Wellbeing of Wales 2026

This is the tenth Wellbeing of Wales report published under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (The Act).

The Act provides the framework for assessing Wales's progress towards the 7 wellbeing goals. These reports provide a long-term picture of social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being in Wales. They show where progress is being made and where further action may be needed.

The value of this report lies not only in measuring change from one year to the next, but in tracking longer-term trends. Many aspects of wellbeing change gradually, and some of the most important challenges facing Wales can only be understood by looking at evidence over many years.

Findings from this year's report

The overall picture remains one of mixed and gradual progress. As in previous years, many aspects of wellbeing change slowly, and the report highlights both long-term improvements and persistent challenges.

There are encouraging signs in several areas. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to fall, Wales remains a world leader in recycling. Adult participation in sport remains higher than a decade ago.  The gender pay gap has narrowed considerably over the longer term.

However, significant challenges remain. Healthy life expectancy continues to fall. Health inequalities are widening. Biodiversity continues to decline. Many people continue to experience poverty. In addition, young people’s mental wellbeing is worsening.

The report highlights both progress and persistence in relation to inequalities. Some long-standing gaps, including employment gaps between certain groups, have narrowed over time. However, substantial inequalities remain across health, poverty, safety and wellbeing.

This year's report

For the first time, this year’s report uses data from the new Wales National Travel Survey to measure the national indicator on walking, cycling and public transport. The data currently covers the first 6 months of the survey.

There are fewer updates in some areas of this year's report. Several indicators rely on data sources that are not updated annually, and some measures do not have new data available this year. As a result, some sections focus on the most recent evidence available rather than changes observed over the last year.

This reflects an important feature of measuring wellbeing. Progress is often gradual, and understanding the direction of travel requires a long-term perspective rather than a focus on short-term fluctuations.

I hope this report continues to provide useful evidence for policymakers, public services, researchers and citizens as we work towards the 7 wellbeing goals.

Stephanie Howarth
Chief Statistician

Summary of main points from the Wellbeing of Wales report 2026.

• Wales's economy has grown over the long term, but productivity remains lower than the UK average.
• Employment remains high and unemployment remains relatively low.
• Earnings have increased in recent years, although many people continue to experience poverty.
• Children and working-age adults remain more likely to live in poverty than pensioners.
• More people are achieving qualifications than in the past.
• Young people are more likely to be in education, employment or training than a decade ago.
• Educational outcomes have generally improved over the long term, although inequalities remain.

• Some indicators show progress, but further improvement is needed to meet national milestones.
• Biodiversity continues to decline and Wales remains one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
• Water quality has generally improved, although many rivers and water bodies still do not meet environmental standards.
• Air quality has improved substantially since the 1970s but continues to affect health and nature.
• Wales remains a world leader in recycling and has reduced waste not recycled.
• Wales continues to use natural resources faster than they can be replenished.
• Renewable energy capacity has increased considerably over the long term, although growth has slowed in recent years.
• Natural Resources Wales concludes that biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution continue to reduce the resilience of ecosystems.

• Progress towards a healthier Wales remains limited, with a number of indicators worsening.
• Life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• Healthy life expectancy continues to fall and inequalities have widened.
• The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas is continuing to increase.
• The proportion of babies born with a low birth weight is at its highest recorded level.
• Healthy behaviours among adults have improved slightly in recent years but remain below national ambitions.
• Healthy behaviours among young people have improved since 2017.
• Adult mental wellbeing has remained broadly stable.
• Mental wellbeing among young people has declined and inequalities have widened.
• Housing conditions have improved over the long term.

• Progress is mixed, with improvements in some areas but persistent inequalities across many measures.
• The gender pay gap has narrowed considerably over the long term, although women still earn less than men on average.
• Ethnicity and disability pay gaps remain volatile, making it difficult to assess longer-term trends.
• Employment gaps between disabled and non-disabled people, and between ethnic groups, have narrowed.
• Around 1 in 5 people continue to live in relative income poverty.
• Children remain the group most likely to live in poverty.
• People in households containing a disabled person and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are more likely to experience poverty.
• Older people generally report higher wellbeing and lower loneliness than younger people.
• Disabled people are less likely to be employed, more likely to experience poverty, and report lower wellbeing.
• Women continue to report lower feelings of safety than men.

• Community cohesion remains higher than before the pandemic but has declined from the peak seen during and immediately after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• Satisfaction with local areas and feelings of influence over local decisions have returned to levels seen before the pandemic.
• Around two-thirds of people feel safe after dark, with men reporting higher levels of safety than women.
• Volunteering has increased and continues to exceed the national milestone.
• Levels of loneliness have remained broadly stable.
• Most people are satisfied with access to local services, although satisfaction is lower in rural areas.
• More households have been successfully prevented from becoming homeless than in the previous year.
• Fewer people are living in temporary accommodation and there has been a fall in the number of people rough sleeping.
• Crime victimisation has continued to fall and recorded crime has decreased overall.
• Many people believe crime has increased nationally despite falling victimisation rates.
• Police recorded hate crime increased in the latest year.

• Progress is mixed across culture, heritage, sport and the Welsh language.
• Adult engagement in arts, culture and heritage remains high and broadly stable.
• Children's attendance at arts events has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• Participation in arts activities among children has been broadly stable in recent years.
• More museums and archive services are meeting accreditation standards.
• Adult participation in sport has increased over the long term, despite a recent fall.
• Children's participation in sport remains below previous levels.
• The number and percentage of Welsh speakers recorded in the Census has fallen and remains below the national milestone trajectory.
• The percentage of people using Welsh every day has remained broadly stable.
• The condition of listed buildings has improved slightly.
• The condition of scheduled monuments has declined over the long term, although it has stabilised in recent years.

• Progress towards a globally responsible Wales has been gradual but sustained.
• Greenhouse gas emissions continue to fall and Wales has a national milestone to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
• Territorial greenhouse gas emissions fell by 9% in 2024 and are now 44% lower than the baseline year.
• Emissions linked to the goods and services consumed in Wales have also fallen over the long term.
• Wales's global footprint has reduced over time but remains higher than a sustainable level.
• Provisional data from a new national travel survey show that around 1 in 5 journeys in Wales are made by walking, wheeling or cycling.
• Large numbers of learners continue to take part in global citizenship qualifications and projects.

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 this goal has been mixed. Overall labour market outcomes have improved 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. Economic data continues to suggest the economy in Wales is performing in a similar manner to the wider UK economy.

The labour market has weakened with job losses more concentrated in 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) per head but is broadly similar to some other parts of the UK with similar features and characteristics.

Average household incomes in Wales are considerably closer to the UK average than gross value added (GVA) per head. Differences depend 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 2024 show that the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds who were in education, employment or training (86.3%), 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 2024 to 2025, 2 years after a full return to pre-pandemic examination arrangements, shows a small decrease in the headline measure (the Capped 9 indicator) since 2023 to 2024 and since the year prior to the pandemic (2018 to 2019). Children from deprived backgrounds still have poorer outcomes.

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.

Since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, economic growth across the UK, and including Wales, has been weaker than in the preceding decade, largely reflecting subdued productivity growth. Productivity has also grown more slowly in the UK than in many other advanced G7 economies, as discussed in the Wales Economic and Fiscal Report 2025. This matters because stronger productivity enables an economy to produce more output from the same level of inputs, thereby supporting higher living standards.

Over this period, Wales has broadly kept pace with the UK in growth. However, the labour productivity gap measured by Gross Value Added (GVA) per hour between Wales and the UK has persisted at around 15%. In 2023, Wales recorded the lowest level of labour productivity among the UK countries and English regions, reflecting long-standing structural challenges that need to be addressed if the gap is too narrow. Reducing productivity gap between Wales and the wider UK is therefore a key priority. In this context, the Welsh Government has recently set an ambition to halve the productivity gap between Wales and the rest of the UK within 10 years.

Figure 1.1: gross value added (GVA) per hour worked, Wales regions relative to the UK (UK = 100), 2004 to 2023 [Note 1], [Note 2]

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Description of figure 1.1: line charts showing that Gross Value Added (GVA) per hour worked in Wales and its economic regions relative to the UK (current index UK = 100). For Wales overall, it has been relatively stable since 2004, with Welsh productivity remaining below the UK average.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of subregional labour productivity, UK, 2004 to 2023, ONS

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

[Note 2] Productivity estimates provided use smoothed data to account for the increased volatility that can occur at smaller geographical areas.

