, there is high volatility in the disability pay difference data which means it is not possible to determine whether there has been a significant change since 2015.

In the latest period (financial year 2021 to 2022 to financial year 2023 to 2024), for working-age adults, 27% of individuals who lived in a family where someone was disabled were in relative income poverty compared with 18% of those in families where no-one was disabled. For the same period, 35% of children who lived in a family where someone was disabled were in relative income poverty compared with 28% of those in families where no-one was disabled.

Figure 4.6: percentage of working age adults in relative income poverty in households with disabled and non-disabled people by combined financial years, 2015-17 to 2022-24 (year ending March) [Note 1]

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Description of figure 4.6: a line chart showing the percentage of working age adults in relative income poverty in households with disabled and non-disabled people. The difference between households with disabled and non-disabled people has generally been decreasing over time. In 2015 to 2017 the percentage of households with a disabled person in relative income poverty was 12 percentage points higher than households without a disabled person, by 2022 to 2024 the difference was 9 percentage points. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset

[Note 1] Estimates for periods which span 2020 to 2021 do not include the data collected during 2020 to 2021 in calculations. 2020 to 2021 estimates are unreliable as they are based on data collected during the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when lockdown rules severely disrupted the data collection.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, 1 in 7 disabled people or people with a limiting long-standing illness (14%) lived in a household in material deprivation compared with 10% of people who were not disabled. In previous survey years around 1 in 4 or 5 disabled people or people with a limiting long-standing illness lived in a household in material deprivation. The National Survey for Wales sample was smaller in 2024 to 2025 than in previous years and included less people from low-income areas. This may have impacted on the estimates for material deprivation. 

In 2024 to 2025, disabled adults or those with a limiting long-standing illness had lower mental wellbeing (43.6) compared to non-disabled individuals (50.8) and in 2022 to 2023 disabled individuals were more likely to report feeling lonely. 

In 2024 to 2025 disabled adults were less likely to report feeling safe at home, in their local area and travelling (60%) than non-disabled people (73%). 

In financial year 2024 to 2025, married people had better mental wellbeing than those who were single. Married people had an average mental wellbeing score of 49.7, compared with 47.1 for single people. 

In 2022 to 2023, people who were married were least likely to report being lonely (8%), while people who were separated but legally married were the most likely (21%). People who were single, divorced, or widowed were also more likely to report loneliness than people who were married (17%, 17% and 14% respectively).

Equality, Race, and Disability Evidence Units

Is Wales Fairer? (2023) (Equality and Human Rights Commission) 

Centre for Equality and Inclusion (Office for National Statistics)

GSS Equalities Data Navigator Tool (Government Statistical Service)

Collecting and reporting data about sex and gender identity in official statistics: A guide for official statistics producers (Office for Statistics Regulation) 

Authors: Steven Macey and Ian Jones

A Wales of cohesive communities: Attractive, viable, safe and well-connected communities.

Community cohesion indicators had been broadly stable since financial year 2016 to 2017 until a sizeable increase in 2020 to 2021. Since then the percentage of adults agreeing with all 3 measures of community cohesion has fallen, with this trend also observed in 2024 to 2025, moving closer towards pre-pandemic levels.

Signs of a return to pre-pandemic levels are particularly apparent in people’s satisfaction with their local area and people feeling they can influence local decisions. The percentages reported for these indicators in 2024 to 2025 were either equal to or within a percentage point of what was observed in 2018 to 2019.

People feeling safe after dark has remained relatively constant since first asked in 2016 to 2017 and stood at 68% in 2024 to 2025.

The percentage of people volunteering had been falling but is an indicator that has seen recent increases. The national milestone to have 30% of people volunteering was reached in 2022 to 2023, and continues to be met, with 32% of people volunteering in 2024 to 2025.

Loneliness, based on a composite of six separate measures, has remained the same over recent years, with 13% of people in Wales found to be lonely in 2022 to 2023. Within the overall measure, the percentage that ‘miss having people around’ has followed a different pattern with a substantially increased percentage during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 before falling to previous levels in 2022 to 2023 (36%).

In the past year the percentage of households successfully prevented and relieved from homelessness has slightly fallen, whilst the number of individuals in temporary accommodation has decreased, and the estimated number of individuals sleeping rough is higher.

Around half of people in Wales think crime has risen a lot nationally in recent years. This figure has returned to the pre-pandemic levels observed in 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 after a drop in 2022 to 2023. However, since 2015 to 2016, there have been general downward trends in the proportion of adults who were victims of crime (excluding fraud), and victims of personal crime. In the last year (2024 to 2025) police recorded crime in Wales (excluding fraud) has decreased by 1% whilst the proportion of adults who are victims of crime has remained relatively stable (6% of adults in 2024 to 2025).

In financial year 2024 to 2025, nearly 6 in 10 adults (58%) agreed with all 3 measures of community cohesion (belonging to the local area, people from different backgrounds getting on well together, and treating each other with respect and consideration). This is an increase on pre-pandemic years but lower than what was reported in 2021 to 2022. 

These figures had been broadly stable since they were first collected in 2012 until the sizeable increase in 2020 to 2021. Whether the increases in 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 were a short-term effect of the pandemic (with communities coming together locally) and whether the fall observed in 2024 to 2025 will be sustained or partly sustained over the longer term will not become clear until data is available for future years. 

There is a clear trend towards increased community cohesion as deprivation in the area falls. Just under half of people living in the most deprived areas agreed with all 3 statements, compared with almost two-thirds of people in the least deprived areas.

Older people are more likely to agree with all 3 measures of community cohesion. The proportion agreeing with all 3 statements in 2024 to 2025 ranged from 43% of 16 to 24 year olds to 69% of those aged 75 and above. 

Increased community cohesion is also observed among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people plus among non-disabled people or people without a limiting long-term illness.

There is no statistically significant difference between men and women agreeing with all 3 statements. 

Figure 5.1: percentage of people agreeing with statements about their local area, by financial year, between 2012 to 2013 and 2024 to 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 5.1: line chart showing percentage of people who agree with 3 statements about community cohesion in their local area from financial year 2012 to 2013 until 2024 to 2025. In 2024 to 2025, 80% agreed people in the area from different backgrounds get on well together; 80% agree people treat each other with respect and consideration; and 73% agreed they belong to the local area.

Source: National Survey for Wales

[Note 1] The years 2015 to 2016, 2017 to 2018, 2019 to 2020, 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 have no data associated with them.

Just over two-thirds of adults feel safe in various situations after dark.

The national indicator is the percentage of people that agreed with four statements about feeling safe after dark at home, walking in their local area, travelling by public transport or travelling by car. In financial year 2024 to 2025, 68% of people felt safe in all four situations.  These results have remained relatively constant across the years since first asked in 2016 to 2017.

There is a trend towards an increased feeling of safety as deprivation in the area falls, with 74% of people who live in the least deprived areas feeling safe in all situations compared with 57% of people who live in the most deprived areas.

There is a marked difference by sex, with men feeling safer (82%) than women (56%).

Disabled people or people with a limiting long-term illness were also less likely to feel safe after dark, as were people aged 75 and over compared with those aged 25 to 44, and 45 to 64.

There is no statistically significant difference by ethnicity with regards to feeling safe.

Figure 5.2: percentage of people agreeing with statements about feeling safe after dark, financial year 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 5.2: a bar chart showing the percentage of people agreeing with statements about feeling safe after dark in financial year 2024 to 2025. 97% felt safe at home, 97% felt safe travelling by car, 79% felt safe walking in the local area and 77% felt safe travelling by public transport. 

Source: National Survey for Wales

[Note 1] 16% of people who were asked said 'Don't know' to the question about public transport and were excluded from the analysis.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, 84% of people said they are satisfied with their local area as a place to live, lower than the results in previous years and similar to what was reported pre-pandemic. 

People living in the least deprived 20% areas of Wales were more likely to be satisfied with their local area than people living in the 20% most deprived areas, whilst this was also the case for non-disabled people / people with no limiting long-term illness.

Adults aged 16 to 24 were less likely than adults of other ages in 2024 to 2025 to be satisfied with their local area as a place to live.

There were no links found between satisfaction with local area and sex or ethnicity.

Access to good services and facilities

In financial year 2024 to 2025, 78% of people were satisfied that they were able to get to or access the services and facilities they need within a 15 to 20 minute walk from their home, down on the proportions observed in previous years. 

