WHO-5 Wellbeing Index — Free Online Test (5 Questions)
The WHO-developed 5-item screener for general mental wellbeing — 2 minutes, scores 0-100, validated globally. The recommended top-of-funnel wellness check. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Krishna K R, MBBS MD fellowship in Psyco Sexual Medicine. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.
The 5 WHO-5 questions
The questionnaire asks how often, over the past 2 weeks, you have felt the following:
- 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
Each item is scored on a 6-point scale: 0 = At no time to 5 = All of the time. The raw scores (0-25) are multiplied by 4 to produce the final score (0-100).
WHO-5 score interpretation
| Score | What it means | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 75-100 | Very good wellbeing | Continue current practices |
| 50-75 | Good wellbeing with room for improvement | Optional wellness work; daily reflection or gratitude practice |
| 28-50 | Reduced wellbeing | Take the PHQ-9 for depression-specific screening |
| 0-28 | Significantly reduced wellbeing | Consult a clinician for evaluation |
The 50 threshold is the most commonly cited screening cut-off in the WHO-5 literature. Below 50 suggests follow-up screening. Below 28 is a strong indicator to speak with a clinician. These are screening thresholds, not a diagnosis: a low score tells you wellbeing is reduced, not why. Low mood, stress, poor sleep, physical illness or a hard fortnight can all pull it down. Our depression guide explains when low wellbeing may be something more.
How to use the result
- Score 75+ — no action needed. Useful baseline to track over time.
- Score 50-75 — optional wellness work. The WHO-5 sits in the Wellbeing & Resilience category alongside RSES (self-esteem) and SCS-SF (self-compassion) for broader self-reflection.
- Score 28-50 — take the PHQ-9 for depression-specific screening. Consider the Emotional Reset Journey for daily structure.
- Score below 28 — speak with a Mindtalk clinician. Sustained low wellbeing at this level often signals depression or another underlying condition that responds to treatment.
Who the WHO-5 is for
- A quick general check. If you are not sure what, if anything, is wrong, the WHO-5 is a gentle starting point before more specific tests.
- Tracking change. Because it is short and focuses on positive wellbeing, it suits repeated use during therapy, after a life change or through a stressful season at work.
- People wary of symptom checklists. It asks about good feelings rather than problems, which many people find easier to answer honestly.
It is less useful if you already know what you are dealing with. Anxiety, trauma or mood swings each have more specific tools, such as the GAD-7 or the MDQ.
What the WHO-5 does not tell you
- A diagnosis. It measures wellbeing, not a specific condition.
- Life purpose and meaning. The WHO-5 captures how you feel day to day. For purpose, relationships and sense of competence, the Flourishing Scale is the better complement.
- Risk. It has no safety item. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact a clinician or crisis line today regardless of your score.
Validation and evidence
The WHO-5 was first published in 1998 under the World Health Organization and has since become one of the most widely used brief wellbeing measures. A 2015 systematic review in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics examined 213 studies and concluded that the WHO-5 has high clinimetric validity, works as a sensitive and specific screening tool for depression, can be used as an outcome measure in clinical trials, and applies across a very wide range of study fields; by then it had been translated into more than 30 languages. A 2014 study of 414 people, half with a current major depressive episode, found that the WHO-5 measured the same construct in depressed and non-depressed groups and had a very high negative association with both self-rated (BDI-II) and clinician-rated (HAM-D) depression, especially in the mild-to-moderate range. We could not verify a published Indian validation study.
References
- Topp CW, Østergaard SD, Søndergaard S, Bech P. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychother Psychosom. 2015;84(3):167-176. PubMed
- Krieger T, Zimmermann J, Huffziger S, et al. Measuring depression with a well-being index: further evidence for the validity of the WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) as a measure of the severity of depression. J Affect Disord. 2014;156:240-244. PubMed
When to retake
Monthly retakes give the most useful trend data. The WHO-5 is designed for brief repeated administration — short enough to do as part of a monthly self-check, sensitive enough to register meaningful change. Many users pair the WHO-5 with the GAD-7 (anxiety) and PHQ-9 (depression) for a complete monthly mental-health snapshot.