Labour productivity varies substantially across Wales. Productivity has consistently been highest in Southeast Wales and lowest in Mid and Southwest Wales, while North Wales has shown some signs of narrowing the gap with both Southeast Wales and the UK average in recent years. The regional productivity patterns in Wales are discussed further in the Socio-economic Analysis of Wales, 2026 Report. The report also identifies several potential factors associated with the productivity gap, including the prevalence of smaller and relatively less productive firms, a lower share of high-growth firms, low levels of R&D expenditure, a lower proportion of innovation-active businesses, and a higher share of the labour force with lower qualification levels compared to their UK average. The analysis also considers a range of measures that could support productivity growth, including supporting high-potential start-ups and spinouts, improving firms’ access to finance, increasing research, development and innovation (RD&I), strengthening skills, and raising labour market participation, including by reducing economic inactivity across gender, ethnicity and disability groups.

One of the National Wellbeing Indicators relating to productivity growth is the proportion of innovation active businesses. The latest information from the UK innovation survey (which is published every two years with the latest data for 2022 to 2024) indicates that 28% 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 2022 to 2024. 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.

Since the 2008 recession, investment in business innovation has fluctuated in Wales and the UK. The proportion of innovation active businesses have declined since COVID-19 (2020 to 2022) across most UK regions, except the East Midlands.

Figure 1.2: innovation-active businesses in Wales and the UK, between 2008 to 2010 and 2022 to 2024

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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 (2022 to 2024).

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. The national income indicator is based on gross disposable household income (GDHI), which measures the income available to households after taxes, social insurance contributions and other expenses have been deducted. The associated national milestone is to improve GDHI per head (income per resident) by 2035. According to the most recent data for 2024, GDHI per head in Wales has increased by 22% nominally since 2020, but declined in real terms after accounting for inflation.

Figure 1.3: gross disposable household income per head, Wales and UK, 2004 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.3: GDHI per head has increased overall in Wales and the UK since 2004, with the value for Wales remaining below the UK across the timeseries. Further, the gap between Wales and UK has been rising.

Source: Regional Gross Disposable Household Income, ONS

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

A comparative analysis with the UK provides a useful basis for assessing relative living standards.  GDHI per head in Wales remains at 83% of the UK level, below its peak of 87% in 2004. Wales has the second-lowest GDHI per head among the UK countries and English regions, although it remains broadly comparable with areas of the UK with similar characteristics. In 2024, GDHI per head was 85% of the UK level in North Wales, above the Wales average, and 81% in Mid and Southeast Wales, below the Wales average.

Wales’s relative decline may reflect slower growth in productivity and relatively lower profit margins among self-employed businesses and smaller firms, which are more prevalent in Wales. Wales also continue to have a relatively smaller share of high-income earners than the UK average which will also affect this measure. These issues are discussed further in the Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2025.

The national milestone for employment is to eliminate the gap between the employment rate in Wales and that of the UK by 2050. The Annual Population Survey (APS) provides estimates of labour market outcomes at local authority level and for population sub-groups, and is the source used for the national indicators and associated national milestones. As most labour market data are survey-based and subject to volatility, short-term changes should be interpreted with caution.

According to the APS, the employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 72.1% in the year ending March 2026, compared with 75.4% for the UK.. Since the year ending March 2005, the employment rate has increased by 2.7 percentage points in Wales and by 2.9 percentage points in the UK. The employment rate gap between Wales and the UK (shown in Figure 1.4) narrowed in recent years, reaching 1.5 percentage points in the year ending March 2022 and 2.0 percentage points in the year ending March 2025, before widening again to 3.3 percentage points in the year ending 2026.

Figure 1.4: the employment rate gap (people aged 16 to 64) between Wales and UK, year ending March 2005 to March 2026

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Description of figure 1.4: a line chart showing the employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has fluctuated since the year ending March 2005, with the gap widening in the latest period (year ending March 2026) following a period of narrowing in the preceding years.

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)

The Wales Economic and Fiscal report 2025 provides broader contextual information and analysis on labour market performance, with a 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 2024 show that 86.3% of 16 to 24 year olds were in education, employment or training, down from 86.8% in 2023. The decrease was driven by an increase in economic inactivity for 16 to 18 year olds.

Using the main measure of young people in education, employment or training, there was a decrease in the proportion of 16 to 18 year olds in education, employment or training (from 90.8% in 2023 to 88.3% in 2024) and an increase in the proportion of 19 to 24 year olds (from 84.9% in 2023 to 85.3% 2024).

Using more timely but less statistically robust data from the annual population survey (APS), the proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 in Wales who were in education, employment or training was 83.0% in the year ending December 2025, a decrease of 5.5 percentage points over the year. APS estimates of NEETs in Wales have become increasingly volatile in recent years and are less statistically robust than the statistical release on the issue, which combines the APS with other work-based learning and education sources. The overall trend in the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds in Wales who were in education, employment or training has generally increased since 2010 despite some volatility in the data.

Figure 1.5: percentage of young people in Wales in education, employment or training, 2004 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.5: 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 85.3% in 2024.

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 2024 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 2025, 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 2025, 66% of people on permanent contracts (or on temporary contracts, and not seeking permanent employment) earned at least the real living wage, a decrease from 67% in 2024. This is based on the real living wage for financial year 2025 to 2026 as published in October 2025.

Figure 1.6: 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 2025

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Description of figure 1.6: a line chart showing that the number of people in employment earning at least the real living wage in Wales decreased over the year to 66% in 2025.

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 2025, the (full-time) gender pay gap was 1.9%, up slightly from 1.8% in the previous year. The gap narrowed slightly in the UK to 6.9%.

The gender pay gap for all employees remains considerably higher at 9.7%. 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 1.7: percentage difference in median hourly full-time earnings between men and women, 1999 to 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.7: 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 2025, the pay difference between disabled and non-disabled people in Wales was £1.06 an hour (6.6%). This means that disabled employees in Wales earned, on average £1.06 less per hour than non-disabled employees. This is an increase on the previous year when the pay gap was £1.18 (7.8%). 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 2025, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees in Wales earned, on average £1.32 (8.4%) less per hour than White employees . This compares to an ethnicity pay difference of £0.54 (or 3.6%) in 2024. 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 pay differences are based on median hourly earnings for all employees aged 16 to 64. Ethnicity pay differences are based on median hourly earnings for all employees aged 16 and over.

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 38.7% whereas average hourly earnings for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees have increased by 28.9%. Differences in pay and employment rates across gender, ethnicity, and disability are also discussed in the A More Equal Wales chapter.

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 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)  Family Resources Survey.

For the latest period (financial year 2023 to financial year 2025), 14% of households spend 30% or more of their income on housing costs. This percentage varies by housing tenure.

3% of households who own their own home outright and 9% 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 35% of those in private rented and 33% of those in social rented housing spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs.

The DWP has changed how Family Resources Survey statistics are produced to improve poverty statistics. This change applies from financial year end (FYE) 2022 onwards. The DWP have advised that the changes have resulted in a higher median income for all groups.

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.

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 2025, 46.7% of working age adults (aged 18 to 64 years) were qualified to at least higher education level (level 4), up from 45.9% in 2024.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 2025, 69.7% 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 7.2% in 2025. 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 88.9% in 2025.

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 1.8: highest level of qualification held by adults of working age, 2008 to 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.8: 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 2025, 8 of Wales’s 22 local authorities have 5% or less of working age adults with no qualifications: Monmouthshire (1.9%), Powys (2.5%), Gwynedd (3.9%), Vale of Glamorgan (4.1%), Carmarthenshire (4.2%), Ceredigion (4.3%), Pembrokeshire (4.4%), Cardiff (4.4%). . The proportion of working age adults with no qualifications was highest in Merthyr Tydfil (14.6%) and Blaenau Gwent (14.5%).

Figure 1.9: proportion of working age population with no qualification by local authority, 2025

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Description of figure 1.9: a bar chart showing the proportion of the working age population with no qualifications in each local authority in 2025. The proportion is less than 5% in the Monmouthshire, Powys, Gwynedd, Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Cardiff, but is over 14% in Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent.

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 2024 to 2025 the average capped 9 indicator (interim measures version) was 354.3 points, a small increase from 352.1 points in 2023 to 2024. Children from deprived backgrounds still have poorer outcomes.

In 2024 to 2025, pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) scored 300.8 points and pupils not eligible for FSM scored 379.4 points on average in the capped 9 indicator (interim measures version). This means that pupils not eligible for FSM scored higher than pupils eligible by 78.6 points.

Figure 1.10: capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility, academic years 2018 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 1.10: 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 and 2024 to 2025. 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)

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 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 a subset of priority species had stabilised in recent years following a long-term decline. But a more recent review of evidence from the State of Natural Resources Report 2025 drawing on a wider assessment of species, habitats and ecosystem resilience, indicates that biodiversity in Wales continues to decline.  

