Loneliness in Ireland and the UK: the official figures

By the Cravnn team · Updated November 2026

• In England in 2025/26, 7% of people aged 16 and over said they feel lonely often or always. Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26 - loneliness: report (2025/26).
• In England in 2025/26, the share feeling lonely often or always was highest among the youngest adults (9% of 16 to 24s, 8% of 25 to 34s, 7% of 35 to 49s) and lowest among 65 to 74s (4%). Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26 - loneliness: report (2025/26).
• In Great Britain in January 2026, almost a quarter of adults (23%) reported feeling lonely often, always or some of the time. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: January 2026 (7 January to 1 February 2026).
• In Great Britain in January 2026, adults under 50 were more likely than older adults to report feeling lonely often, always or some of the time: 27% of 16 to 29s and 28% of 30 to 49s, against 19% of 50 to 69s and 16% of those aged 70 and over. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: January 2026 (7 January to 1 February 2026).
• In Scotland in 2025, 21% of adults experienced loneliness some, most or all of the time in the past week (20% in 2024). Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Household Survey 2025 findings: Neighbourhoods and Communities - Social Isolation and Loneliness (2025).
• In Scotland in 2025, about a third or more of adults in single-adult, single-parent and single-pensioner households experienced loneliness in the past week (36%, 34% and 38%), against 14% in small-family and 17% in large-family households. Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Household Survey 2025 findings: Neighbourhoods and Communities - Social Isolation and Loneliness (2025).
• In Scotland in 2025, 65% of adults met socially with friends, relatives, neighbours or work colleagues at least once a week, down from 68% in 2024 and 73% in 2018. Source: Scottish Government, Scottish Household Survey 2025 findings: Neighbourhoods and Communities - Social Isolation and Loneliness (2025).
• In Northern Ireland in 2024/25, 4.9% of people aged 16 and over reported feeling lonely often or always. Source: The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Individual Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, 2024/25 (2024/25).
• In Northern Ireland in 2024/25, 17.9% of people aged 16 and over reported feeling lonely at least some of the time (often/always or some of the time), with no significant change from 17.8% the year before. Source: The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Individual Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, 2024/25 (2024/25).
• In Northern Ireland in 2024/25, people who are married or in a civil partnership reported the lowest loneliness of all marital status groups. Source: The Executive Office (Northern Ireland) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Individual Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, 2024/25 (2024/25).
• In Ireland in 2025, 0.8% of people aged 16 and over felt lonely all of the time, 1.8% most of the time and 12.4% some of the time in the four weeks before interview. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, CSO table WBB21 - Percentage of individuals emotional well-being indicators (Individuals feeling lonely, both sexes), Well-being Information Hub: Population who Feel Lonely (2025).
• In Ireland in 2025, people living in a one-adult household under 65 reported feeling lonely more often than those in households with three or more adults: 4.1% vs 0.4% all of the time, 3.6% vs 1.4% most of the time, 22.5% vs 8.8% some of the time. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, CSO table WBB25 - Percentage of individuals emotional well-being indicators (Individuals feeling lonely, by household composition) (2025).

Every figure was read on the page (or in the official CSO PxStat table) listed in sourceUrl on the fetched date; the quote field is a verbatim extract that can be re-checked with: node scripts/seo-data/fetch-census.mjs --check-loneliness. The surveys differ in wording, time frame and age floor (England and Northern Ireland ask how often people feel lonely; the ONS survey covers Great Britain; Scotland asks about the past week; Ireland asks about the previous four weeks on a 5-point scale), so figures from different countries must not be compared as if they were one series. 'year' is the year label the publisher uses; for 'YYYY/YY' survey years it is the later year, and 'period' gives the publisher's own label or dates. Loneliness is not the same as being single or living alone.

If this is you

Start small. One regular thing each week, with the same people, does more than a big night out. Ask someone for a coffee, join a class or a club, and give it six weeks. If loneliness is weighing on your mood, talk to your GP, or call Samaritans on 116 123, free from anywhere in Ireland and the UK.

Read more: how to make friends as an adult, dealing with loneliness in your 20s and meeting people near you.