Guernsey wants to be among the happiest and healthiest places in the world - how is it doing?

• States releases Guernsey Annual Better Life Indicators Report 2024 to provide a picture of island life.
• Guernsey excels in job security, achieving a perfect 10.0 score for its unemployment rate, ranking first among UK regions and second among OECD regions.
• Safety is paramount, with the island scoring 10.0 for its homicide rate, placing it joint first among 463 OECD regions.
• Health outcomes are strong; life expectancy is 83.6 years, ranking fifth out of 39 OECD countries.
• Housing affordability is a major concern, as housing expenditure reached 30.5% of net disposable income in 2022.
• Self-reported life satisfaction is relatively low, with an average score of 6.7, ranking Guernsey 12th out of 13 UK regions.

A picture of island life has been  revealed in the recently published Guernsey Annual Better Life Indicators Report 2024, positioning it among the global leaders in areas like safety and employment, but underscoring significant challenges related to housing affordability and self-reported happiness.

The report, produced by the States Data and Analysis team, uses an adapted version of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation Regional Wellbeing framework and Better Life Index initiatives.

Its core purpose is to monitor government performance against the 2016 20-year vision for Guernsey: "We will be among the happiest and healthiest places in the world...".

The island shows strong performance toward the "healthiest" aspect of the long-term vision, but faces significant challenges regarding the "happiest" aspect, as measured by self-reported life satisfaction.

Top rankings in jobs and safety

Guernsey demonstrates exceptional effectiveness in employment security and safety, particularly when compared against global OECD regions and other UK regions.

In the Regional Wellbeing Index comparison, Guernsey achieved a perfect score of 10.0 for two metrics:

• Safety: The homicide rate scored 10.0, placing the island joint first out of 463 OECD regions and first out of 13 UK regions.
• Unemployment: With an unemployment rate of 0.8% in 2024, Guernsey scored 10.0 for this indicator, ranking second out of 454 OECD regions and first out of 13 UK regions.

The island also ranks highly in health and civic engagement metrics. Life expectancy, measured as a three-year rolling average ending in 2024, reached 83.6 years, placing Guernsey fifth out of 39 OECD countries.

This high figure scored 9.3 in the regional comparison, ranking first out of 13 UK regions. Furthermore, voter turnout (72% in the 2025 election) placed Guernsey 16th out of 39 OECD countries and first among UK regions for this dimension.

The island’s low unemployment levels are supported by a high level of employment in sectors with a high level of added value, resulting in household income that is "fairly high relative to many comparator jurisdictions".

Guernsey’s long-term unemployment rate (0.41%) is also among the lowest recorded compared to OECD countries.

Housing costs and happiness lag behind

Despite its strengths in economic stability and safety, the report highlights two major areas where Guernsey underperforms relative to its OECD and UK regional peers, housing costs and subjective happiness.

• Housing affordability: Guernsey’s housing costs are noted as "high compared with the OECD countries," forcing households to spend a significant portion of their budget on housing. Housing expenditure as a percentage of net disposable income reached 30.5% in 2022.
• Life satisfaction concerns: Self-reported life satisfaction—a key indicator of current wellbeing—scored an average of 6.7 (on a 0 to 10 scale). In the Regional Wellbeing index, this score of 6.5 placed Guernsey 12th out of 13 UK regions and joint 186th out of 447 OECD regions. The island’s score falls below several OECD nations, including Latvia and Greece. Additionally, in the community dimension, 84% of respondents felt they had people they could rely on when facing problems, a percentage that is lower than many OECD countries.

Resources for future wellbeing

The report also examines resources available for future wellbeing, focusing on Natural Capital, Human Capital, Economic Capital, and Social Capital.

In environmental quality, Guernsey shows strong indicators:

• The municipal recycling rate, which includes composting, is high at 68% compared with many OECD countries.
• Greenhouse gas emissions (4.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per capita in 2023) are relatively low, partly due to the import of renewable electricity from Europe.

In Human Capital, the report notes that 23.4% of respondents were considered to be living with obesity. In terms of Social Capital, gender parity in politics stands at 29% female representation in elected government.

The States of Guernsey uses this adapted OECD framework to support its ongoing policy planning and monitoring process.

There remain gaps in the data which it says are being addressed.