This varied by the type of area with a statistically significant lower percentage of people from rural areas having access to good services and facilities compared to those from urban areas (74% compared to 81%). Unsurprisingly, occupants of hamlets and isolated dwellings were the least satisfied with their access to good services and facilities, with only 67% showing as satisfied on this indicator.

Adults aged 16 to 24 are more likely to be satisfied with their access to good services and facilities than adults aged 75 and over. Similarly, this is also the case for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people compared to White (Welsh, English, British etc.) people. There is also a statistically significant difference in terms of being satisfied with access to good services and facilities according to whether someone is a disabled person / has a limiting long-term illness (72% satisfied) or not (82% satisfied). 

No statistically significant difference is observed according to sex or the deprivation of an area.

Figure 5.3: access to good services and facilities by area, financial year 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 5.3: bar chart showing percentage of people who are satisfied with their access to good services and facilities. 81% of people in urban areas are satisfied compared with 67% of people who live in hamlets and isolated dwellings.

Source: National Survey for Wales

Results for financial year 2024 to 2025 show the proportion of people who feel they can influence local decisions has fallen, dropping back to what was observed pre-pandemic.

In 2024 to 2025, 19% of people felt that they could influence decisions affecting their local area compared with 30% in 2021 to 2022, 26% in 2020 to 2021 and 19% in 2018 to 2019. Whether the higher figures observed in 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 were the consequence of the pandemic with proportions returning to pre-pandemic levels from 2024 to 2025 onwards requires monitoring in future survey years.

Controlling for other factors, there were no statistically significant differences found for age, sex, whether someone is a disabled person / has a limiting long-term illness, ethnicity or for area deprivation.

Figure 5.4: percentage of people who feel they can influence decisions affecting local area, between financial years 2012 to 2013 and 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 5.4: line chart showing the percentage of people who feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area. In financial year 2024 to 2025, 19% of people felt they could influence decisions affecting their local area, returning to the levels last seen in 2018 to 2019. This compares to proportions of 30% and 26% in 2021 to 2022 and 2020 to 2021, respectively.

Source: National Survey for Wales

Results from online data collected as part of the National Survey for Wales 2024 to 2025 showed that 32% of people said they volunteered for clubs or organisations. This compares with 26% in 2019 to 2020 (when the survey took place face-to-face), 29% in 2021 to 2022 (when the volunteering questions were asked as part of the online module for the first time) and 30% in 2022 to 2023 (again following a purely online data collection). In all years people most commonly volunteered for charities and sports clubs. 

In 2024 to 2025, a greater proportion of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic adults (45%) volunteered compared to White (Welsh, English, British etc.) adults (32%), as did a greater proportion of non-disabled people and people without a limiting long term illness (35%) compared with disabled people and people with a limiting long-term illness (27%).

Volunteering tends to increase with age, peaking among 65 to 74 year olds (39%) before falling slightly among those aged 75 years and above (37%). Those aged 16 to 24 years are the least likely to volunteer (25%). Volunteering also increases as the deprivation of an area reduces, with people from the most deprived areas (21%) less likely to volunteer compared to people from the least deprived areas (39%)

There are no statistically significant differences by sex.

Figure 5.5: percentage of people volunteering by type of organisation, financial year 2024 to 2025 

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Description of figure 5.5: bar chart showing the percentage of people volunteering, by type of organisation, in financial year 2024 to 2025. People are most likely to volunteer for charitable organisations (12%), or sports clubs (9%).

Source: National Survey for Wales

The national milestone for the volunteering indicator is to “increase the percentage of people who volunteer by 10% by 2050, demonstrating Wales’s status as a volunteering nation”. This means reaching a figure of 30% by 2050. This milestone was met in 2022 to 2023 and continues to be met based on 2024 to 2025 results.

The National Survey for Wales collects data using the De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale which covers 6 measures of emotional and social loneliness. 

A question on loneliness was not included in the financial year 2024 to 2025 National Survey for Wales. In 2022 to 2023, based on all 6 measures, 13% of people in Wales were found to be lonely, the same as in 2021 to 2022 and 2020 to 2021, and lower than in 2019 to 2020. However, there were some marked variations in the percentage of people who say they feel lonely across the individual measures: 

• in 2019 to 2020, 36% of people said they missed having people around. This increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic (71% in 2020 to 2021 and 53% in 2021 to 2022), before falling back again to 36% in 2022 to 2023.
• the percentage of people who reported that they have people they can trust completely increased from 59% in 2019 to 2020 to 67% in 2020 to 2021. This was maintained in 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023.
• from 2019 to 2020 to 2021 to 2022 there were increases in the percentage of people who said they had enough people they felt close to, and enough people they could rely on. The figures for 2022 to 2023 were slightly lower but not a statistically significant change from 2020 to 2021.

The most recent results (2022 to 2023) from the National Survey for Wales suggested that younger adults (aged 16 to 44) were more likely to feel lonely than those aged 65 and above.

People living in material deprivation, and individuals with a mental health condition or in poorer general health, were more likely to be lonely.

There were also differences by ethnicity, with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people being more likely to be lonely.

The impact of these inequalities can be exacerbated where they intersect.

Figure 5.6: percentage of people feeling lonely by reason and financial year, between 2019 to 2020 and 2022 to 2023

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Description of figure 5.6: bar chart showing the results for financial year 2019 to 2020 to financial year 2022 to 2023 and the six questions asked to create the measure of loneliness. Overall, the responses to the statements show that people were less lonely in 2022 to 2023 compared with 2019 to 2020.

Source: National Survey for Wales

A new national indicator was set in 2021 which will measure the status of digital inclusion. A new set of questions that align with the principles of a minimum digital living standard are undergoing cognitive testing for inclusion in future waves of the National Survey for Wales. The questions have been informed by research commissioned by the Welsh Government and undertaken by the University of Liverpool. Once finalised, the questions will provide data to measure digital exclusion across Wales and inform the national indicator.  

In the meantime, results from the National Survey for Wales in financial year 2024 to 2025 show that 96% of adults personally use the internet at home, work or elsewhere,  an increase from 93% observed in 2020 to 2021, 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023. 

The National Survey for Wales data also shows that while almost all people aged 16 to 64 years use the internet, this decreases to 96% of 65 to 74 year olds and 82% of those aged 75 years and above. Interestingly, the levels for these older age groups are higher in 2024 to 2025 relative to 2022 to 2023 when they were 89% and 68%, respectively.

Statistically significant higher personal use of the internet is also apparent in 2024 to 2025 among non-disabled people / people without a limiting long term illness, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people (relative to White (Welsh, English, British etc.) people) and people living in the least deprived areas of Wales. 

There are no statistically significant differences by sex.

In the past year the percentage of households successfully prevented and relieved from homelessness has slightly fallen, whilst the number of individuals in temporary accommodation has decreased, and the estimated number of individuals sleeping rough is higher.

Prevention of homelessness

Among households in Wales threatened with homelessness between April 2024 and March 2025, homelessness was successfully prevented for at least 6 months in 57% of cases. This is similar to the proportion of 58% for the period April 2023 to March 2024 and 29% for the period April 2022 to March 2023, but it is slightly declining from 2017 to 2018 to 2021 to 2022 where successful prevention occurred in around two thirds of cases.

Relief from homelessness 

The proportion of households successfully relieved from homelessness remained relatively stable from 2016 to 2017 to 2019 to 2020. However, it has been decreasing since then, from 41% in 2019 to 2020 to 25% in 2024 to 2025.

Figure 5.7: percentage of households successfully prevented and relieved from homelessness, between financial years 2015 to 2016 and 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 5.7: line chart showing the percentages of households successfully prevented and relieved from homelessness in Wales between financial years 2015 to 2016 and 2024 to 2025. The chart shows the percentages of households successfully prevented from homelessness in Wales remained relatively constant between 2015 to 2016 and 2021 to 2022 before falling in 2022 to 2023 and remaining at a similar level for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. Similarly, the percentages of households successfully relieved from homelessness in Wales was also stable between 2016 to 2017 and 2020 to 2021 after which there was a drop in 2021 to 2022, 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024, with this also the case in 2024 to 2025.

Source: Statutory Homelessness (main indicators)

Temporary accommodation

Monthly information shows as of 30 June 2025, 10,933 individuals were in temporary accommodation, a 3% decrease on the previous year, which is in contrast to the increases observed in the number of individuals in temporary accommodation over the past few years. Around a quarter of these (2,604) were dependent children aged under 16, a decrease of 10% from the previous year.