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 2024 was the highest in the last 6 years but remained lower than the peak in 2015. 

The State of Natural Resources Report 2025 (SoNaRR 2025) produced by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) provides a comprehensive assessment of progress against the 4 aims of the sustainable management of natural resources.  It concludes that Wales is not currently meeting these aims, and that biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution continue to reduce the resilience of ecosystems and natural resources.

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. 

According to the State of Nature report 2023, Wales is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, with almost 1 out of 6 assessed species at risk of extinction. 

An experimental biodiversity indicator published in 2021, and included in the Wellbeing of Wales report 2021, found that the distribution of a subset of priority species (known as ‘Section 7’) had stabilised in recent years following a long-term decline. This indicator reflects the distribution of a limited number of species rather than the overall health of biodiversity and ecosystems. 

A more recent review of evidence from SoNaRR 2025 drawing on a wider assessment of species, habitats and ecosystem resilience, indicates that biodiversity in Wales continues to decline and that Welsh ecosystems are not currently resilient, despite some examples of local species recovery.

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. A further update of this indicator will be available by early 2027.  

SoNaRR 2025 concludes that ecosystems in Wales lack resilience, with many semi-natural habitats continuing to decline in diversity, extent, condition and connectivity. The report also provides some evidence of improvement of ecosystem resilience across Woodlands and Enclosed Farmland.

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 2021 to 2023, showed 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. SoNaRR 2025 concludes that Welsh soils are generally stable but face increasing pressures from climate change, carbon loss, nutrient enrichment and compaction, highlighting the need for improved soil management and monitoring to support progress towards the national indicator on healthy soils.

The quality of our water 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, sustainable energy sewage treatment and agriculture. In financial year 2025 to 2026 Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy provided around 926 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.

Data for 2024 showed that 40% of 933 surface and ground water bodies were at good or better status. This was similar to 2021 and a 3 percentage point increase since 2015. 60% of water bodies are not at good Water Framework Directive Regulations Status. This is because of physical modifications; pollution from wastewater, towns, cities and transport, rural areas and abandoned mines; and changes to the natural flow and levels of water. 

The 2024 water quality compliance assessments for the 9 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) rivers in Wales were published in 2025, using monitoring data against targets for phosphorus and wider indicators of pollution. The SAC Rivers water quality compliance assessment results show that 50% of SAC rivers are now meeting stringent targets, compared with 39% in 2021.

Good quality bathing waters are very important for coastal communities, visitors and the economy in Wales. During the past 9 years, nearly all bathing waters met the standards set by the Bathing Water Regulations. Bathing water quality was monitored at 112 designated sites around Wales’s coast in 2025. 110 bathing waters met the standards. 78 were classified as excellent, 26 achieved good and 6 were classified as the minimum, sufficient, standard. 2 bathing waters failed to achieve the standard and were assessed as poor, the same as in 2024. 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 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 2.1: a line chart showing bathing water quality for designated sites in Wales between 2017 and  2025. In 2025, 70% were classed as excellent (the lowest percentage since 2017), 23% as good, 5% as sufficient and 2% as poor. 

Source: NRW Bathing Water Quality Report 2025

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

Data published in 2025 showed that 1 in 7 (275,000) residential and non-residential properties were 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 decreasing gradually to 6 µg/m3 by 2024.  Average concentrations to which people are exposed of particulate matter (PM10) continued to decrease in 2024 with PM2.5 remaining broadly similar.

SoNaRR highlights that nitrogen pollution continues to exceed critical thresholds across many sensitive habitats, contributing to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, while emissions from transport, agriculture, industry and domestic burning still affect air quality in some areas. 

Air pollution has a significant effect on public health. 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 2024

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Description of figure 2.2: a line chart showing a general improvement in air quality indicators over the period 2007 to 2024. 

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 3 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 2024 to 2025, on average 163kg of household waste generated was not recycled per person a decrease from 168kg the previous year. 

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 over two-thirds (68.4%) in 2024 to 2025.

Figure 2.3: percentage of local authority municipal waste reused,  recycled or composted, between financial years 2013 to 2014 and 2024 to 2025

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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 68.4% in 2024 to 2025. 

Source: Local Authority Municipal Waste, StatsWales

Over a third (37%) of electricity generated in Wales was from renewable sources in 2024, up from 34% in 2023, due to falling fossil gas generation. In 2024, renewable electricity generation in Wales was estimated to be equivalent to 55% 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 2024, the installed electrical capacity for renewable energy was 3,809 megawatts (MW), a 4% increase compared to the previous year and more than twice the capacity in 2012. At the end of 2024, the total renewable heat capacity in Wales was 956 MW, 10% more than the previous year and nearly 16 times the heat capacity in 2012. The installation rate for renewable energy capacity in 2024 was the highest in the last 6 years but remained 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 2024

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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 2024, 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). 

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 2025 (Natural Resources Wales) provides a comprehensive assessment of the extent to which natural resources are being sustainably managed. The new SoNaRR evidence portal (Natural Resources Wales)  includes the evidence behind the Ecosystem Resilience Assessment.

Wales Environmental Information Portal (Natural Resources Wales)

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

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic still affecting trends.

Healthy life expectancy at birth (the average time an individual is expected to live in good or very good health) continues to decline for both females and males. This is despite recent improvements to overall life expectancy at birth. The gap in healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas also continues to widen, with the gap now at its widest for males in the latest data for the period 2022 to 2024. On average, men in the most deprived areas of Wales can expect to live 18.1 fewer years in good or very good health compared with men in the least deprived areas.

The proportion of single babies born with low birthweight, under 2,500g, has shown an increase in the last decade, and was at 6.0% in the latest period.

The percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, such as not smoking, drinking within guidelines, eating fruit and vegetables, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight, declined between financial years 2016 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 2 or more healthy lifestyle 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 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 across the time series, with the gap between low and high family affluence widening.

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

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 2022 to 2024, life expectancy at birth increased compared with 2021 to 2023, rising to 82.2 years for females and 78.3 years for males, returning to pre- COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2017 to 2019.

Healthy life expectancy at birth in the same period decreased to 58.5 years for females and 59.2 years for males, falling for the fourth consecutive period for both women and men.

Figure 3.1: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth, by sex, 2001 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 3.1: this line chart shows life expectancy at birth had been increasing but has recently stalled. Healthy life expectancy at birth has decreased, with a notable decrease for females.

Source: Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, Office for National Statistics (ONS).

[Note 1] The y axis does not start at zero.

In 2025, the provisional number of deaths increased compared with 2024, but remained lower than the levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-term trends show falling age-standardised mortality rates, which adjust for population size and age structure, reaching their lowest levels, provisionally, in 2025.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and ischaemic heart disease remained the leading causes of death, accounting for over 1 in 5 deaths together.

Figure 3.2: age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 people, 1994 to 2025 (provisional)

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

Source: Deaths registered in Wales and England, 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 and 2024, the gap in healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas increased for females and for males. The gap is now at its widest on record for males, at 18.1 years.

For both females and males, the gap in life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas is smaller than the corresponding gap in healthy life expectancy at birth. However, both gaps have widened, indicating growing inequality.

Figure 3.3: absolute gap in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas, females and males, 2011 to 2024

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Description of figure 3.3: this line chart shows the gap in healthy life expectancy at birth has increased for both females and males. The life expectancy at birth gap is smaller for females and males than the equivalent gap for healthy life expectancy, but has been increasing for both.

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

The percentage of low birthweight singleton babies has been relatively stable over time, at between 5% and 6%. However, there has been an upward trend since 2015 and was at 6.0% in 2025, down slightly since 2024.

In 2025, 6.6% of female babies and 5.5% of male babies had low birth weight. This is consistent with long-term patterns.

Figure 3.4: percentage of live singleton births with a birth weight of under 2,500g, 2005 to 2025

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Description of figure 3.4: this line chart shows the percentage 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.

Healthy lifestyle behaviours include not smoking, drinking within guidelines, eating fruit and vegetables, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight. The national milestones on adult and children’s healthy lifestyle behaviours are:

• to increase the percentage with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours to more than 97% for adults by 2050
• to increase the percentage with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours to 94% for children by 2035, and to more than 99% by 2050

The National Survey for Wales was adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, results from the financial year 2020 to 2021 are not comparable with previous years. There are no new data from the National Survey for Wales, which means that the latest data available for the national indicators on healthy lifestyle behaviours are from 2024 to 2025.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2016 and 2020, the percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours decreased and was short of the national milestone. The trend since 2020 to 2021 appears to have improved slightly but is not comparable with previous years. It still remains short of the national milestone.

