No single score
Is Britain improving?
Twelve domains, each with its own official indicators. For each indicator the page shows the current level and, separately, the direction over the metric’s own comparison window. A verdict is given only where a direction is uncontroversially better; where it is not, the movement is reported without one. Britain can be doing well on something while getting worse, or badly while getting better; both are shown.
Economy
IMPROVING
1 of 1 judged indicators improving, none deteriorating.
Real incomes
DETERIORATING
1 of 2 judged indicators deteriorating, none improving.
Employment
STABLE / MIXED
0 improving, 0 deteriorating, 3 stable.
Public finances
STABLE / MIXED
0 improving, 0 deteriorating, 1 stable.
Housing
NO VERDICT
Every indicator here is reported without a direction judgement.
Health
NO DATA
No official series is loaded for this domain.
Crime
IMPROVING
3 of 3 judged indicators improving, none deteriorating.
Justice
DETERIORATING
2 of 2 judged indicators deteriorating, none improving.
Demography
NO VERDICT
Every indicator here is reported without a direction judgement.
Education
IMPROVING
1 of 3 judged indicators improving, none deteriorating.
Infrastructure and transport
IMPROVING
1 of 1 judged indicators improving, none deteriorating.
Government capacity
IMPROVING
1 of 3 judged indicators improving, none deteriorating.
Economy · IMPROVING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP per head, real termsONS | £10,2342026 Q2 | ↑ | IMPROVING Up 1.0% from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2; a rise is treated as an improvement. |
| CPI inflation rateONS | 2.9%July 2026 | ↓ | NO VERDICT Down 0.9points from July 2025 to July 2026; no direction is judged better.Judged against the 2% target on the targets page, not here. |
Real incomes · DETERIORATING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average weekly pay, real termsONS | £4952026 Q2 | ↑ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.4% from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2, inside the 0.5% stable band. |
| Real household disposable incomeONS | £454.4bn2026 Q1 | ↓ | DETERIORATING Down 1.0% from 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1; a rise is treated as an improvement. |
Employment · STABLE / MIXED
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rateONS | 75.1%2026 Q2 | ↓ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.2points from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2, inside the 0.3points stable band. |
| Unemployment rateONS | 4.9%2026 Q2 | ↑ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.2points from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2, inside the 0.3points stable band. |
| Economically inactive because of long-term sicknessONS | 2,774,0002026 Q2 | ↓ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.2% from 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q2, inside the 2% stable band. |
Public finances · STABLE / MIXED
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public sector net debt as a share of GDPONS | 94.1%July 2026 | ↓ | NO VERDICT Down 0.8points from July 2025 to July 2026; no direction is judged better.Whether higher debt is bad depends on what it bought; no verdict is given. |
| Debt interest paidONS | £10.3bnJuly 2026 | ↑ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 3.5% from July 2025 to July 2026, inside the 5% stable band. |
Housing · NO VERDICT
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average house priceHM Land Registry | £272,188June 2026 | ↑ | NO VERDICT Up 2.0% from June 2025 to June 2026; no direction is judged better.Rising prices help owners and hurt buyers; no verdict is given. |
| Average Band D council taxMHCLG | £2,392Year ending March 2027 | ↑ | NO VERDICT Up 4.9% from Year ending March 2026 to Year ending March 2027; no direction is judged better. |
Health · NO DATA
No official series is loaded for this domain: How long are people waiting for NHS treatment and in A&E, and can the figures be read by a machine?
Crime · IMPROVING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Survey estimate of all crime (excluding fraud)ONS | 4,333,000Year ending March 2026 | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 5.7% from Year ending March 2025 to Year ending March 2026; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Homicide (police-recorded)ONS | 499Year ending March 2026 | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 7.4% from Year ending March 2025 to Year ending March 2026; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Offences involving a knife or sharp instrumentONS | 48,774Year ending March 2026 | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 8.1% from Year ending March 2025 to Year ending March 2026; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
Justice · DETERIORATING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Court open casesMinistry of Justice | 80,0612026 Q1 | ↑ | DETERIORATING Up 4.9% from 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Proven reoffending rateMinistry of Justice | 29.9%2024 Q3 | ↑ | DETERIORATING Up 1.9points from 2023 Q3 to 2024 Q3; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Prison populationMinistry of Justice | 86,843Week beginning 24 August 2026 | ↑ | NO VERDICT Up 0.1% from Week beginning 17 August 2026 to Week beginning 24 August 2026; no direction is judged better.A larger prison population is not in itself good or bad. |
Demography · NO VERDICT
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net migrationONS | 171,0002025 | ↓ | NO VERDICT Down 48.3% from 2024 to 2025; no direction is judged better.Reported without a verdict. |
Education · IMPROVING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persistent absenceDepartment for Education | 18.1%2024/25 academic year | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 1.8points from 2023/24 academic year to 2024/25 academic year; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Young people not in education, employment or trainingDepartment for Education | 13.3%2025 | ↓ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.3points from 2024 to 2025, inside the 0.3points stable band. |
| Average Attainment 8 scoreDepartment for Education | 46.12024/25 academic year | ↑ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.4% from 2023/24 academic year to 2024/25 academic year, inside the 1% stable band. |
Infrastructure and transport · IMPROVING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road deathsDepartment for Transport | 1,5382025 | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 4.0% from 2024 to 2025; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Petrol pump priceDESNZ | 161.6pWeek beginning 31 August 2026 | — | NO DATA No comparison period is published yet. |
Government capacity · IMPROVING
| Indicator | Current level | Direction | Verdict and rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asylum backlogHome Office | 40,168Year ending June 2026 | ↓ | IMPROVING Down 55.8% from Year ending June 2025 to Year ending June 2026; a fall is treated as an improvement. |
| Prison useable operational capacityMinistry of Justice | 88,937Week beginning 24 August 2026 | ↑ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.0% from Week beginning 17 August 2026 to Week beginning 24 August 2026, inside the 1% stable band. |
| Police officers (full-time equivalent)Home Office | 145,886Year ending March 2026 | ↓ | STABLE / MIXED Moved 0.4% from Year ending March 2025 to Year ending March 2026, inside the 1% stable band. |
Rules
Each indicator is compared using the same method as its own metric page (the previous period, or the same period a year earlier). A movement inside the stable band shown in the rule is called stable. Outside it, the direction is compared with the one the registry treats as better; that choice is recorded in registry/trajectory.yaml and is deliberately absent where reasonable people disagree. A domain is improving when judged indicators improve and none deteriorate, deteriorating in the reverse case, and mixed otherwise.