The most common type of temporary accommodation was bed and breakfast and hotels, housing 2,909 individuals.

Rough sleeping

As of 30 June 2025, there were an estimated 166 individuals sleeping rough throughout Wales. This is 13 more than the 153 individuals sleeping rough at 30 June 2024 and 7 fewer than the 173 individuals sleeping rough at 30 June 2023.

Pembrokeshire (31), Cardiff (28), Ceredigion (21), Swansea (16) and Newport (11) were the local authorities reporting the highest numbers of individuals sleeping rough. All other local authorities reported 9 or fewer individuals sleeping rough, with 3 local authorities reporting zero. 

Confidence in the justice system

A new national indicator was set in 2021 to measure the percentage of people who have confidence in the justice system. The justice system is wide and complex, with criminal and non-criminal aspects that require capturing in this indicator. 3 metrics have been selected to measure this indicator: perceived effectiveness of the criminal justice system, perceived fairness of the criminal justice system, and accessibility of the non-criminal justice system.

To assess perceptions of the criminal justice system, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks people aged 16 years and over whether: 

1. they are confident that the criminal justice system as a whole is effective
2. they agree that the criminal justice system as a whole is fair.

Just under half (48%) of all respondents in Wales were confident that the criminal justice system as a whole was effective in the financial year 2024 to 2025 CSEW. This has decreased compared to the 2019 to 2020 survey (54%).

65% of respondents in Wales agreed that the criminal justice system as a whole was fair in the 2024 to 2025 CSEW. This has increased since 2019 to 2020 (59%). 

To assess perceptions of the justice system beyond criminal justice, the accessibility of justice score from the Legal Needs Survey (conducted by the Law Society and the Legal Services Board) has been used. This score measures the degree to which someone thinks the justice system (excluding criminal justice) is accessible, considering issues such as ease of access, fairness and efficiency. 

In the 2023 Legal Needs Survey, around 1 in 4 people in Wales (24%) had a low score, indicating that they thought justice was not accessible. This has increased since 19% in the 2019 survey. The proportion of people with high scores, indicating they thought that justice was very accessible, decreased to 17% (from 24% in 2019), while the proportion of people with medium scores was similar (59% in 2023 compared to 58% in 2019).

Victims of crime and perceptions of crime

In financial year 2024 to 2025, 6% of adults in Wales were victims of crime (similar to 7% in the previous year) and 2% were victims of personal crime (same as the previous year). There has been a general downward trend in the available time series from 2015 to 2016 when the percentages were 15% and 4%.

Latest data on perceptions of crime in 2024 to 2025 shows around half of people in Wales (51%) believe crime has risen a lot nationally in recent years. This has increased from 41% in 2022 to 2023, and is similar to the pre-pandemic levels of 53% in 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 (there is no available data for 2020 to 2021 or 2021 to 2022). 

The percentage of those believing crime in their local area has risen a lot is much smaller (18%). This figure has returned to pre-pandemic levels observed in 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 after dropping to 11% in 2022 to 2023.

Police recorded crime

Police recorded crime in Wales (excluding fraud) decreased by 1% in financial year 2024 to 2025 compared with the previous year. Violence against the person decreased by 3%, although the rate per 1,000 of the population remains considerably higher than a decade ago (Figure 5.8). 

There were increases in 5 of the 9 main offence categories in 2024 to 2025 compared with the previous year, including drug offences (increased by 28%), miscellaneous crimes against society (increased by 22%) and sexual offences (increased by 11%). 

Among the other main offence categories, there were decreases in criminal damage and arson (decreased by 7%) and public order offences (decreased by 4%).

Reported fraud and computer misuse offences decreased by 4% in Wales between 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 although the rate remained the same at 5 offences per 1,000 population in Wales.

Figure 5.8: police recorded crime per 1,000 population, between financial years 2002 to 2003 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 5.8: line chart showing the rates of police recorded crime per 1,000 population in Wales between financial years 2002 to 2003 and 2024 to 2025. The chart shows theft offences have seen the biggest change in rates, falling from more than 50 per 1,000 population in 2002 to 2003 to around 20 per 1,000 population in recent years. Rates of violence against the person offences had been increasing since 2013 to 2014 and since 2018 to 2019 have the highest rate of those shown, although it decreased in 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. Criminal damage and arson saw a fall in rates until 2016 to 2017 but since this time have been stable up to the past couple of years which have seen slight falls in rates. Public order offences had the lowest rate per 1,000 population until 2020 to 2021 when the rate rose above that of criminal damage and arson.

Source: Police recorded crime (Office for National Statistics)

Hate crime

There was a 2% decrease in recorded hate crimes across Wales in financial year 2023 to 2024 compared to 2022 to 2023. There were 5,929 recorded hate crimes across the four Welsh police force areas, of which:

• 61% were race hate crimes
• 19% were sexual orientation hate crimes
• 13% were disability hate crimes
• 6% were religion hate crimes
• 5% were transgender hate crimes

Compared to 2022 to 2023, there were increases in the number of hate crimes with religion or transgender status as recorded motivating factors, while there were decreases in hate crimes with disability, race and sexual orientation as recorded motivating factors:

• 21% increase in religion hate crimes
• 1% increase in transgender hate crimes
• 11% decrease in disability hate crimes
• 7% decrease in sexual orientation hate crimes
• 3% decrease in race hate crimes

Whilst providing a good measure of the hate crime-related demand on the police, due to police forces making significant improvements in how they record crime since 2014, as well as improvements in identifying what constitutes a hate crime, police recorded crime figures do not currently provide reliable trends in hate crime. Figures from the police should also not be seen as a measure of prevalence of hate crime.

What factors are linked to people feeling safe in their local area?

What factors are linked to people being satisfied with the area that they live in?

What factors are linked to people feeling able to influence decisions affecting their local area?

What factors are linked to people agreeing that their local area has a sense of community?

Loneliness (National Survey for Wales): April 2022 to March 2023 

Loneliness Inequalities Evidence Review (Wales Centre for Public Policy)

Towards a Welsh Minimum Digital Living Standard: citizen and stakeholder perspectives

Author: Stephanie Howarth

A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language: A society that promotes and protects culture, heritage and the Welsh language, and which encourages people to participate in the arts, sports and recreation.

Progress towards this well-being goal is inconsistent. Some indicators, like arts, culture and heritage, and daily use of Welsh, remain stable, while previous gains in sport and children’s arts engagement have reversed. Despite this, adult sport participation has improved long term, as has museum and archive accreditation, but the number of Welsh speakers has notably declined. Disparities across groups persist for many measures.

The national indicator on arts, culture and heritage has not changed considerably in the three years it has been collected. The most recent data from financial year 2022 to 2023 found that 72% of adults engaged in these activities at least 3 times a year. There continue to be wide differences depending on age, health, deprivation and qualifications, but not for sex or ethnic groups.

Looking back over the last decade, there were initially increases in both attendance and participation in the arts by children. But both are now falling and are either at or lower than the level seen 10 years ago.

More museums and archive services are meeting accredited standards. Between 2017 and 2025, there have been larger increases in the percentage of archive services meeting accredited standards (from 57% to 88%) than museums (from 59% to 62%).

Regular sports participation fell in financial year 2024 to 2025, with 35% of adults taking part in sport three or more times a week. But over the long term the percentage of adults regularly taking part in sport has been increasing. Sports participation amongst school pupils had increased previously but has now fallen back to similar levels seen in 2013.

The number and percentage of people able to speak Welsh fell according to Census 2021, with the percentage now the lowest ever recorded in a census. There is a national milestone for one million Welsh speakers by 2050. According to the census, 538,000 people were able to speak Welsh in 2021, down from close to one million in 1911.

Survey data suggests an increase in non-fluent Welsh speakers over the long term. The percentage of Welsh speakers that use the language every day has been fairly stable, and currently stands at 11%.

Conditions of listed buildings in Wales have improved slightly since 2015, while the conditions of scheduled monuments have gradually worsened.

The latest data for the national indicator on arts, culture and heritage shows relatively stable attendance and participation over recent years. In financial year 2022 to 2023, 72% of adults engaged in these activities at least 3 times a year, similar to previous years. Younger adults, those with higher qualifications, and people living in less deprived areas were more likely to attend or participate in these activities.

Figure 6.1: adults attending or participating in arts, culture and heritage 3 or more times a year, between financial years 2017 to 2018 and 2022 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 6.1: a bar chart showing 3 years of data for the national indicator on regularly attending or participating in arts, culture and heritage. There are no significant differences between financial year 2022 to 2023 and the previous years this indicator was measured.

