The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a brief, scientifically validated questionnaire used worldwide to measure subjective well-being over the past two weeks. It asks five simple questions about feeling cheerful, calm, active, well-rested, and interested in daily life — each scored on a 0 to 5 scale. The total is converted to a 0–100 score, where higher numbers reflect better well-being.
This interactive WHO-5 Score Calculator makes the questionnaire easy to complete and interpret. It automatically adds up your five responses, converts them to the standardized percentage score, and shows you which band your result falls into — along with a per-item breakdown of your answers. It's useful for personal self-reflection, therapy and coaching check-ins, research surveys, and workplace wellness programs.
Your privacy matters: everything you enter stays in your browser and nothing is stored on a server. While the WHO-5 is a validated screening instrument, it is not a medical diagnosis — a low score simply suggests it may be worth talking to a healthcare professional.
🧘 WHO-5 Well-Being Index
Rate each statement based on how you have felt over the past two weeks.
How to Use This Tool
Work through the five statements in order and pick the response that best matches how you've felt over the past two weeks. Try not to overthink any single item — your first instinct is usually the most accurate. Answering all five questions takes about a minute.
Once every item has a response, click Calculate Score. The tool shows your standardized WHO-5 score out of 100, your raw score out of 25, an interpretation band, and a breakdown table of each response. If you've completed the WHO-5 before, tick Compare with a previous score and enter your earlier percentage to see whether your well-being has improved or declined.
How the Scoring Works
Each of the five items is scored from 0 (At no time) to 5 (All of the time), giving a raw total between 0 and 25. To express the result on a familiar percentage scale, the raw total is multiplied by 4:
Example: responses of 4, 3, 5, 4, 4 add up to 20. 20 × 4 = 80, a comfortably good result.
Example: responses of 2, 1, 2, 0, 1 add up to 6. 6 × 4 = 24, a very low result that warrants professional follow-up.
When you track a score over time, a change of at least 50% relative to the previous value is considered clinically significant in research settings. For example, dropping from 70 to 35 is a 50% reduction — a substantial shift even though both readings would be flagged. This is why the compare feature in this tool can be more informative than a single score alone.
📊 What Your Score Means
| Score band | Interpretation | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 28 | Very low well-being; consistent with a possible depressive state | Schedule an appointment with a doctor or mental health professional this week |
| 29 – 49 | Low well-being | Further assessment recommended; monitor and consider speaking with someone you trust or a professional |
| 50 – 100 | Good well-being | Maintain your routines, sleep, activity and social connections; retest periodically |
The 28-point cutoff is widely used in screening research because it maximizes sensitivity for detecting major depression, while the 50-point threshold flags generally reduced well-being. Both cutoffs come from validation studies of the original English and translated versions of the scale.
Limitations & Important Notes
The WHO-5 is a screening instrument, not a diagnostic test. A low score does not mean you have depression — it means your self-reported well-being over the past fortnight is low enough that a qualified professional should look more closely. Mood is influenced by recent events, sleep quality, physical health, medications, and seasonal changes, so context matters when interpreting any single result.
Self-reported questionnaires are also subject to response bias — people sometimes under- or over-report how they feel. Clinicians typically combine the WHO-5 with a clinical interview rather than relying on the score alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the WHO-5 free to use? Yes. The WHO-5 is in the public domain and can be used without charge in clinical practice and research, though academic publications usually cite the original validation sources.
How often should I complete it? The scale is also commonly used weekly in therapy settings to monitor progress. For personal tracking, every 2–4 weeks gives a better picture of your true trajectory than daily testing, which tends to overreact to daily mood swings.
Can I use this tool for my clients or patients? Yes — the questionnaire text is identical to the validated WHO-5 wording, and the scoring method follows the official manual. It can be a useful, low-burden way to establish a baseline and track response to treatment.
Does exercise affect WHO-5 scores? Regularly, yes. Physical activity is one of the most consistent lifestyle correlates of well-being, which is why the scale asks about feeling active and vigorous. Many people find pairing a wellness check with a calories-burned calculator helps them connect their activity habits to how they feel overall.
Further Reading
- WHO-5 — Wikipedia — overview of the scale's development, validation and use.
- WHO-5 — Child Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC) — practical guidance on scoring and interpretation for practitioners.
- WHO — Mental Health — global resources and policy context from the World Health Organization.