WHO-5 Well-Being Index

What this assessment is

The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a five-item self-report measure of positive mental wellbeing during the past two weeks.

It asks about positive experiences rather than listing symptoms of mental illness. The result shows how often those experiences were present in the recall period.

The World Health Organization's current publication provides the standard form and scoring method.

The WHO-5 is not a diagnosis.

Who it was designed for

The WHO-5 has been used with adults in healthcare, public health, workplace, and research settings. It has also been studied in younger and older populations.

Use in a specific population needs a suitable translation and supporting evidence. A score cannot be assumed to have the same meaning across every language, age group, culture, or health condition.

The measure is brief, but that does not make interpretation automatic.

How it is administered

The standard form asks about the past two weeks. Each of the five statements uses six frequency choices, scored from 0 to 5.

Keep the timeframe and response scale unchanged. A different recall period or response system creates a modified measure.

Complete responses are preferable. The standard WHO form does not give one general rule for replacing missing answers, so a service should state its method and avoid treating missing responses as zero.

What it measures

The WHO-5 measures positive mental wellbeing. It covers mood, calm, energy, rest, and interest in daily life.

It does not count depression symptoms directly. This distinction matters because low positive wellbeing and high depression symptoms are related, but they are not identical.

The Satisfaction with Life Scale measures a different part of subjective wellbeing: a broad judgment of life satisfaction rather than recent positive mental wellbeing.

That difference matters.

How scoring works

Add the five responses for a raw total from 0 to 25.

Higher totals indicate better reported wellbeing. Multiply the raw total by 4 to produce a percentage score from 0 to 100.

For example, a raw total of 15 becomes a percentage score of 60. The two numbers describe the same responses on different scales.

Do not compare 15 and 60 as if they were different results.

Name the scale.

How to interpret a WHO-5 score

The standard WHO guidance treats a raw score below 13, which is below 50 on the percentage scale, as an indication of poor mental wellbeing and a reason for further assessment.

This is a screening threshold, not a diagnostic boundary. A score of 12 does not prove depression, and a score of 13 does not rule it out.

Small differences near the threshold should not be overread. Look at changes over time, daily function, current stressors, physical health, and the person's own concerns.

When tracking change, use the same language, timeframe, and scoring scale each time.

What the score cannot tell you

The WHO-5 cannot identify a mental health condition, explain why wellbeing is low, or show which type of support would help.

Low wellbeing can occur with depression, anxiety, pain, sleep problems, physical illness, medication effects, grief, social strain, or other circumstances.

A high score does not rule out a specific problem. Positive wellbeing and clinically important symptoms can exist at the same time.

Evidence and limitations

A 2015 systematic review examined 213 studies and found broad use of the WHO-5 across clinical fields, as a depression screen, and as an outcome measure.

Broad use is not the same as identical performance everywhere. Study methods, translations, populations, and purposes vary.

The WHO-5 is useful when the question is recent positive wellbeing. It is too brief to replace a symptom assessment, diagnostic interview, or review of safety and daily function.