Source: National Survey for Wales

Looking at the arts specifically, arts attendance increased in 2024 to 2025, with 69% of adults attending an arts event in the last 12 months. This is now closer to its pre-pandemic position, following a fall in 2022 to 2023. Arts participation appears to have increased considerably from 18% in 2022 to 2023 to 26% in 2024 to 2025, however information on a wider range of arts activities was collected this year which is likely to have contributed to this increase. Prior to this, arts participation had been gradually falling since 2017 to 2018.

For children, looking back over the last decade, there were initially increases in both arts attendance and participation. But participation among children has been gradually falling since 2015 and now stands at 84%, similar to levels seen a decade ago. The fall in attendance has been more recent, down from a peak of 89% in 2018 to 82% in 2023.

Attendance and participation in arts continues to be higher among girls, younger children (7 to 10 year olds) and children from higher social grades.

Figure 6.2: children attending or participating in the arts at least once a year, 2013 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 6.2: a line chart showing 10 years of data on children’s attendance and participation in the arts. Both attendance and participation have been falling in recent years.

Source: Arts Council of Wales

According to the latest data, 99 museums met accreditation standards in 2025. The total number and proportion of accredited museums has remained relatively stable over recent years, with 62% now accredited compared to 59% in 2017.

In 2025, 15 archive services met the accreditation standard, representing 88% of all eligible archive services. This marks a notable increase from 57% accreditation in 2017.

Over the long term, more adults are taking part in sport regularly, although there was a fall in the rate for the most recent year. The rate of adults taking part in sport three or more times a week has increased from 29% in financial year 2016 to 2017 to 35% in 2024 to 2025.

Regular sports participation decreases with age. 52% of 16 to 24 year olds are estimated to take part in regular sport, declining to 12% of those aged 75 and over. There are also higher levels of regular sport participation among men, people in good health, and people who live in the least deprived areas.

41% of people do not take part in any sport, a figure which has remained broadly unchanged over many years. 35% of people said they want to do more sport or physical activity, an increase from 27% in 2022 to 2023.

Figure 6.3: percentage of adults participating in sport 3 or more times a week, between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 6.3: line chart showing the percentage of adults taking part in sport 3 or more times a week, which has increased over the long term.

Source: National Survey for Wales

Children's participation in organized sport outside the curriculum has decreased, with only 39% of pupils taking part 3 or more times a week in 2022, down from 48% in 2018. This reflects the lowest figure ever recorded by the School Sport Survey. Despite this decline, 93% of pupils expressed a desire to do more sport. Boys were generally more active than girls, and primary school children participated slightly less frequently than secondary school pupils. Among different ethnic groups, children from mixed or multiple ethnic groups had the highest participation rates at 43%.

Figure 6.4: percentage of children participating in sport 3 or more times a week, 2013 to 2022

Image

Description of figure 6.4: a line chart showing the percentage of children regularly participating in sport. Participation has fallen back to a similar level seen in 2013.

Source: School Sport Survey

We consider the census to be the main source of information on the number of people who can speak Welsh in Wales. According to Census 2021, 17.8% of people aged three years or older in Wales can speak Welsh. This is down from 19.0% in 2011 and is the lowest percentage ever recorded on a census.

The national milestone on Welsh language is for one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Over the long term, the number of Welsh speakers has been falling from almost one million people in 1911 to 538,000 now. The decrease in Welsh speakers in 2021 was primarily due to fewer children and young people reported as able to speak Welsh. The 2021 Census, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed lockdowns and remote learning which may have influenced people's reported Welsh language ability.

Figure 6.5: people aged 3 years and older able to speak Welsh, 1911 to 2021 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 6.5: a line chart showing the number of people able to speak Welsh since 1911. Numbers fell substantially in the first half of the 20^th century, with smaller changes since.

[Note 1] There was no census in 1941.

Source: Census of Population

Since 2011, estimates from the National Survey for Wales of people who have more than some Welsh-speaking ability have remained stable at around 19%, but there has been an increase in people who say they have some Welsh-speaking ability.

The latest Welsh language use survey shows there has been little change in how often people speak Welsh.

In July 2019 to March 2020, 10% of people aged 3 or older spoke Welsh daily and could speak more than just a few words of Welsh. This is unchanged from the previous survey in April 2013 to March 2015. More recent data from the National Survey for Wales for people aged 16 or older also suggests there has been little overall change in the rate of people using Welsh daily.

According to the National Survey for Wales, the percentage of people aged 16 years or older who are fluent in Welsh has remained relatively unchanged over the last 10 years, at around 10 to 11%. However, over the long term, there have been increases in Welsh speakers who are not fluent. Fluent Welsh speakers speak the language more often than those who are not fluent.

Recent National Survey for Wales analysis using data for financial year 2022 to 2023 identified several factors independently associated with speaking Welsh or using it daily. These included being female, aged 16 to 44, single, living in rural areas (especially northwest Wales), being employed, educated to higher levels, volunteering, and residing outside the most or least deprived areas.

Each year Cadw assesses the conditions of a sample of listed buildings and scheduled monuments in Wales. Listed buildings are those of special or architectural interest in Wales, while scheduled monuments represent archaeological sites of national importance. Conditions of listed buildings in Wales have improved slightly since 2015, while the conditions of scheduled monuments have gradually worsened.

There are just over 30,000 listed buildings in Wales, with 76% in a stable or improving condition in 2025, up slightly from 74% in 2015. 9% of listed buildings are classed as being at risk.

A sample of scheduled monuments is assessed each year as part of a 10-year rolling programme. This shows that the condition of the 4,200 monuments in Wales has been declining. 66% were in a stable or improving condition in financial year 2016 to 2017, but this dropped to 58% in 2024 to 2025. Nearly 15% are considered at risk, mainly due to weathering, vegetation encroachment and erosion.

Figure 6.6: percentage of scheduled monuments that are in a stable or improving condition, financial years 2011-12 to 2024-25

Image

Description of figure 6.6: a line chart showing the share of monuments that are in a stable or improving condition. The percentage has gradually fallen over the last 10 years.

Source: Cadw

Previous versions of the Wellbeing of Wales report include further analysis of:

• taking part in volunteering or in arts or sports activities
• barriers to participation in arts and differences between socio-economic and population groups in arts and sports participation
• the types of arts activities people have participated in
• use of Welsh language by children and young people, and use of Welsh in social and work contexts
• links between Welsh language and arts and culture events
• ethnicity and arts, culture, sport and Welsh language
• visits to museums and archives

The Arts Council of Wales and Sport Wales produce regular in-depth reports on arts and sports. This includes the Children’s Omnibus Survey and the School Sport Survey.

A range of analysis on the Welsh language is also available from Census 2021, and in Welsh Language Use Survey reports for financial year 2019 to 2020.

Author: Melanie Brown

A globally responsible Wales: A nation which, when doing anything to improve the economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales, takes account of whether doing such a thing may make a positive contribution to global wellbeing. This goal recognises that in an inter-connected world what we do to make Wales a sustainable nation can have positive and adverse impacts outside of Wales.

Some progress continues to be made towards the globally responsible Wales goal, with updated data showing further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. There is a national milestone for greenhouse gases which is for Wales to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In 2023, it was estimated that greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales totalled 34.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e), a decrease of 6% from 2022, and a decrease of 38% from the base year. The base years for UK greenhouse gas emissions are 1990 for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, and 1995 for the fluorinated gases. Consumption emissions associated with goods and services consumed by Welsh households were estimated to be 25.0 MtCO₂e in 2020, a decrease of 37% from 2001.

There is also a national milestone relating to global footprint which is for Wales to use only its fair share of the world’s resources by 2050. The latest estimates show that while the global footprint per person in Wales reduced by nearly a third between 2004 and 2018, it remains over twice the estimated biocapacity of Wales. If the entire world population lived like the citizens of Wales, humanity would require 2.08 Earths.

In academic year 2024 to 25, there were 20,248 entrants for the Global Citizenship Challenge at Key Stage 4. There were 13,550 entries for the new advanced global community project.

On 1 January 2016, the world began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the transformative plan of action based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The SDGs emphasise a universal agenda that requires all UN member states, both rich and poor alike, to take action to support sustainable development.

There are many factors which dictate whether Wales is becoming a more globally responsible nation.

