WHO-5 Well-Being Index

The WHO's globally established short questionnaire on mental well-being: five questions, one score from 0 to 100 – free to use and validated in over 30 languages.

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WHO-5 Well-Being Index – questionnaire preview

The WHO-5 Well-Being Index was developed by the World Health Organization and is among the best-validated short instruments for mental well-being worldwide: five positively worded statements about the last two weeks, answered on a six-point frequency scale. The raw score (0–25) is multiplied by 4, giving a score from 0 to 100; values below 50 indicate reduced well-being. In workplace health management the WHO-5 is ideal as an anonymous, recurring pulse – short enough for high response rates, established enough to compare against reference values. Important: the WHO-5 is a screening instrument for groups, not a diagnostic tool for individuals.

When should you use this template?

This template is a great fit for:

  • As a recurring well-being pulse in workplace health management
  • Complementing the psychosocial risk assessment
  • Before and after health or workload interventions to measure effectiveness

Every question in this template

  1. 1

    I understand that participation is voluntary and anonymous, and I take part. *

    Consent
    Agreement required
  2. 2

    Over the last two weeks … *

    For each statement, please choose the answer closest to how you have been feeling.

    Matrix
    At no timeSome of the timeLess than half of the timeMore than half of the timeMost of the timeAll of the time
    … I have felt cheerful and in good spirits.
    … I have felt calm and relaxed.
    … I have felt active and vigorous.
    … I woke up feeling fresh and rested.
    … my daily life has been filled with things that interest me.
  3. 3

    What would improve your well-being at work the most? (optional)

    Long text

From questionnaire to dashboard

Five questions, clear analysis: the dashboard translates the WHO-5 logic directly into charts:

  • WHO-5 score (0–100): A calculation tile implements the official formula: raw score of the five items (0–25) times 4 – your organisation's well-being score, live with every response.
  • Share below threshold: The share of responses scoring < 50 as a KPI tile – the established screening threshold and your most important action metric.
  • Score distribution: The histogram shows the whole distribution instead of just the mean – a decent average can hide a struggling minority.
  • Item profile: Means per statement show whether energy, rest or day-to-day interest is lacking – the starting point for fitting health measures.
  • Well-being trend: The score as a line across survey waves, filterable by unit – so you see whether interventions work and where strain is building up.

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Frequently asked questions

How is the WHO-5 scored?
Each item is scored from 0 (“at no time”) to 5 (“all of the time”). The sum (0–25) times 4 gives the 0–100 score – higher values mean higher well-being. A score below 50 indicates reduced well-being and warrants a closer look.
May we use the WHO-5 freely?
Yes. The WHO-5 was published by the WHO (Psychiatric Research Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre in Mental Health, Hillerød) and can be used without licence fees; citing the source is customary. It exists in over 30 validated language versions – the German version is included in this template.
Is the WHO-5 a diagnostic instrument?
No. It is a screening tool for groups and trends – low values are a signal, not a diagnosis. For workplace use: collect anonymously, only analyse groups of five or more, and point to support offers (EAP, GP, help lines) in your communication, as this template's thank-you text demonstrates.

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