In 2024 to 2025, 93.6% of adults reported following 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours. The percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours were less common among males, adults aged 45 to 64, and people living in more deprived areas.

Analysis looking specifically at smoking and drinking alcohol suggests that the factors linked with smoking in 2024 to 2025 were:

• being single
• not being religious
• being in bad health
• having a mental health condition
• having lower levels of qualifications
• renting their home

Similarly, the factors linked with drinking alcohol above guidelines were:

• being male
• being older
• being in the white ethnic group
• being in good general health
• participating in sport and having higher levels of qualifications

Figure 3.5: percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, 2016 to 2024 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4]

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Description of figure 3.5: this line chart shows the percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours decreased between 2016and 2020. The trend since 2020 to 21 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 are no data for that year.

[Note 4] The y axis does not start at zero.

In the academic year 2023 to 2024, 90.1% of young people aged 11 to 16 demonstrated 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, an increase from previous years.

Young people reported low levels of smoking (2.6%) 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 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours, between academic years 2017 to 2023 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 3.6: this line chart shows the percentage of young people with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours has increased between 2017 to 2024.

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Well-being Survey.

[Note 1] The y axis does not start at zero.

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

In the 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 score in 2022 to 2023.

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

The gap in the average WEMWBS score between the most and least deprived areas has remained similar since 2022 to 2023.

Figure 3.7: average Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale score for adults, by deprivation, 2016 to 2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

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Description of figure 3.7: this line chart shows the average mental wellbeing score has not shown 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] The y axis does not start at zero.

Using the short Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale (SWEMWBS), the average mental wellbeing score for young people aged 11 to 16, fell from 24.0 in 2017 to 2018 to 23.5 in 2023 to 2024, indicating a decline in mental wellbeing.

Scores from the SWEMWBS are based on a shorter set of questions than the adult WEMWBS, so the scores are not directly comparable.

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 girl nor a boy reported the lowest wellbeing, followed by girls, with boys reporting the highest wellbeing. Mental wellbeing was generally lower for older children.

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 2023 [Note 1]

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

Source: School Health Research Network Student Health and Well-being Survey.

[Note 1] The 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 dwellings 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, 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 2024 to 2025, 69% of these assessments were free from category 1 hazards, broadly consistent with previous years.

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.

There is a national milestone to reduce the poverty gap between people in Wales with certain 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.

Data on material deprivation, mental wellbeing and feelings of safety come from the National Survey for Wales. The sample size for financial year 2024 to 2025 (the latest available year of data) was smaller than in previous years and the composition of people in the sample was 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 is no new National Survey for Wales data this year, so there are fewer areas where the data has been updated.

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 for full-time employees has generally been narrowing over the last 2 decades and stood at 1.9% in April 2025. 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 2015 to 2016 and 2025 to 2026, the gap between the employment rate of disabled and non-disabled individuals has decreased by 4.9 percentage points. Whereas the gap between White individuals and those from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background has decreased by 10.0 percentage points.

The percentage of people living in relative income poverty has been relatively stable over the last two decades 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 2017 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. Whilst women achieve better educational outcomes, this does not carry through to employment rates and pay.

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 2024 to 2025 girls scored 365.7 points on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) compared to 343.7 points for boys. This gap of 21.9 points has narrowed from 22.2 points in 2023 to 2024, and 32.9 points in 2018 to 2019.

In terms of the working age population, an estimated 7.7% of men held no qualifications in 2025 compared with 6.6% of women, and women were more likely to hold qualifications at or above level 4.

Employment rates for people aged 16 to 64 in Wales were lower for women than for men (69.8% and 74.5% respectively in financial year 2025 to 2026). This relates to the higher economic inactivity rates (excluding students) for women (24.2%) than men (18.5%) 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. The employment rate gap narrowed in 2025 to 2026 compared to the previous year and has notably narrowed in the last two decades.

Figure 4.1: employment rate (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) by sex and year, between financial years 2005 to 2006 and 2025 to 2026

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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 2025 to 2026. The employment rate gap narrowed in 2025 to 2026 compared to the previous year, as the employment rate for men decreased to 74.5%, and the employment rate for women decreased slightly to 69.8%.

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

The gender pay gap for full-time employees in Wales, based on median hourly earnings (excluding overtime), stood at 1.9% in April 2025. This is broadly similar to the previous year. Wales had the second smallest (full-time employees) gender pay gap of the 12 UK countries and regions.

For part-time employees in Wales, women were paid 3.1% 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 9.7% in April 2025, an increase of 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous year. This is higher than full-time employees and part-time employees separately, because women fill more part-time jobs, which in comparison with full-time jobs have lower hourly median pay.

For full-time and part-time employees combined, the gender pay gap increases with age. In April 2025, women aged 18 to 21 earned 0.8% less than men, compared to women aged 60 and over who earned 12.3% less than men.

Figure 4.2: percentage difference in median hourly full-time earnings between men and women, 1999 to 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 4.2: a line chart showing that the difference in median hourly full-time earnings between men and women has generally 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.

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

Source: Welsh Government Analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics

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). In 2025, the proportion of women with pay set by collective bargaining (59.6%) was higher than men (46.0%).

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 2025, the proportion of women earning at least the real living wage (61.1%) was much lower than for men (70.4%). This largely reflects the fact that women are more likely to work part-time than men, and part-time jobs tend to be lower paid than full-time jobs.

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.

In financial year 2024 to 2025, 11% of adults were living in households in material deprivation. Similar proportions of women and men were classed as materially deprived (12% and 11% respectively). 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. Children are more likely to be in poverty and older people have higher mental well-being.

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.

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).

The latest data published is for the three-year period between financial years 2022 to 2023 and 2024 to 2025.

Improvements have been made to relative income poverty statistics from the three-year period from financial year ending 2021 to 2023, due to the introduction of integrated administrative data on benefits not used previously. Data from this period onwards are not comparable with previous years. More improvements are planned for the next few years, and relative income poverty statistics are now classed as Official Statistics in Development rather than Accredited Official Statistics.

The latest data shows that 22% of all people in Wales were living in relative income poverty. This proportion has been relatively stable in Wales for the last two decades. Children are the consistently the population group most likely to be in relative income poverty. The most recent figures show that 32% of children in Wales were in relative poverty compared to 21% of working-age adults and 11% of pensioners. Since the early 2000s a higher proportion of the working-age population has been in relative income poverty than pensioners.

Figure 4.3: percentage of each age group in Wales living in relative income poverty, by three-financial-year averages, 1997-99 to 2023-25 [Note 1] [Note 2]

Image

Description of figure 4.3: a line chart showing people in Wales living in relative income poverty (after housing costs were paid) from 1997 onwards. Children are consistently the age group most likely to be in relative income poverty and pensioners are the age group least likely to be in relative income poverty.

[Note 1] Data from the period which spans financial years ending 2021 to 2023 are not comparable with previous periods due to the introduction of integrated administrative data on benefits not used previously. More information is provided in the latest relative income poverty statistical release and a link to this is provided in the Further Reading section at the end of this chapter.

[Note 2] 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.

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

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

Figure 4.4: material deprivation by age group and year, between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2024 to 2025 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 4.4: 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.

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

Source: National Survey for Wales, Welsh Government

In June 2022 the previous 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. In general, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds had more positive education outcomes. However, this trend does not continue into outcomes relating to employment, pay and poverty.

GCSE results for academic year 2024 to 2025 show that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic pupils scored 384.9 on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) compared to 362.3 for White British pupils. This is a gap of 22.6 points, up from 19.9 points in 2023 to 2024, and up from the gap of 17.0 points in 2018 to 2019.

Figure 4.5: GCSE capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by ethnic group, academic year 2024 to 2025

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Description of figure 4.5: a bar chart showing the GCSE capped 9 indicator (interim measure version) by ethnic group in the 2024 to 2025 academic year. Those who identify as Gypsy, Traveller and Roma are the only ethnic groups below 250 points, other ethnic groups range from 330 points to 450 points.

Source: Examination Results, Welsh Government

In 2025, 69.0% of working age adults from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (excluding those from a Gypsy, Traveller or Roma background) held qualifications at levels 4 and above, compared to 46.6% of White working age adults (including those from a Gypsy, Irish Traveller or Roma background). Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic working age adults were also less likely to hold no qualifications (4.6%) than White working age adults (7.6%).

