Happiest place to live in UK revealed - does your area make the top 5?

The happiest places in the UK have been revealed, with Northern Ireland emerging above other locations.

Only 5.1 per cent of residents described themselves as "low happiness", according to the Office for National Statistics' Measures of National Wellbeing index.

The survey, carried out in December last year, placed southeast England in second place, recording just 7.4 per cent of inhabitants with "low happiness" levels.

By contrast, the northeast England proved to be the most downcast area, where 10.4 per cent of respondents reported feeling unhappy.

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Yorkshire and the Humber followed as the second gloomiest region at 8.9 per cent.

Across the UK overall, 8.1 per cent rated their happiness as low during October to December 2025.

Nearly a quarter of those surveyed, some 23.6 per cent, reported experiencing high anxiety on the day before they were questioned.

Trust in political institutions remains notably low, with fewer than three in 10 people, just 29.2 per cent, saying they tend to have confidence in the UK Government when asked in March.

Satisfaction with the legal system proved similarly underwhelming, with only a third of adults, 33.8 per cent, expressing contentment.

However, Britons demonstrated far greater faith in their personal connections, with two-thirds indicating they generally trust most other people.

Social relationships fared even better, with six out of seven respondents reporting they felt fairly or very satisfied with their interpersonal bonds.

The ONS survey also highlighted a growing crisis among young people.

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Official figures reveal that one million individuals aged 16 to 24 are now classified as NEETs, meaning they are not in education, employment or training.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has forecast that youth unemployment will climb from its current 16.2 per cent to 17.9 per cent by spring next year.

Such a rise would mark the highest level since early 2014 and swell the ranks of jobless young people by an additional 79,000, pushing the total beyond 800,000.

The BCC has also cautioned that overall unemployment is set to reach a 12-year peak of 5.5 per cent as economic growth slows to just 0.9 per cent this year and one per cent in 2027.

Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn warned last week that Britain risks creating a "lost generation" of unemployed youth without significant reform.

Critics have attributed the youth employment crisis to government policies.

The increase in national insurance contributions and above-inflation rises in the minimum wage for younger workers have been blamed for pricing young people out of the labour market.

The BCC has called for "bolder action to tackle those at risk" through improved careers education and training alongside reduced costs for employers.

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