In England, 7% of people aged 16 and over said they felt lonely often or always in the 2025/26 Community and Engagement Survey. You may have seen larger figures elsewhere. Before comparing them, check whether they include people who feel lonely some of the time. That single change can make a considerable difference.
Here are official figures for each UK nation, with the period and the measure beside each result. There is no sensible UK average to calculate from this list: the surveys cover different years and ask different questions. Our guide to loneliness explains what researchers mean by the experience itself.
Four figures and what each one counts
- England, 2025/26: 7%. People aged 16 and over reporting loneliness often or always. The published estimate showed no statistically significant change from the previous year. Community and Engagement Survey, updated 22 October 2026.
- Scotland, 2025: 21%. Adults who said they had felt lonely at least some of the time during the previous week. This is a broader group than people who say they are often or always lonely. Scottish Household Survey, published 13 October 2026.
- Wales, 2022/23: 13%. People meeting the Welsh survey’s definition of loneliness across six items about emotional and social connection. The 2026 report still cites this survey period; the 2024/25 survey omitted the loneliness question. Wellbeing of Wales 2026, cohesive communities chapter.
- Northern Ireland, 2024/25: 4.9%. Respondents aged 16 and over who reported loneliness often or always. Including those who selected some of the time raised the proportion to 17.9%. Individual Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, published 21 January 2026.
Why do two headlines tell different stories?
Northern Ireland provides a useful example because both figures come from the same people answering the same question. The smaller figure counts the most frequent response category. The larger one counts two categories. Someone who occasionally misses the company of an old friend and someone who feels lonely every day may answer differently. Read the response categories before deciding what a headline means.
Scotland’s reference period gives a different kind of context. A respondent is being asked about the previous week. That week might have included a birthday, a spell at home or a change in shift pattern. A question about how often someone feels lonely without specifying a week invites a more general answer. A bigger percentage from a broader question doesn’t establish that one nation is lonelier than another.
What do direct and indirect questions measure?
A direct question asks people whether they feel lonely. An indirect measure asks about experiences such as feeling left out and combines several answers. In England in 2025/26, 9% reached the survey’s high indirect score, while 7% answered often or always to the direct question. These percentages describe different measures in the same survey report. Adding them together would count some people twice.
The ONS guidance on measuring loneliness recommends reporting the direct question separately. The answers can be different without either being wrong. Someone might miss a particular relationship and rarely feel excluded from activities. Another person may have frequent social contact yet feel that nobody knows them especially well.
What can the figures say about age?
The England survey reports that 9% of 16- to 24-year-olds felt lonely often or always in 2025/26, compared with 4% of 65- to 74-year-olds and 5% of people aged 75 and over. The age bands, measure and source are the same, so this comparison is more informative than lining up the four national headlines. See the age breakdown in the official England report.
Those figures describe groups, not the person in front of you. If you’re wondering whether an older relative would welcome a visit, asking what they’d like to do on Sunday tells you more than their age. The same goes for a student flat or a busy workplace. Counting the people in the room tells you little about whether somebody there feels included.
Checking a figure before you share it
Look for the place, the people surveyed, the dates the answers were collected and the wording of the measure. A UK-wide headline may link to an England-only survey. A report published this year may be describing answers from several years earlier. If you quote a figure, keep those details in the same sentence and link the report so somebody else can check it.
If you’re looking for help for yourself, there’s no threshold you have to cross. You can explore ways to reconnect or free and local support options. If an ordinary booked telephone conversation would suit you, UK adults aged 18 and over can read about finding someone to talk to.
Official sources checked 4 November 2026. Annual figures review due November 2027.
