WHO-5 Well-Being Index
A 5-item self-report of subjective psychological well-being over the last two weeks. The raw score (0–25) is multiplied by 4 to give a 0–100 percentage; lower scores indicate poorer well-being. A score of 50 or below warrants screening for depression. Administer under clinician oversight.
This is a clinical instrument. It is not publicly self-administered — a clinician assigns it through a secure patient link.
At a glance
What it measures
The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a 5-item measure of subjective psychological well-being over the last two weeks, developed at the WHO Collaborating Centre in Frederiksborg, Denmark, and reviewed systematically by Topp, Østergaard, Søndergaard, and Bech (2015). All five items are positively worded; the raw 0–25 total is multiplied by 4 to give a 0–100 percentage.
Per Topp et al. (2015), a score of 50 or below warrants screening for depression, and 28 or below suggests likely depression. Because the scale measures well-being, lower — not higher — scores are the signal of concern.
Psychometric properties
The notes below are reproduced from the platform's psychometrics register for this instrument — the same source-cited reliability, validity, and norms text that accompanies its downloadable report.
Good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha typically 0.82-0.95 across many languages (Topp et al., 2015).
High construct validity as a unidimensional measure of well-being and adequate sensitivity as a depression screen (a score of 50 or below warrants screening) (Topp et al., 2015).
Validated across numerous countries and clinical settings; scored 0-100 with higher scores indicating better well-being.
Example item
“I have felt cheerful and in good spirits”
Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.
Scoring & interpretation
Responses are averaged onto a 0–100 scale and compared against published screening cutoffs.
| Band | Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Likely depression | ≥ 0 | A score of 28 or below indicates low well-being likely to reflect depression; a diagnostic assessment is recommended. |
| Reduced well-being | ≥ 29 | A score of 29–50 indicates reduced well-being; monitoring and possible screening for depression are recommended. |
| Adequate well-being | ≥ 51 | A score above 50 indicates adequate emotional well-being. |
Source & citation
Topp, C. W., Østergaard, S. D., Søndergaard, S., & Bech, P. (2015). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 167–176.
Scoring. The raw score (0–25) is multiplied by 4 to yield a 0–100 percentage; 50 or below warrants screening for depression and 28 or below suggests likely depression (Topp et al., 2015).
WHO-5 Well-Being Index © Psychiatric Research Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, Frederiksborg General Hospital, Denmark. Free to use with attribution.
References
- Bech, P. (2004). Measuring the dimension of psychological general well-being by the WHO-5. Quality of Life Newsletter, 32, 15-16.
- Topp, C. W., Ostergaard, S. D., Sondergaard, S., & Bech, P. (2015). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 167-176.