Well-being - Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2025

In 2025, a higher percentage of female respondents reported low overall life satisfaction compared to male respondents (12.5% and 9.1% respectively). In 2024, both female and male respondents had a similar level of low overall life satisfaction (10.6% and 10.5% respectively). See figure 3.1 and table 3.1.

In 2025, the percentage of male respondents reporting high overall life satisfaction decreased when compared with 2024 rates, from 28.3% to 27.7%. In contrast, the high overall life satisfaction rate for women increased from 24.6% in 2024 to 25.5% in 2025. See figure 3.2 and table 3.2.

Women more likely to report low levels of satisfaction with household’s financial situation

In 2025, female respondents to the SILC survey were more likely to report low overall satisfaction levels with the financial situation of their household and less likely to report high satisfaction levels. Over one quarter (27.2%) of female respondents reported low overall satisfaction with the financial situation of their household compared to one in five (19.9%) male respondents.

The percentages of male and female respondents reporting high overall satisfaction with the financial situation of their households were 18.6% and 17.0% respectively in 2025. See figure 3.3 and table 3.3.

Analysis of respondents reporting high overall satisfaction with the financial situation of their households for survey years between 2024 and 2025, shows that the percentage of female respondents reporting a high satisfaction level increased from 16.0% to 17.0%. The percentage of males reporting a high satisfaction level decreased from 20.5% in 2024, to 18.6% in 2025. See figure 3.4 and table 3.4.

Women more likely to feel lonely at least some of the time

As part of the annual SILC, respondents are asked how often, in the four-week period preceding their interview, they felt downhearted or depressed and lonely.

In 2025, female respondents were more likely to report loneliness with 18.0% reporting feeling lonely at least some of the time in the four-week period preceding their interview, compared with 11.8% of men. When it comes to not having felt lonely in the four-week period, 70.1% of male and 61.6% of female respondents reported they did not feel lonely. See figure 3.5 and table 3.5.

The percentage of male respondents reporting that they felt lonely at least some of the time increased slightly from 11.6% in 2024, to 11.8% in 2025. The rate for female respondents also increased from 17.0% in 2024 to 18.0% in 2025. The responses to the emotional well-being questions are given on a 5-point scale, with answers ranging from ‘None of the time’ to ‘All of the time’. The at least ‘Sometimes’ category combines three response options: ‘All of the time’, ‘Most of the time’ and ‘Some of the time’. See figure 3.6 and table 3.6.

One in five women feel downhearted or depressed at least some of the time

Similar results are seen with the downhearted or depressed emotional well-being indicator, in that female respondents were more likely to report having felt downhearted or depressed in the four-week period prior to interview. In 2025, the percentage of male respondents who said ‘None of the time’ when asked how often they felt downhearted or depressed in the four-week period prior to interview was over 9 percentage points higher than the rate for females (69.2% and 60.1% respectively). See figure 3.7 and table 3.7.

In 2025, one in five (20.0%) female respondents felt downhearted or depressed at least sometimes in the four-week period prior to interview, up from 18.7% in 2024. In 2025, 11.1% of male respondents felt downhearted or depressed, a decrease from the 2024 rate of 12.5%. The responses to the emotional well-being questions are given on a 5-point scale, with answers ranging from ‘None of the time’ to ‘All of the time’. The at least ‘Sometimes’ category combines three response options: ‘All of the time’, ‘Most of the time’ and ‘Some of the time’. See figure 3.8 and table 3.8.