Employment rates in financial year 2025 to 2026 among the Welsh population aged 16 to 64 are higher among individuals from a White ethnic background (72.2%) than for individuals from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (70.6%).  The employment rate gap has narrowed from 10.2 percentage points in 2024 to 2025 to 1.6 percentage points in 2025 to 2026. Over the last decade, the ethnicity employment rate gap has generally narrowed.

Figure 4.6: employment rate (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) by ethnicity and year, between financial years 2011 to 2012 and 2025 to 2026

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Description of figure 4.6: a line chart showing employment rates for those aged between 16 and 64 by ethnicity between 2011 to 2012 and 2025 to 2026. Those from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background continue to have a lower employment rate than white individuals but the employment rate gap has generally narrowed over the last decade. The employment rate gap has narrowed from 10.2 percentage points in 2024 to 2025 to 1.6 percentage points in 2025 to 2026.

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

Ethnicity pay differences are based on median hourly earnings for all employees aged 16 and over. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees earned, on average £1.32 (8.4%) less per hour than White employees in 2025. This compares to an ethnicity pay difference of £0.54 (or 3.6%) in 2024. 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. Median hourly earnings for White employees have increased by 38.7% since 2019, whereas average hourly earnings for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees have increased by 28.9%.

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 2020 to 2021 to financial year 2024 to 2025 there was a 48% 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 19% 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. Religious people had higher mental wellbeing than non-religious people. Christians and non-religious people were less likely to be lonely.

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 2022 to 2023 to financial year 2024 to 2025, 23% of people in households where the head of the household identified as Straight/Heterosexual were in relative income poverty compared with 25% 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 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’.

The School Health Research Network’s Student Health and Wellbeing survey also collects data on healthy lifestyle behaviours for pupils aged 11 to 16. In academic year 2023 to 2024, pupils who selected ‘neither word describes me’ for their gender were less likely than boys or girls to report having two or more healthy lifestyle behaviours.

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. Disabled people had a lower employment rate and earned less than non-disabled people. Disabled people were also more likely to be in poverty, had lower mental well-being and were less likely to feel safe at home, in their local area and travelling.

In academic year 2024 to 2025, pupils with special educational needs scored 250.6 on average in the GCSE Capped 9 indicator (interim measure version), a decrease from 263.9 points in 2023 to 2024 and 282.0 points in 2018 to 2019.

Of the working-age population in 2025, disabled people were more likely to have no qualifications (13.2%) than non-disabled people (4.6%) and were less likely to hold qualifications at level 4 or higher. Compared to 2024 the proportion of disabled adults of working age with no qualifications decreased by 1.6 percentage points.

For the year ending 31 March 2026, the employment rate among disabled people aged 16 to 64 in Wales was 50.3% whilst the rate for people who are not disabled was 80.8%. The employment rate gap for disabled people in 2025 to 2026, of 30.5 percentage points, has reduced from 35.4 percentage points in 2015 to 2016.

Figure 4.7: employment rates (percentage of population aged 16 to 64) of disabled and non-disabled people by financial year, 2013-14 to 2025-26 (rates for year ending March)

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Description of figure 4.7: a line chart showing employment rates for disabled and non-disabled individuals aged between 16 and 64 between financial years 2013 to 2014 and 2025 to 2026. The employment rate gap has generally decreased over time, although disabled people continue to have an employment rate that is 30.5 percentage points lower than non-disabled people in 2025 to 2026.

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

Disability pay differences are based on median hourly earnings for all employees aged 16 to 64. The pay difference between disabled and non-disabled people in Wales was £1.06 (6.6%) in 2025. This means that disabled people in Wales earned, on average, £1.06 less per hour than non-disabled people. This is a decrease on the previous year when the pay gap was £1.18 (7.8%). 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 2022 to 2023 to financial year 2024 to 2025), for working-age adults, 25% of individuals who lived in a family where someone was disabled were in relative income poverty compared with 19% 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 31% of those in families where no-one was disabled.

Figure 4.8: percentage of working age adults in relative income poverty in households with disabled and non-disabled people by combined financial years, 2015-17 to 2023-25 (year ending March) [Note 1] [Note 2]

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Description of figure 4.8: a line chart showing the percentage of working age adults in relative income poverty in households with disabled and non-disabled people. Adults of working age living in a family where someone is disabled are more likely to be in relative income poverty compared with those in families where no-one is disabled.

[Note 1] Data from the period which spans financial years ending 2021 to 2023 are not comparable with previous periods due to the introduction of integrated administrative data on benefits not used previously. More information is provided in the latest relative income poverty statistical release and a link to this is provided in the Further Reading section at the end of this chapter.

[Note 2] 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.

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

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 (Welsh Government)

The Anti Racist Wales Action plan: measuring its impact on people's lives (Welsh Government)

Anti-racist Wales Action Plan interactive dashboard: 2026 (Welsh Government)

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)

Relative income poverty (Welsh Government)

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 6 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 coronavirus (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 increased, whilst the number of individuals in temporary accommodation has decreased, as has the estimated number of individuals sleeping rough.

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 (2025 to 2026) police recorded crime in Wales (excluding fraud) has decreased by 3% whilst the proportion of adults who are victims of crime has also reduced (4% of adults in 2025 to 2026).

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.

A breakdown by factors linked to all 3 measures of community cohesion is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

Belonging to the local area

In relation to the belonging to the local area measure of community cohesion specifically, between April 2024 and March 2025, 73% of people in Wales agreed that they belong to their local area. This is down from 79% between April 2021 and March 2022.

People who felt they belonged to their local area were more likely to be aged 45 to 64, or 65 or older (77% and 80% respectively) in comparison to people aged 16 to 44 (65%). They were also more likely to be White (Welsh, English, British, etc.) (73%) or part of an ethnic minority (excluding White minorities) (77%). No differences could be identified when comparing these groups with each other; however, both groups were more likely to agree they belonged to their local area compared with White minority groups (56%). In addition, the type of area in which people lived was found to be linked to a feeling of belonging to the local area, with this the case for 79% of people who lived in a rural area relative to 70% of people who lived in an urban area.

People from different backgrounds getting on well together

With regards to the people from different backgrounds getting on well together measure of community cohesion, between April 2024 and March 2025, 80% of people in Wales thought that people from different backgrounds in their local area got on well together. This is down from 82% between April 2021 and March 2022, the last time this question was asked in the National Survey for Wales.

People who thought that people from different backgrounds got on well together in their local area were more likely to be 65 or older (84%) compared with people aged 16 to 44 (78%), or 45 to 64 (79%). They were also more likely to not have a limiting long-standing illness or disability (82%) relative to people who do have a limiting long-standing illness or disability (76%), plus they were more likely to be satisfied with their ability to get to local services or facilities (82%) in comparison to people who were not satisfied (73%).

Belonging to the local area was also found to be a factor linked to agreeing that people in the local area from different backgrounds get on well together. 89% of people who strongly agreed that they belonged reported this compared with just 50% of people who strongly disagreed they belonged to their local area.

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: Welsh Government

[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 4 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 4 situations.  These results have remained relatively constant across the years since first asked in 2016 to 2017.

A breakdown by factors linked to feeling safe after dark is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

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.

A breakdown by factors linked to satisfaction with local area is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

Access to good services and facilities

In April 2024 to March 2025, 78% of people in Wales were satisfied with the ability to get to local services or facilities. This is down from 86% between April 2021 and March 2022, the last time this question was asked in the National Survey for Wales.

People who were satisfied with their ability to get to local services or facilities were more likely to live in an urban area (81%) compared with people living in a rural area (74%). They were also more likely to not have a limiting long-standing illness or disability (82%) relative to people who do have a limiting long-standing illness or disability (72%).

Both life satisfaction and belonging to the local area were also found to be linked with being satisfied with the ability to get to local services or facilities. People who were satisfied with their ability to get to local services or facilities were most likely to have a very high life satisfaction (85%), followed by people with a high life satisfaction (79%). People with a medium life satisfaction were next most likely (69%) and people with a low life satisfaction were least likely to be satisfied with their ability to get to local services (56%). With regards to a sense of belonging to their local area, people who agreed they belonged were more likely to be satisfied with their ability to get to local services and facilities than people who disagreed (strongly agree: 83%; tend to agree: 79%; tend to disagree: 65%; strongly disagree: 67%).

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

In April 2024 to March 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.

People who said they could influence decisions affecting their local area were more likely to be 65 or older, with this the case for 23% of people in this age range, compared with 18% of people aged 16 to 44 or 45 to 64. They were also more likely to live in a rural area (22%) relative to an urban area (18%), and to be satisfied with their ability to get to local services or facilities (21%) compared with people who were not satisfied (12%).

