Research and analysis

State of the Nation 2025: The evolving story of social mobility in the UK

The Social Mobility Commission annual report updates its index, compares international mobility outcomes, and tracks UK long-term geographical disparities.

• From: Social Mobility Commission
• Published: 18 December 2025

Documents

State of the Nation 2025: The evolving story of social mobility in the UK

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

PDF, 12.1 MB, 59 pages

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Foreword, Executive summary

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Chapter 1: Introduction

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Chapter 2: How does the UK compare with other nations?

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Chapter 3: How have social mobility conditions changed across the UK?

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Chapter 4: How have intermediate outcomes changed over time?

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Chapter 5: Conclusions

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

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Technical annex

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State of the Nation: data explorer tool

https://social-mobility.data.gov.uk/

Easy Read (English)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

PDF, 11.2 MB, 23 pages

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Easy Read (Welsh)

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

PDF, 11.3 MB, 23 pages

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Large print

Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5916-1, E03410711 10/25

PDF, 10.4 MB, 216 pages

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Details

This publication is the State of the Nation 2025 report, produced annually by the Social Mobility Commission.

The Commission is an independent advisory non-departmental public body, established under the Life Chances Act 2010, with the duty to assess progress in improving social mobility throughout the United Kingdom and to promote social mobility specifically in England.

This report is presented to Parliament as part of the Commission’s statutory responsibility. Its purpose is to present a coherent and reliable body of evidence to monitor the condition of social mobility.

To achieve this goal, the report uses the Social Mobility Index, which acts as the most comprehensive summary of social mobility statistics in the UK. This Index tracks 40 indicators covering various stages of life, from childhood onward. These indicators are grouped into 3 categories:

• drivers – underlying social and economic conditions
• intermediate outcomes – early-life results in teens and 20s, such as educational attainment
• long-term mobility outcomes – measured later in life, often in the 40s and 50s

The mobility measures span core areas including occupation, income, education, housing, and wealth.

The 2025 edition builds on previous work by extending its analysis into 2 main areas:

• a systematic review of the UK’s social mobility performance compared to other countries
• a more thorough tracking of changes over time

The analysis also includes detailed geographical breakdowns across local authority areas to highlight regional disparities in mobility prospects and conditions. This comprehensive approach is designed to be particularly useful for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders who seek detailed insights into the current state of social mobility and effective ways to address persistent inequalities.

Published 18 December 2025