The Well-being of Future Generations Act, with its Welsh specific well-being goals, provides a framework for Wales’s contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For the most part, the other 6 narrative reports, through their assessment of our progress towards the national well-being goals, demonstrate our overall contribution as a nation to the international sustainable development agenda. For example, we report elsewhere on national trends on issues such as poverty, inequalities and fair work. This narrative on a globally responsible Wales therefore focuses on areas that are most relevant to the global agenda in particular.

The 50 national indicators for Wales have also been mapped for indicative purposes against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to help you navigate between progress here in Wales, and the relationship to each of the SDGs.

National Indicators: mapping to Well-being and UN Sustainable Development Goals (interactive tool)

Whilst some of the narrative is drawn from national indicators and official statistics, some of the data presented in this section is contextual and uses data or factual statements related to specific policies or programmes, where we have considered it relevant to the overall narrative. These data are not collected through official statistics sources, and although reported here for context, we cannot provide full assurance about data quality. However, where possible, more information about the data can be found in the quality information for the Wellbeing of Wales report.

Goal 13 of the UN SDGs is to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.

People in Wales are concerned about climate change.

The National Survey results for financial year 2022 to 2023 show that the vast majority (97%) of people in Wales thought the world’s climate was changing. In 2022 to 2023, 74% of adults were fairly concerned or very concerned about climate change, similar to the results in 2021 to 2022 (76%) and in 2020 to 2021 (76%).

In 2022 to 2023, 56% of people thought that climate change was mainly or entirely due to human activity. 94% thought human activity was involved to some extent in the world’s climate changing.

There is a national milestone for greenhouse gases which is for Wales to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In 2023, it was estimated that emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales (known as territorial emissions) totalled 34.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e).This represents a decrease of 6% since 2022. The decrease from 2022 to 2023 continues a recent trend of more significant reductions, with an overall decline of 29% between 2016 and 2023.

Three main sectors contributed to the latest year’s decline.

1. Energy supply: Fluctuating activity at power stations has had a notable impact on emissions in this sector. Emissions from power stations fell by 29% between 2022 and 2023, following a 42% increase between 2020 and 2022.
2. Domestic transport: Emissions from this sector decreased by 2% between 2022 and 2023, despite an overall increase since the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2020.
3. Residential buildings: Emissions fell by 6% between 2022 and 2023, continuing a downward trend observed since 2021.

Figure 7.1: estimated Welsh territorial emissions of greenhouse gases (Mt CO2e), 1990 to 2023 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 7.1: the line chart shows the volume of territorial greenhouse gas emissions (megatonnes) in Wales in between 1990 and 2023. Emissions in Wales have fallen by 38% since the base year. Emissions decreased by 6% between 2022 and 2023.

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

[Note 1]: previously published figures have been revised and marked with (r)

There has been a fall of 38% since the base year  emissions. The long-term emission reduction trend since the base year are mainly due to efficiencies in energy generation and business sector heating (of buildings and for processes), the use of natural gas to replace some coal and other fuels as well as abatement in some chemical industries, reductions in emissions from anaerobic waste management and variations in manufacturing output (for example in iron and steel, bulk chemical production).

The largest emission sector was the industry sector, which accounted for 31% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Wales. This sector is dominated by fuel combustion in the iron and steel production process, such as blast furnaces, coke production, flaring, and sinter production.

The domestic transport sector is the second largest sector making up 17% of Welsh emissions. This is followed by the agriculture sector (15%), the electricity supply sector (15%), the buildings and product uses sector (11%), the fuel supply sector (10%), with other sectors each making smaller contributions of 3% or less.

These figures on territorial greenhouse gas emissions only take account of emissions within Wales. This does not include emissions associated with the production of goods and services outside of Wales even if these are imported into Wales. Equally, emissions associated with the production of goods and services in Wales are counted as Welsh emissions even if these are exported for consumption elsewhere.

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with goods and services consumed by Welsh households (known as consumption emissions or carbon footprint) are estimated.

These estimates were last produced in 2023, and include data up to 2020. A fuller explanation is available in last year’s Wellbeing of Wales report.

Last year we reported that emissions linked to goods and services consumed by Welsh households, known as consumption emissions, fell from 40.0 MtCO₂e in 2001 to 25.0 MtCO₂e in 2020. Most of these emissions came from imported goods and services. These estimates are uncertain, especially for imports, so long-term trends are more reliable than year-to-year changes.

Figure 7.2: estimated Welsh consumption emissions footprint (Mt CO2e), 2001 to 2020

Image

Description of figure 7.2: the line chart shows the volume of estimated consumption emissions (megatonnes) in Wales show a general downward trend since 2001. Between 2001 and 2020, Wales’ estimated consumption emissions footprint has decreased by 37%, from 40 Mt CO2e to 25 Mt CO2e.

Source: Consumption Emissions Footprint, Wales, 2001 to 2020 (Mt CO2e), University of Leeds consumption based emissions estimate.

Some forms of travel, including road traffic, make a substantial contribution to carbon emissions. There is no evidence of a shift away from cars as the main method of travel in Wales.

A national indicator on the percentage of journeys by walking, cycling or public transport was added to the national indicator set in December 2021. This data will be sourced from the National Travel Survey for Wales with results expected in 2026.

In the short-term, data from the Labour Force Survey on usual mode of travel to work and data from the National Survey for Wales on mode of travel to school can be considered.

As in most other parts of the UK outside London, private road transport remains the dominant mode of travel and accounts for the overwhelming majority of commuting journeys in Wales.

In 2023, 81% of commuters in Wales used a car as their usual method of travel to work. There has been little change to the proportions of Welsh residents that usually use each mode of travel to get to work over the last decade.

Figure 7.3: usual mode of travel to work by Welsh residents, 2023 [Note 1] [Note 2] [Note 3]

Image

Description of figure 7.3: a pie chart showing that the majority (81%) of Welsh residents travelled to work by car in 2023.10% of residents walked, with 4% using a bus or coach, and 3% using rail services.

Source: Transport Statistics Great Britain: Usual method of travel to work by region of residence

[Note 1] Respondents were asked what their usual method of travel was.

[Note 2] Categories that have been supressed due to low quality have been included in the “Other” category.

[Note 3] Figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Our global footprint is the total environmental burden that society places on the planet. Globally, we are consuming more natural resources than the world is able to replace.

The national milestone for this indicator is that Wales will only use its fair share of the world’s resources by 2050. A global footprint for Wales was calculated by JNCC using the Ecological Footprint methodology, which is further explained in the Wellbeing of Wales: 2024 report. This is part of a wider project to improve understanding of the global environmental footprint and impacts of commodities that are consumed within Wales, but that may be produced anywhere in the world.

Using the Ecological Footprint methodology, Wales’s global footprint has generally decreased from around 17.0 million global hectares (gha) in 2004 to 12.3 million gha in 2018. The global footprint per person has reduced by nearly a third over this time period, and stood at 3.9 gha per person in 2018. However, this remains over twice the estimated biocapacity of Wales. In other words, if the entire world population lived like the citizens of Wales, humanity would require 2.08 Earths.

Figure 7.4: global footprint, global hectares (gha) per person, 2004 to 2018

Image

Description of figure 7.4: a line chart showing the global footprint (gha) per person in Wales, at three/four yearly intervals between 2004 and 2018. The global footprint per person has gradually decreased over the period.

Source: Understanding the Global Environmental Footprint and Impacts of Welsh Consumption, JNCC

An alternative measure of Wales’ Ecological Footprint uses slightly higher quality input data but does not allow for comparison over time. This footprint was around 10.7 million gha in 2019, equivalent to approximately 3.4 gha per person.

The National Survey for Wales asks people about what activities they have done to help with international issues such as poverty, human rights, war, refugees or climate change. The responses in financial year 2024 to 2025 are broadly consistent with those from the last time these questions were included in 2021 to 2022.

13% of those surveyed have done 3 or more of the 4 following actions to help with global issues: donating or raising money, campaigning, volunteering, or changing what they buy.

33% of people say they have donated or helped raised money in the preceding 3 months to help with global issues. The most common issues people donated or raised money for were international poverty (19%) and to support refugees (16%). 40% of women say they gave money, compared with 27% of men.

16% of people say they have campaigned for international issues in last 12 months to help with global issues and 8% say they have volunteered. 8% of people campaigned for civilians affected by war of conflict while 3% volunteered to support refugees, and 3% volunteered to support poverty issues.

50% say they have changed what they buy because of global issues. People aged 65 to 74 were the group most likely to have made changes to what they buy (58%).