People who had contacted their local councillor in the last 12 months were more likely to feel that they could influence decisions affecting their local area than people who had not, or people who had contacted a councillor but were unsure of what type. 24% of people who had contacted their local councillor in the last 12 months said they could influence decisions affecting their local area, compared with 18% of people who had not.

A further factor linked with feeling able to influence decisions affecting the local area was the feeling of belonging, whereby people who strongly agreed that they belonged to the local area were most likely to feel they could influence decisions (25%). People who tended to agree that they belonged were more likely to feel they could influence decisions affecting their local area (19%) than people who neither agreed or disagreed that they belonged to their local area (11%) or who strongly disagreed that they belonged (8%).

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.

A breakdown by factors linked to volunteering is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

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.

A breakdown by factors linked to loneliness is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

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 6 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. This indicator is currently under development, alongside the development of a minimum digital living standard. Further details on the measure for this indicator will be added as the indicator is developed.

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.

A breakdown by factors linked to use of the internet is available in the 2025 Wellbeing of Wales report.

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

Prevention of homelessness

Among households in Wales threatened with homelessness between April 2025 and March 2026, homelessness was successfully prevented for at least 6 months in 61% of cases (4,671 households). This is slightly higher than in both 2024 to 2025 (59% (r)) and 2023 to 2024 (58%). However, it remains below the levels between 2017 to 2018 and 2021 to 2022, when homelessness was successfully prevented in around two thirds of cases (66%).

Relief from homelessness

Homelessness is “relieved” when a local authority helps a person secure suitable accommodation which is likely to be available for at least six months, meaning they are no longer homeless. 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. During 2025 to 2026 this figure increased by 2 percentage points to 27% (3,351 households).

Figure 5.7: percentage of households successfully prevented and relieved from homelessness, between financial years 2015 to 2016 and 2025 to 2026

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Description of figure 5.7: line chart showing that the percentage of households prevented from homelessness has remained fairly stable in recent years following a drop in financial year 2022 to 2023. The percentage of households relieved from homelessness fell between April 2020 and March 2025 but has increased slightly in the latest year.

Source: Statutory Homelessness: Key Indicators

Temporary accommodation

Monthly information shows that on 30 June 2026, 10,339 individuals were in temporary accommodation, lower than the number recorded during June in each of the last 3 years. 2,227 of these were dependent children aged under 16, which is also lower than the number recorded during June in each of the last 3 years.

The most common type of temporary accommodation was local authority stock (2,502). This is followed by bed and breakfast and hotels (2,493), private sector accommodation (1,980) and hostels (1,939). This is the first time that local authority stock has accommodated a greater number of individuals than bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation.

Rough sleeping

As of 30 June 2026, there were an estimated 158 individuals sleeping rough throughout Wales. This is lower than the number recorded on 30 June 2025 (169) and 30 June 2023 (173) but higher than that recorded on 30 June 2024 (153).

The local authorities reporting the highest numbers of individuals sleeping rough were Cardiff (39), Pembrokeshire (24), Torfaen (19), Bridgend (16) and Ceredigion (14). All other local authorities reported 8 or fewer individuals sleeping rough, with 4 local authorities reporting zero.

Confidence in the justice system

The national indicator measures 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:

• they are confident that the criminal justice system as a whole is effective
• they agree that the criminal justice system as a whole is fair

Just under half (46%) of all respondents in Wales were confident that the criminal justice system as a whole was effective in the financial year 2025 to 2026 CSEW. This has decreased compared to the 2019 to 2020 survey (54%) and the 2022-23 survey (53%).

63% of respondents in Wales agreed that the criminal justice system as a whole was fair in the 2025 to 2026 CSEW, which is broadly similar to all recent years in the survey.

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). When respondents in Wales were asked to assess their confidence that they could achieve a fair or good outcome at the beginning of their legal issue, around a third of respondents mainly or strongly disagreed (21% and 11% respectively) that they were confident. This suggests that a substantial proportion lacked confidence in securing a fair outcome, potentially reflecting perceived complexity, power imbalances, or previous experiences of legal processes.

Victims of crime and perceptions of crime

In financial year 2025 to 2026, 4% of adults in Wales were victims of crime (reduced from 6% in the previous year) and 1% were victims of personal crime (reduced from 2% in 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 2025 to 2026 shows half of people in Wales (50%) 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 (15%). 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 3% in financial year 2025 to 2026 compared with the previous year. Violence against the person decreased by 2%, although the rate per 1,000 of the population remains considerably higher than a decade ago.

There were increases in 5 of the 9 main offence categories in 2025 to 2026 compared with the previous year, including robbery (increased by 64%) and possession of weapons offences (increased by 16%), although these categories are the 2 smallest in terms of the number and rate of offences.

Among the other main offence categories, there were increases in sexual offences (increased by 9%) and miscellaneous crimes against society (increased by 8%), whilst there was a decrease in theft (decreased by 9%).

Data on reported fraud and computer misuse offences is not available for the year ending March 2026 due to the creation of a new national fraud and cybercrime reporting system. For the year ending September 2025, the latest available data for recorded fraud and computer misuse statistics, the rate per 1,000 of the population was 5, representing a 6% increase from the previous year.

Figure 5.8: police recorded crime per 1,000 population, between financial years 2002 to 2003 and 2025 to 2026

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Description of figure 5.8: line chart showing the rate of police recorded crime per 1,000 population has fallen for all 4 categories during the latest period.

Theft offences have seen the biggest change, falling from more than 50 per 1,000 population in 2002 to 2003 to around 20 per 1,000 population in recent years. The rate of violence against the person offences showed a large increase between 2013 and 2023, but has reduced slightly in each of the last 3 years. Criminal damage and arson saw a fall in rates until 2012 to 2013 but since this time has remained stable. 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 5% increase in police recorded hate crimes across Wales in financial year 2024 to 2025 compared to 2023 to 2024. This rise follows two annual decreases in recorded hate crimes and is the second highest number of recorded hate crimes in Wales since the Home Office began collecting comparable England and Wales data in the year ending March 2013.

There were 6,213 recorded hate crimes across the 4 Welsh police force areas, of which:

• 63% were race hate crimes
• 18% were sexual orientation hate crimes
• 12% were disability hate crimes
• 7% were religion hate crimes
• 5% were transgender hate crimes

Compared to 2023 to 2024, there was a 30% increase in the number of hate crimes with religion as a recorded motivating factor in Wales. While detailed religious group breakdowns are not available for Wales, at the England and Wales level (excluding the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)) there was a 19% increase in religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims, which spiked in August 2024 coinciding with the Southport murders. The number of religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people fell by 18%, however caution is needed with these figures as they exclude the MPS who recorded 40% of all religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people in the last year. This fall follows a 113% increase in these offences in the year ending March 2024 (which included the MPS data), with a spike in these offences after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

There was also an increase in recorded hate crimes in Wales with race as a motivating factor (up 8%), while hate crimes with disability, sexual orientation and transgender status as recorded motivating factors decreased (for disability and sexual orientation this is the third annual decrease in a row):

• 8% decrease (306 to 282) in transgender hate crimes
• 3% decrease (1,139 to 1,103) in sexual orientation hate crimes
• 2% decrease (752 to 739) in disability hate crimes
• 8% increase (3,632 to 3,911) in race hate crimes
• 30% increase (346 to 451) in religion 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

Communities and local areas (National Survey for Wales): April 2024 to March 2025

Loneliness Inequalities Evidence Review (Wales Centre for Public Policy)

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

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 goal is mixed. Some areas have improved over the long term, including adult sport participation, museum and archive accreditation and the condition of listed buildings. But there has been less progress in other areas. Engagement with the arts has remained broadly stable for adults while it has improved in recent years for children. The condition of listed monuments has gradually worsened and the number of Welsh speakers has declined. Disparities across groups persist for many measures.

The national indicator on arts, culture and heritage has not changed considerably in the 3 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.

Arts attendance among children increased to 87% in 2025, returning to the level seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation in arts activities stood at 84% in 2025. Although participation has generally decreased since 2015, it has been broadly stable in recent years.

More museums and archive services are meeting accredited standards. Between 2017 and 2026, the percentage of archive services meeting accredited standards has increased from 39% to 73% and the percentage of museums from 59% to 62%.

Regular sports participation fell in financial year 2024 to 2025, with 35% of adults taking part in sport 3 or more times a week. But over the long term the percentage of adults regularly taking part in sport has been increasing. Males, people living in less deprived areas, those in good health and Welsh speakers are more likely to participate in sports regularly.