Referrals of potential victims of modern slavery in Wales have increased in recent years, but this rise has slowed down over the last two years.

The UN SDGs include a target on ‘Ending modern slavery and human trafficking’. Modern slavery is the term used within the UK and is defined within the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Act categorises offences of Slavery, Servitude and Forced or Compulsory Labour and Human Trafficking.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the recorded incidents of potential victims of slavery to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) or via the Duty to Notify (DtN) process continue to increase each year in Wales.

In 2024, there were 563 referrals of potential victims of modern slavery received by police forces in Wales. This is similar to the number of referrals in 2023 (559 referrals).  Some increases in recent years are probably due to improved reporting and changes in how the data are recorded.

Figure 7.5: NRM referrals sent to police forces in Wales for investigation, 2018 to 2024

Image

Description of figure 7.5: a line chart showing the number of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism for police forces in Wales between 2018 and 2024. The number of referrals has increased over the time period.

Source: National Referral Mechanism statistics, Home Office

In 2024 139 of the referrals were for females (25%) and 424 were for males (75%).

There were 198 (35%) individuals referred for adult exploitation categories and 341 (61%) referred for exploitation as a minor. 24 (4%) were not specified or unknown.

The most common type of exploitation for both adults and minors was ‘criminal’. However, for females (both adults and minors) the most common exploitation was ‘sexual’.

Forced marriage or possible female genital mutilation has been identified in Wales.Goal 5 of the UN SDGs include a target to ‘eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation’.

According to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the number of cases that the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support to in Wales, has decreased each year since 2019. The FMU gave advice or support to less than 5 cases in 2024, with a similar number in 2023. This follows a peak of 37 cases in 2019.

Due to low numbers relative to some other parts of the UK, the trend for Wales has been volatile since 2015. Following the introduction of the first COVID-19 lockdown, referrals to the FMU decreased and have not yet increased to levels seen before the pandemic. This may be attributable to reasons derived from the pandemic, such as restrictions on weddings and travel. A procedural change regarding whether to log a new case as a referral or a general enquiry is also likely to have had a minor impact on the overall number of cases compared with previous years and so direct comparisons should be treated with caution.

Figure 7.6: number of cases the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support to in Wales, 2015 to 2024 [Note 1] [Note 2]

Description of figure 7.6: a table of the number of cases where the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support in Wales in relation to a possible forced marriage and/or possible female genital mutilation (FGM) in Wales. Due to low numbers relative to some other parts of the UK, the trend for Wales has been volatile since 2015.

Source: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Forced Marriage Unit statistics 2024

[Note 1] Owing to changes in recording practices the data from 2020 are not directly comparable with the data in previous years.

[Note 2] Some shorthand is used in this table, [c]= less than 5.

The UN SDG ‘Quality Education’ recognises the importance of obtaining a quality education and all learners acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality and global citizenship.

In academic year 2024 to 2025, there were 20,248 entrants for the global citizenship challenge at Key Stage 4. There were 13,550 entries for the new advanced global community project. For Key Stage 4, provisional data shows 99% of entries achieved a level 1 pass or above. For the new advanced skills baccalaureate global community project, provisional data shows 73.2% achieved a C or above, and 97.3% achieved an E or above.

Some adults in Wales are facing food poverty and are concerned about affording food.

The UN SDG ‘Zero Hunger’ aims to end hunger and achieve food security and improve nutrition.

The financial year 2024 to 2025 National Survey for Wales reported that 4% of households had received food from a food bank in the last 12 months with a further 2% saying they hadn’t but had wanted to.

The number of asylum seekers receiving support has remained steady in the past few years but has increased since the start of the decade.

Goal 16 of the UN SDGs is to ‘promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.

Complete figures for the numbers of asylum seekers and refugees who are resettled in Wales are not available. However, figures are published relating to the number of refugees resettled under the UK Resettlement Scheme (and formerly the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme), and the number of those currently receiving asylum support.

As at the end of March 2024, a total of 1,533 refugees have been resettled in Wales under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and the Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (2016 to 2022) and UK Resettlement Scheme (2021 onwards).

Section 95 provides support for asylum seekers who have an asylum claim or appeal outstanding and failed asylum seekers who had children in their household when their appeal rights were exhausted, and includes those in receipt of:

• dispersed accommodation: those in receipt of accommodation only, or both accommodation and subsistence
• subsistence only: whereby the applicant receives cash to support themselves but who have found their own accommodation

At the end of March 2025, more than 3,100 asylum seekers were receiving support in Wales, a similar number to the previous year. The number rose sharply between 2012 and 2016, but has stayed broadly more stable since then, with a dip in 2022 and 2023.

Figure 7.7: number of asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support, between financial years 2004 to 2005 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 7.7: the line chart shows the number of asylum seekers receiving support remained steady in the financial year 2015 to 2016 to financial year 2019 to 2020, followed by decreases until 2021 to 2022, with increases in 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 and remaining similar in 2024 to 2025.

Source: Home Office Immigration statistics, financial year 2024 to 2025

Vaccination uptake in young children continues to be high but has decreased slightly since its highest levels in financial year 2013 to 2014, for both ‘6 in 1’ DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB1 for those reaching their first birthday, and MMR uptake of one dose by 2 years of age.

The UN SDG Sustainable Development goal ‘Good Health and Well-being’ states the importance of providing access to affordable and essential medicines and vaccines. The World Health Organisation has a vision for a world without measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).

‘6 in 1’ DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB1 vaccine uptake (all 3 doses) in children reaching their first birthday decreased very slightly to 94.1%, compared to 94.2% in the previous year.

MMR uptake of one dose by 2 years of age increased very slightly from 92.9% to 93%. This is suboptimal for preventing outbreaks of measles (target uptake is 95%).

Figure 7.8: percentage uptake of childhood immunisations in Wales, financial years 2008-09 to 2024-25 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 7.8: the line chart shows percentage uptake of MMR and the 6 in 1 vaccine from financial year 2008 to 2009 to financial year 2024 to 2025. The uptake for both the '6 in 1' and MMR have decreased since they reached their highest levels in 2013 to 2014. Uptake in 2024 to 2025 was 93.0% for MMR, and 94.1% for ‘6 in 1’.

Source: National immunisation uptake data, Public Health Wales

[Note 1] Chart axis does not start at zero.

[Note 2] The ‘6 in 1’ vaccine, protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (Whooping Cough), polio, Hib and Hepatitis B infection. The majority of one year olds referred to in this report would have been eligible for the ‘6 in 1’ vaccine, replacing the ‘5 in 1’ vaccine due at 4, 8 and 12 months.

[Note 3] MMR protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Data shows uptake for the first dose at 2 years of age.

Previous Well-being of Wales reports, have included further analysis of:

• eco-schools
• physical punishment of children
• world heritage sites

This report covers a wide range of subjects, and therefore in this report it is only possible to consider high level measures of progress. Further reading can be found below:

Statistics on Ukrainians in the UK (Home Office)

UNESCO World heritage list (UNESCO)

Eco-Schools (Eco-Schools)

Keep Wales Tidy (Eco-Schools)

Ending physical punishment of children in Wales

The milestones are generational targets which describe the pace and scale of change needed in key areas under the 7 wellbeing goals. In December 2021, the Welsh Government published the first wave of Wales’s national milestones, with the second wave set in November 2022. There are 17 national milestones in total, covering 16 national indicators.  

This chapter aims to assess progress of the national milestones. Change is assessed since 2015, as this was the year of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, although the milestones themselves were not set until later. Where data is not available for 2015, the nearest possible year has been used.

The assessment in this chapter helps us understand and communicate progress towards the goals and milestones, however it should not necessarily be used to evaluate the impact of the Well-being of Future Generations Act as many other factors will influence the direction of some indicators. It is also important to consider indicators and milestones in the context of longer-term trends prior to 2015, which are presented in the following chapters of this report. 

We assign each measure as either improved, deteriorated, no change or not assessed. Where possible, we have used measures such as statistical significance to make this assessment. In our assessment, we have not considered whether the milestones are on course to be met, simply the direction of change. 

Some of the 17 milestones have multiple parts to them, so in total we made 20 assessments of progress. 10 of these were assessed as improved since 2015 (or the nearest possible year), suggesting that Wales is heading in the right direction towards the milestone. However, in some cases, even though the trend may be moving in the right direction, we will need to move faster to reach the target by 2050. 4 milestones showed a deterioration and 6 showed little or no change. 