Sports participation amongst school pupils had increased previously but in 2022, the latest year of data, fell 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 worsened but have stabilised over recent years.

There is no new National Survey for Wales data this year, this means there is no update on national indicators related to arts for adults or for sports participation in 2026.

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

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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

Attendance among children fell between 2018 and 2023 but has increased over the last 2 years to stand at 87% in 2025. This is the same level as in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation among children has been gradually falling since 2015 and has been fairly stable in recent years. In 2025, 84% of children participated in at least one art form.

Attendance and participation in arts remained higher among girls and children from higher social grades. The gap between boys and girls, and between children from different socio-economic groups, widened for both attendance and participation in 2025.

Children aged 7 to 10 years continue to have the highest rates of attendance and participation. However, the gap between groups narrowed in 2025 due to increases in both attendance and participation among 16 to 18 year olds.

Figure 6.2: children attending or participating in the arts at least once a year, 2013 to 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 6.2: a line chart showing that attendance in the arts among children has increased since 2023 after falling from a peak in 2018. Participation has gradually decreased since 2015 remaining fairly stable in recent years.

Source: Arts Council of Wales

[Note 1] : The y-axis does not start at zero.

According to the latest data, 99 museums met accreditation standards in 2026, the same number as last year. 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 2026, 16 archive services met the accreditation standard, one more than in 2025. The number and percentage of accredited archive services has increased over time with 73% now accredited, up from 39% in 2017.

Revision to archives data

Historical figures on archives accreditation have been revised to ensure the indicator definition is applied consistently across all years. Further details are provided in the quality report.

The percentage of accredited archive services for 2025 has been revised from 88% to 68%. The number of archive services in 2025 remains unchanged at 15.

The latest data from financial year 2024 to 2025 showed that 35% of adults take part in sport 3 or more times a week. This is lower than in 2022 to 2023 when the percentage was 39% but over the longer term participation has increased. In 2016 to 2017 the rate was 29%.

Regular sports participation decreases with age. An estimated 52% of 16 to 24 year olds take part in sport regularly, compared with 12% of those aged 75 and over.

Males are more likely to participate in sport 3 or more times per week than females, at 40% compared with 32%. Adults living in the most deprived areas are less likely to participate regularly than those living in the least deprived.

Adults with a limiting long-term illness are less than half as likely to participate regularly as those without, at 21% compared with 44%. Compared with the 2022 to 2023 survey year, there was a 6 percentage point decrease in regular participation among adults with a limiting long-term illness while the proportion of those without remained similar.

The percentage of regular sports participation is higher among adults who speak Welsh every day, at 40%, compared with 35% for those who do not use Welsh daily.

41% of adults do not take part in any sport, a figure which has remained broadly unchanged over many years. However, 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

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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.

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

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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 3 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]

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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 20th 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.

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 2026, 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 declined since 2016 to 2017 but has stabilised in recent years. The proportion of monuments in stable or improving condition fell from 66% in 2016 to 2017 to 58% in 2023 to 2024 and has remained at that level since. Around 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 ending 2012 to 2026

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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 since 2016 to 2017 but has stabilised over recent 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.

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.

Progress towards the globally responsible Wales goal has been gradual but sustained with the latest 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 2024, it was estimated that greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales totalled 30.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), a decrease of 9% from 2023, and a decrease of 44% from the base year.

Consumption emissions associated with goods and services consumed by Welsh households were estimated to be 34.0 MtCO2e in 2023, a decrease of 15% 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 2025 to 26, there were 19,074  entrants for the Global Citizenship Challenge at Key Stage 4. There were 13,318 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 wellbeing 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 wellbeing 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 focuses on areas that are most relevant to the global agenda.

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 Wellbeing 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. Around three quarters (74%) of adults were fairly concerned or very concerned about climate change, similar to recent years and most (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 2024 it was estimated that emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales (known as territorial emissions) totalled 30.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). This is a decrease of 9% from 2023 and continues the recent trend of more substantial reductions.

Decreased gas and coal use in the industry sectors and electricity supply caused the largest emissions reductions in 2024. Industry sector emissions fell by 25%, largely due to blast furnace closures in the iron and steel industry and lower coal use across the sector. Electricity supply sector emissions fell by 9%, largely as a result of higher electricity imports, greater renewable generation, and the closure of the UK’s last coal powered station in September 2024.

Figure 7.1: estimated Welsh territorial emissions of greenhouse gases (Mt CO2e), 1990 to 2024 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 7.1: the line chart shows the volume of territorial greenhouse gas emissions (megatonnes) in Wales in between 1990 and 2024. Emissions in Wales have fallen by 44% since the base year. Emissions decreased by 9% between 2023 and 2024.

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

[Note 1]: previously published figures for all years up to 2023 have been revised and marked with (r). No data is published for 1991 to 1994, 1996 and 1997.

There has been a fall of 44% since the base year emissions. The long-term emission reduction trend since the base year is 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
• variations in manufacturing output (for example in iron and steel, bulk chemical production)

The largest emission sector in 2024 was the industry sector, which accounted for 22% 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 19% of Welsh emissions. This is followed by the agriculture sector (17%), the electricity supply sector (15%), the buildings and product uses sector (13%), the fuel supply sector (11%), with other sectors each making smaller contributions of 4% 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.

Consumption emissions have generally decreased since 2001. They fell from 40MtCO2e in 2001 to 34MtCO2e in 2023, a decrease of 15%.

Most emissions (82%) came from the goods and services people use. More than half of all emissions (53%) came from imported goods and services. A further 28% came from goods and services produced in the UK.

The remaining 18% came from activities such as burning fuel for heating and transport.

Figure 7.2: estimated Welsh consumption emissions footprint (Mt CO2e), 2001 to 2023

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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 2023, Wales’ estimated consumption emissions footprint has decreased by 15%, from 40 MtCO2e to 34 MtCO2e.

Source: Consumption Emissions Footprint, Wales, 2001 to 2020 (MtCO2e), University of Leeds consumption based emissions estimate.

Some forms of travel, including road traffic, make a substantial contribution to carbon emissions. Increasing the proportion of journeys made by walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport is an important part of reducing transport emissions and supporting wider well-being outcomes.

A national indicator on the percentage of journeys made by walking, cycling or public transport was added to the national indicator set in December 2021. In 2026, data became available for the first time from the Wales National Travel Survey (WNTS), a new large-scale survey of travel behaviours in Wales.

Provisional results from the first 6 months of the survey (March to August 2025) estimate that 17.7% of journeys were made by walking or wheeling and 2.0% by cycle. Together, active travel modes accounted for 19.6% of journeys in Wales.

WNTS is a new survey and these are official statistics in development based on the first 6 months of data collection. The estimates are derived from a 2 day travel diary completed by around 3,100 respondents and cover around 9,000 journeys recorded between March and August 2025. Travel patterns may differ at other times of the year, and methodological differences mean the results are not directly comparable with previous travel surveys or other transport data sources.

Full-year results from the WNTS are expected to be published in November 2026 and will provide the first annual baseline for monitoring this national indicator over time.

Prior to the introduction of the WNTS, information on travel behaviours in Wales was limited. Data from the Labour Force Survey showed that private road transport remained the dominant mode of commuting, with 81% of commuters in Wales usually travelling to work by car in 2023. There was little change in the proportion of people using different modes of transport to travel to work over the preceding decade.

Figure 7.3 share of journeys per person per year by main mode of travel, 2025 [Note 1]

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Description of figure 7.3: the bar chart shows the share of journeys in Wales made by their main mode of travel. 73.6% of journeys were made by car, either as a driver or a passenger. 17.7% of journeys were made by walking or wheeling and other modes were used less frequently.

[Note 1] percentages have been calculated excluding respondents who selected “Don’t know” or “Prefer not to say” when answering what mode of travel they used.

Source: Wales National Travel Survey headline results: preliminary, six-months results

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.

The latest estimates, based on the Ecological Footprint methodology show that Wales’s global footprint 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. The latest estimates suggest that if everyone in the world lived as people in Wales do, humanity would require 2.08 Earths.

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

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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 actions to help with global issues. Half of people (50%) reported changing what they buy because of global issues, whilst 33% of people say they have donated or helped raised money.

Referrals of potential victims of modern slavery in Wales continue to gradually rise.

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 2025, there were 578 referrals of potential victims of modern slavery received by police forces in Wales, a small increase compared to the previous year (563).

Figure 7.5: NRM referrals sent to police forces in Wales for investigation, 2018 to 2025

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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 2025. The number of referrals has increased over the time period.

Source: National Referral Mechanism statistics, Home Office

In 2025 136 of the referrals were for females (24%) and 442 were for males (76%).

There were 200 (35%) individuals referred for adult exploitation categories and 378 (65%) referred for exploitation as a minor.

The most common type of exploitation for adults was ‘labour’ and for minors was ‘criminal’. 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’.

Data from the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) show that the number of cases in which advice or support was provided in Wales has decreased substantially since a peak of 37 cases in 2019. Since then, the number of cases has generally decreased, with the figures for the most recent years remaining below 5 and therefore suppressed to protect confidentiality.

Due to the small number of cases in Wales, year to year figures can be volatile. Changes in patterns of reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as changes to recording practices, may also have affected trends over time.

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 2025

[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 2025 to 2026, there were 19,074 entrants for the global citizenship challenge at Key Stage 4. There were 13,318 entries for the new advanced global community project. For Key Stage 4, provisional data shows 99.2% of entries achieved a level 1 pass or above. For the new advanced skills baccalaureate global community project, provisional data shows 74.5% achieved a C or above, and 97.7% 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 2026, a total of 1,567 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 2026, 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 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 2005 to 2006 and 2025 to 2026

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 2025 to 2026.

Source: Home Office Immigration statistics, financial year 2025 to 2026

Vaccination uptake in young children remains high but has generally decreased since reaching 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).

MMR uptake of one dose by age 2 was 92.5% in 2025 to 2026, down from 93.0% in the previous year. This remains below the 95% uptake level generally required to prevent outbreaks of measles.

Update of the ‘6 in 1’ DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB1 vaccine (all 3 doses) in children reaching their first birthday was 93.1%, down from 94.1% in the previous year.

Figure 7.8: percentage uptake of childhood immunisations in Wales, financial years 2008-09 to 2025-26 [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 2025 to 2026. Uptake for both the '6 in 1' and MMR have decreased since they reached their highest levels in 2013 to 2014. Uptake in 2025 to 2026 was 92.5% for MMR, and 93.1% 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 important areas under the 7 wellbeing goals. 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 (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. 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 other 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. 5 milestones showed a deterioration and 5 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.

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.

Deteriorated

• Adult healthy life expectancy between 2015 to 2017 and 2022 to 2024.
• The gap in adult healthy life expectancy between most and least deprived areas between 2015 to 2017 and 2022 to 2024.

Figure 1: gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas, females and males, 2015 to 2017 to 2022 to 2024 [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 58.5 years in 2022 to 2024 and males from 61.2 years in 2015 to 2017 to 59.2 years in 2022 to 2024. The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas has deteriorated for females during this period (from 17.5 in 2015 to 2017 to 19.0 years in 2022 to 2024). The gap in male healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas has also deteriorated during this period (from 17.0 in 2015 to 2017 to 18.1 years in 2022 to 2024).

Source: healthy life expectancy, Office for National Statistics.

[Note 1] The y-axis does not start at zero.

To increase the percentage of adults with 2 or more healthy lifestyle behaviours to more than 97% by 2050.

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 are no data for that year.

[Note 4] The y-axis does not start at zero.

To increase the percentage of children with 2 or more healthy behaviours to 94% by 2035 and more than 99% by 2050.

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] The y-axis does not start at zero.

75% of working age adults in Wales will be qualified to level 3 or higher by 2050

Improved

Between 2015 and 2025.

Figure 4: percentage of adults of working age (18 to 64) with a qualification at level 3 or above, 2015 to 2025

Image

Description of figure 4: A line chart showing that an estimated 69.7% of working age adults in Wales were qualified to level 3 or higher in 2025. The survey question was updated in 2022 to reflect the new qualification framework, which has affected comparability compared to previous years. 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.

The percentage of working age adults with no qualifications will be 5% or below in every local authority in Wales by 2050.

Improved

Between 2015 and 2025.

Figure 5: proportion of working age adults with no qualification by local authority, 2025

Image

Description of figure 5: a bar chart showing that there are currently 8 local authorities where the percentage of working age adults with no qualifications is below 5%: Monmouthshire, Powys, Gwynedd, Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Cardiff. In 2015 there were none.

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

Improve gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head in Wales by 2035 and commit to setting a stretching growth target for 2050

Improved

Between 2015 and 2024.

Figure 6: GDHI per head in Wales, £ and index (UK = 100), 2015 to 2024

Image

Description of figure 6: 2 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 2024, from £15,600 in 2015 to £21,500 in 2024; an increase of 37.5%. 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 increased over the period 2015 to 2024 from 82.1% to 82.7%.

Source: regional GDHI, regional accounts, ONS

Wales will use only its fair share of the world’s resources by 2050

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

An elimination of the pay gap for gender, disability and ethnicity by 2050

Gender pay gap

Improved between 2015 and 2025.

Disability pay gap

No change between 2015 and 2025.

Ethnicity pay gap

No change between 2015 and 2025.

Figure 8: gender pay difference in Wales (median hourly earnings full-time employees excluding overtime), April 2015 to April 2025

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 2025.

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 2025

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 8.4% in 2025. The disability pay gap rose from 12.2% in 2015 to a high of 15.1% in 2019 but has decreased to 6.6% in 2025. The change between 2015 and 2025 is not statistically significant for ethnicity or disability.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the Annual Population Survey.

Ethnicity pay difference estimates cover those aged 16+, whereas disability pay difference estimates cover those aged 16 to 64.

Reduce the poverty gap between people in Wales with certain important and protected characteristics (which mean they are most likely to be in poverty) and those without those characteristics by 2035. Commit to setting a stretching target for 2050.

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 the 3-year financial periods ending 2015 and 2025.

Figure 10: percentage of broad age groups living in relative income poverty (after housing costs), 3-financial-year averages, between 2013 to 2015 and 2023 to 2025 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 10: a line chart showing, children are consistently the age group most likely to be in relative income poverty. 32% of children were in relative income poverty in the three-year period to March 2025. The gap between the percentage of children in poverty and the whole population in the 3-year period to March 2025 was 10 percentage points, compared to 9 percentage points in the period to March 2023.

[Note 1] Some low income measures after 2021 to 2023 have changed, creating a break in the data series from 2022. As such users should not make direct comparisons with previous years.

Source: relative income poverty

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.

Deteriorated

Between year ending March 2016 and year ending March 2026.

Figure 11: employment rate for people aged 16 to 64, UK and Wales, year ending March 2016 to March 2026

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 2016, however the gap has increased overall.

The employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has fluctuated between the years ending March 2016 and March 2026, however has increased overall from 2.5 to 3.3 percentage points over this period.

Source: Welsh Government analysis of the APS.

At least 90% of 16 to 24 year olds will be in education, employment, or training by 2050.

Improved

Between 2015 and 2024.

Figure 12: participation of young people in education and the labour market by age group, Wales, 2015 to 2024

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 2024, however it has improved overall.

Provisional estimates show that 86.3% of 16 to 24 year olds were in education, employment or training in 2024, up from 83.9% in 2015. The proportion of young people in education, employment of training decreased for the 16 to 18 age group (from 89.8% to 88.3%) however increased for the 19 to 24 age group (from 81.4% to 85.3%).

Source: Welsh Government, Open University and HEFCW.

[Note 1]: figures for 2024 are provisional.

Increase the percentage of people who volunteer by 10% by 2050, demonstrating Wales’s status as a volunteering nation.

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.

To improve adult and children’s mean mental wellbeing, and eliminate the gap in adult and children’s mean mental wellbeing between the most deprived and least deprived areas in Wales by 2050.

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 well-being 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 well-being 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 adults 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] The y-axis does not start at zero.

Figure 15: average short Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being 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 well-being 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 young people 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] The y-axis does not start at zero.

All homes in Wales will have adequate and cost-effective energy performance by 2050.

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.

A million Welsh speakers by 2050.

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

Wales will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Improved

Between 2015 and 2024.

Figure 17: emissions of greenhouse gases, 2015 to 2024 [Note 1]

Image

Description of figure 17: A line chart showing that in 2024, emissions released into the atmosphere directly from within Wales, known as territorial emissions, totalled 30.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, this was 46.1 in 2015. There has been a decrease of 35% between 2015 and 2024.

Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory

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

To reverse the decline in biodiversity with an improvement in the status of species and ecosystems by 2030 and their clear recovery by 2050.

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.

A 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 in line with the timing of most source data updates and to ensure that the latest available evidence can be included.

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. 1 indicator currently has no suitable data to report against. 1 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 publish wellbeing statistics and analysis based on a range of wellbeing measures for Northern Ireland.

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