For one milestone (energy performance of homes) progress cannot yet be assessed because there is only one year of data. 

In most cases, the milestones continued to follow a longer-term trend that was established before 2015. Longer term trends, and more detailed analysis of the milestones are included within the relevant chapters throughout the Wellbeing of Wales report.

The following sections of this chapter provide the progress assessment for each milestone.

Deteriorated: adult healthy life expectancy between 2015 to 2017 and 2021 to 2023

Deteriorated: the gap in female healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas between 2015 to 2017 and 2020 to 2022. The gap in male healthy life expectancy has remained stable.

Figure 1: gap in healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas, females and males, 2015 to 2017 to 2020 to 2022 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 1: a line chart showing that healthy life expectancy at birth has fallen for females from 62.0 years in 2015 to 2017 to 59.6 years in 2021 to 2023 and males from 61.2 years in 2015 to 2017 to 60.3 years in 2021 to 2023. The gap in healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas appears to have also deteriorated for females (from 17.6 to 20.2 years). The gap in male healthy life expectancy has remained relatively stable (from 17.0 to 16.4 years) between 2015 to 2017 and 2020 to 2022,. 

Source: Public Health Outcomes Framework for Wales reporting tool, Public Health Wales

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

Improved: between financial years 2020 to 2021 and 2024 to 2025

Figure 2: percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, 2016-17 to 2024-25 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4]

Image

Description of figure 2: a line chart showing that the percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy behaviours deteriorated from 2016 to 2017 to 2019 to 2020. The trend since 2020 to 2021 appears to have improved to around similar levels seen in 2016 to 2017 but is not directly comparable, due to a change in the method of reporting.

Source:  National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Results from 2020 to 2021 are not comparable with previous years due to changes in the survey

[Note 2] Results from 2020 to 2021 are for January to March only and not annual data

[Note 3] The National Survey did not take place in 2023 to 2024 therefore there is no data for that year

[Note 4] Y axis does not start at zero

Improved: between academic years 2017 to 2018 and 2023 to 2024

Figure 3: percentage of young people aged 11 to 16 with 2 or more healthy behaviours, 2017 to 2018 (academic year) to 2023 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 3: a line chart showing that the percentage of young people aged 11 to 16 with 2 or more healthy behaviours has improved from 88.5% in 2017 to 90.7% in academic year 2023 to 2024.

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing Survey

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

Improved: between 2015 and 2024 

Figure 4: percentage of adults of working age (18 to 64) with a qualification at Level 3 or above, 2015 to 2024

Image

Description of figure 4: a line chart showing that an estimated 68.6% of working age adults in Wales were qualified to level 3 or higher in 2024. This figure is likely to be higher than it would have been otherwise, following the changes to the questions on the Annual Population Survey to reflect the current qualifications framework in 2022. In 2015 an estimated 56.6% of working age adults were qualified to level 3 or higher according to the qualifications framework in place at that time. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

[Note 1] Estimates for 2022 onwards cannot be compared to previous years following changes to the questions on qualifications in the Annual Population Survey.

Improved: between 2015 and 2024

Figure 5: proportion of working age adults with no qualification by local authority, 2024

Image

Description of figure 5: a bar chart showing that there are currently 6 local authorities where the percentage of working age adults with no qualifications is below 5%: Ceredigion, Powys, Wrexham, Monmouthshire, Gwynedd and Vale of Glamorgan. In 2015 there were none.

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics

No change: between 2015 and 2023

Figure 6: GDHI per head in Wales, £ and index (UK = 100), 2015 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 6: two line charts showing GDHI per head and GDHI index, relative to the UK. GDHI per head in Wales has increased in cash value over the period 2015 to 2023, from £15,600 in 2015 to £20,100 in 2023; an increase of 29.2%. This does not account for inflation over the period. However, GDHI per head relative to the UK (as shown by the index), which does account for inflation by looking at the relative change, has slightly decreased over the period 2015 to 2023 from 82.0% to 81.1%.

Source: Regional GDHI, Regional Accounts, ONS

Improved: between 2014 and 2018

Figure 7: Global Footprint (gha) per person, 2014 to 2018

Image

Description of figure 7: a line chart showing that the global footprint per person has reduced by 11% between 2014 and 2018. The global footprint per person was 3.9 gha per person in 2018, compared to 4.4 gha per person in 2014. 

Source: Understanding the Global Environmental Footprint and Impacts of Welsh Consumption, JNCC

Gender pay gap: improved between 2015 and 2024

Disability pay gap: no change between 2015 and 2024 

Ethnicity pay gap: no change between 2015 and 2024 

Figure 8: gender pay difference in Wales (median hourly earnings full-time employees excluding overtime), April 2015 to April 2024

Image

Description of figure 8: a line chart showing that since April 2015 the gender pay gap on a median hourly full-time basis (excluding overtime) has narrowed, from 7.4% to 1.9% in April 2024.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

Figure 9: ethnicity and disability pay differences in Wales (median hourly earnings, all employees), year ending December 2015 to December 2024

Image

Description of figure 9: a line chart showing that ethnicity and disability pay gaps have been volatile over the period since 2015. The ethnicity pay gap decreased from 12.0% in 2015 to 1.4% in 2019 but then rose to 16.4% in 2022, it has since declined to 3.6% in 2024. The disability pay gap rose from 12.2% in 2015 to a high of 15.1% in 2019 but has decreased to 7.8% in 2024. The change between 2015 and 2024 is not statistically significant for ethnicity or disability. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey.

The characteristics included in the scope of this milestone have not yet been agreed. In the interim, this report concentrates on differences between broad age groups. 

No change: between broad age groups between the 3 year period to March 2015 to the 3 year period to March 2023

Figure 10: percentage of each age group in Wales living in relative income poverty (after housing costs), 3-financial-year averages

Image

Description of figure 10: a line chart showing that children are consistently the age group most likely to be in relative income poverty in Wales. 31% of children were in relative income poverty in the three-year period to March 2024, the same as in the three-year period to March 2014. The gap between the percentage of children in poverty and the percentage of the whole population in poverty in the 3-year period to March 2024 was 9.0 percentage points, compared to 8.3 in the period to March 2014 though these are not statistically significant changes 

Source: Relative Income Poverty: April 2023 to March 2024

Improved: between year ending March 2015 and year ending March 2025

Figure 11: employment rate for people aged 16 to 64, UK and Wales, year ending March 2015 to March 2025

Image

Description of figure 11: a line chart showing that the employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has fluctuated since the year ending March 2015, however the gap has narrowed overall. 

The employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has narrowed between the years ending March 2015 and March 2025, with the gap decreasing from 3.3 to 2.0 percentage points over this period. 

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the APS.

Improved: between 2015 and 2023

Figure 12: participation of young people in education and the labour market by age group, Wales, 2015 to 2023

Image

Description of figure 12: a line chart showing that the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds in employment, education or training has fluctuated between 2015 and 2023, however it has improved overall.

Provisional estimates show that 86.4% of 16 to 24 year olds were in education, employment or training in 2023, up from 83.9% in 2015. The proportion of young people in education, employment of training has also increased for the 16 to 18 age group (rising slightly from 89.8% to 89.9%) and the 19 to 24 age groups (increasing from 81.4% to 84.8%).

Source: Welsh Government, Open University and HEFCW.

[Note 1]: figures for 2023 are provisional.

Improved: between year ending March 2017 and year ending March 2025

Figure 13: percentage of people volunteering, between financial year 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 13: a line chart showing that the percentage of people who say they have volunteered increased overall, from 28% in 2016 to 2017 to 32% in 2024 to 2025, despite a slight dip in 2019 to 2020. The national milestone has been met.

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government.

No change: for adults between financial year 2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019 or between 2021 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025.

Deteriorated: for children between 2017 and 2023

Figure 14: Average Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score for adults, by deprivation, financial year 2016 to 2017 to 2024 to 2025 [Note 1], [Note 2]

Image

Description of figure 14: a line chart showing that the average Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) score for adults did not show any significant change between financial year 2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019 or since 2021 to 2022. The gap in the average WEMWBS score between those from the most and least deprived areas appears to have widened since 2021 to 2022. 

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

[Note 1] Results from 2020 to 2021 are not comparable with previous years due to changes in the survey

[Note 2] Y axis does not start at zero

Figure 15: Average Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale score for young people aged 11 to 16, by affluence, 2017 to 2018 (academic year) to 2023 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 15: a line chart showing that the average Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) score for young people aged 11 to 16 has declined from 24.0 in academic year 2017 to 2018 to 23.5 in 2023 to 2024. The gap in the average SWEMWBS score between those from low and high family affluence has widened from 1.7 in 2017 to 2018 to 2.0 in 2023 to 2024. 

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing Survey

[Note 1] Y axis does not start at zero

Change not assessed

According to the Welsh Housing Conditions Survey financial year 2017 to 2018, 47% of residential dwellings were considered to have adequate energy performance (a SAP rating of 65 or above). More recent data is not available. 

Deteriorated: between 2011 and 2021

Figure 16: number of people aged three years or older able to speak Welsh, 2011 to 2021

Image

Description of figure 16: a column chart showing that the number of Welsh speakers fell from 562,000 in 2011 to 538,000 in 2021. Over the long term, the number of Welsh speakers has been falling, down from almost one million people in 1911 to 538,000 in the most recent census. 

Source: Census of Population

Improved: between 2015 and 2023

Figure 17: emissions of greenhouse gases, 2015 to 2023 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 17: a line chart showing that in 2023, emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales, known as territorial emissions, totalled 34.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, this was 46.2 in 2015. There has been a decrease of 26% between 2015 and 2023.

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

[Note 1]: previously published figures have been revised and marked with (r)

No change: between 2011 and 2016

Source: Status of Biological Diversity in Wales (ERAMMP)

Over a long-term period (1970 to 2016), the index of distribution change for section 7 priority species in Wales had declined to 87% of its baseline value in 1970. Over the short-term period (2011 to 2016), the value of the indicator increased from 85 to 87 and was assessed as stable.  

The Wellbeing of Wales report provides an update on progress being made in Wales towards the achievement of the 7 wellbeing goals. It is a statutory report required under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. It is a report concerning the collective progress of Wales as a nation. It is not a report on the performance of an individual organisation. The first report was published in September 2017.

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act (UK legislation) is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. It is intended to make the public bodies listed in the Act think more about the long-term, work better with people and communities and each other, look to prevent problems and take a more joined-up approach. This in turn is intended to create a Wales that we all want to live in, now and in the future.

The Act also puts in place 7 wellbeing goals for a prosperous, healthier, resilient, more equal and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language.

For more background information on the Act please see the Essentials guide.

The Act required Welsh Ministers to set national indicators to assess progress towards achieving the wellbeing goals. From September 2015 to January 2016 Welsh Government undertook a widespread public consultation to identify what small set of indicators should be developed to best measure progress against the wellbeing goals. These national indicators were published in March 2016 and laid before the National Assembly for Wales.

In 2021, Welsh Government asked for views on possible new indicators based on the learning from COVID-19. Based on these responses and wider input, some indicators have been updated and 4 new national indicators have been included and the indicator set was updated in December 2021.

The national indicators are designed to represent the outcomes for Wales, and its people that will help demonstrate progress towards the 7 wellbeing goals. They are not intended to be performance indicators for an individual organisation.

Welsh Ministers have agreed that the set of national wellbeing indicators should be reviewed once every Senedd term to ensure that they remain relevant. As such, a review is expecting to begin after the next Senedd election in 2026. Full description of the national indicators including their technical definition and information about their data sources and frequency can be found in the technical document.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a transformative plan of action based on 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to address urgent global challenges by 2030. The United Nations’ 17 global goals mean that every country on the planet will have to take action to end poverty, promote prosperity and wellbeing for all, protect the environment, and address climate change. Those goals are meant to be far-reaching, people-centred, universal, and transformative. UN member states have committed to working tirelessly towards their implementation by 2030, and Wales will play its part.

Many national indicators will help tell a story of progress in Wales against more than one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We have mapped the indicators against the goals.

As well as setting national indicators, the Act also requires Welsh Ministers to set national milestones to assist in measuring whether progress is being made at a national level towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals. Following development and consultation throughout 2021, the first wave of national milestones were laid before the Senedd in December 2021 and the second wave were laid in November 2022.

The report has been produced by Welsh Government statisticians under the responsibility of the Welsh Government’s Chief Statistician. It has been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority) and is therefore produced independently of political influence.

The report has been published in October to ensure it is as close as possible to the end of the preceding financial year, but after the publication of the National Survey for Wales which is the source for 14 of the national indicators.

The data for the national indicators will be kept up to date as new datasets are published for those indicators.

This report covers a wide range of subjects, and therefore in this report it is only possible to consider high level measures of progress. More in depth analysis of many of these topics are available through the range of statistical releases published by Welsh Government, the ONS or other statistical producers.

The coverage of the report is Wales. For some indicators, reference is made to the position relative to the UK. The narrative against the goals and for each indicator is based on national progress against the goals, and it does not seek to provide a report on progress at different geographical levels. However, data for many indicators are available on StatsWales, or on request, at lower levels of geographical detail.

This report has been produced as an online report to improve the accessibility, responsiveness, and user experience.

The majority of the data underlying the report, including much more detailed breakdowns, are available on StatsWales and through the StatsWales open data services.

The UK Statistics Authority has designated the Wellbeing of Wales report as an accredited official statistic. This means it has been independently assessed as meeting the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value.

Most of the indicators (35) are based on sources that have been published as official statistics. That is, they have been published by government statisticians, or by other public bodies, under the Code of Practice for Statistics.

14 indicators are based on other sources such as administrative data held by government departments. 2 indicators currently have no data. One indicator has both an official accredited data source and a non-official source so has been counted twice.

Although not all of the data sources used are from official statistics, the report itself has been developed and published in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics (UK Statistics Authority).

The quality report for national indicators reports alongside this release provides links to quality information about each of the data sources used to measure the national indicators, or provides that information where it does not exist elsewhere.

Whilst most of the narrative in the Wellbeing of Wales report is drawn from national indicators, some of the contextual data is from other official statistics or other statistics and evidence where we have considered it relevant to the overall narrative. The data not collected through official statistics sources are used in the Wellbeing of Wales report for context, but we cannot always provide assurance about data quality. As the data in the progress report have been sourced from a variety of datasets, the level of quality information available will differ in each case. We have provided links to the original sources and their quality information where they exist.

It is anticipated this report will be used by Welsh Government; the Senedd (including Members of the Senedd and its committees); the media; and the general public to help understand (i) the Wellbeing of Wales (ii) progress being made against the 7 wellbeing goals and (iii) where Wales is making progress against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The national indicators and milestones can help public bodies who are subject to the future generations law understand further the nature of the change expected in achieving the wellbeing goals. The national indicators should be considered as useful evidence to assist public bodies in understanding the main areas where progress should be made in relation to the wellbeing goals.

The national indicators will also have a specific role as they must be referred to by public services boards in Wales when they are analysing the state of economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing in their areas. The report should also be used by public bodies to develop and review wellbeing assessments and to set and review wellbeing objectives required under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

The annual Wellbeing of Wales report must also be taken into account by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales when they prepare and publish their ‘Future Generations Report’.

For the UK as a whole, the Office for National Statistics has a National Wellbeing Programme. The well-being dashboard (Office for National Statistics) provides a visual overview of 59 headline national wellbeing indicators and can be explored by the 10 areas of life (domains) or by the direction of change.

In Scotland, the National Performance Framework (NPF) sets out a vision for national wellbeing and measures achievement in relation to this. A revised NPF was launched in June 2018 following an open review process and is underpinned by statute (the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015).

The revised NPF maps its eleven National Outcomes to the 17 UN

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and forms an important part of Scotland’s localisation of the SDG agenda. Progress towards the vision set out in the NPF is reported on in an open and transparent way on the National Performance Framework website through 81 national indicators covering a broad range of social, economic and environmental measures. In additional to showing performance at the national level the data can be explored by a range of demographic and geographic subgroups to see whether outcomes are being realised for different parts of Scottish society.

In Northern Ireland, the principal mechanism for assessing societal wellbeing is the wellbeing framework of 12 outcomes that was developed by the previous Executive, consulted on and refined during 2016 to 2017. This framework, which contains 49 supporting population indicators, overarches the Northern Ireland Civil Service Outcomes Delivery Plan.

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency continues to participate in the ONS-led Measuring National Well-being programme and publish a wellbeing analysis (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) based on the ONS wellbeing measures, where Northern Ireland data availability allows.

Well-being of Future Generations Act (Future Generations Commissioner for Wales)

Future Trends

National Survey for Wales

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

UK Voluntary National Review (Department for International Development)

UK voluntary national review: Welsh supplementary report 2019