If your scores stay low, structured support helps. Positive psychology and mindfulness-based therapy both target the everyday wellbeing the WHO-5 measures. For ongoing daily wellbeing practice, the Five-Minute Journal or GLAD Technique provide a structured daily complement to the periodic WHO-5 measurement.
How to take the WHO-5
- 1
Open the WHO-5 in the Mindtalk app
Tap "Take the WHO-5" to open the assessment. You will need a free Mindtalk account — sign-in takes under a minute.
- 2
Answer the 5 questions about the past 2 weeks
For each item, choose how often you have felt each thing over the past 2 weeks. Each is scored 0 (At no time) to 5 (All of the time). The whole questionnaire takes about 2 minutes.
- 3
Get your score and recommendation
You receive a total score (0-100, raw scores are multiplied by 4). If your score is below 50, the app suggests taking the PHQ-9 for depression-specific screening; if below 28, the app surfaces clinical consultation options.
Related assessment guides
FS
The Flourishing Scale — Diener's 8-item measure of psychological wellbeing across purpose, relationships, competence, and self-worth. 2 minutes, free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →HSP
Explore whether you process sights, sounds, emotions and other people's moods more deeply than most. A self-reflection on sensitivity, not a diagnosis. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →MHB
A short, broad check-in on mood, worry, stress, sleep and daily functioning that points you to the right validated screener next. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →RSES
The world's most widely used self-esteem measure — 10 items, 3-5 minutes, score 0-30 with clear interpretation. Used in thousands of research studies since 1965. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →Frequently Asked Questions
- What does the WHO-5 measure?
- The WHO-5 measures subjective mental wellbeing over the past two weeks across 5 dimensions — positive mood, calm and relaxation, energy and vigour, restful sleep, and interest in daily life. It produces a single score from 0-100. Higher scores indicate better wellbeing; lower scores suggest reduced wellbeing and possible depression. Developed by the World Health Organisation; one of the most widely used wellbeing measures globally. Takes 2-3 minutes.
- What do WHO-5 scores mean?
- Scores range 0-100 (with 100 representing the best possible wellbeing). General interpretation — above 75 suggests very good wellbeing. 50-75 suggests good wellbeing with some room for improvement. 28-50 suggests reduced wellbeing — worth attention; warrants screening for depression. Below 28 suggests significantly reduced wellbeing — strong indicator to consult a clinician for evaluation. The 50 threshold is the most commonly cited screening cut-off.
- Is the WHO-5 a depression test?
- Not specifically. The WHO-5 is a general wellbeing screener, not a depression diagnostic. However, low WHO-5 scores correlate strongly with depression — research consistently shows scores below 50 warrant follow-up depression screening (typically PHQ-9). The WHO-5 is useful as a top-of-funnel general check — if low, take the PHQ-9 for depression-specific assessment; if normal, no further depression screening needed at that moment.
- Why is the WHO-5 so short — does that mean it's not accurate?
- Shortness is by design and does not compromise accuracy. The WHO-5 was deliberately developed as a brief screener for routine use in clinical settings where longer questionnaires are not practical. Despite its brevity, research consistently shows strong reliability and validity — it correlates well with longer wellbeing measures and effectively identifies people who need further evaluation. Brief screeners work well when they cover the right domains, which the WHO-5 does.
- How do you score the WHO-5?
- Each of the 5 items is scored from 0 (At no time) to 5 (All of the time). Add them for a raw score of 0-25, then multiply by 4 to get a percentage score of 0-100. Higher is better. Below 50 suggests reduced wellbeing and a follow-up depression screen; below 28 suggests speaking to a clinician.
- Can I retake the WHO-5 to track my wellbeing over time?
- Yes — that is one of its key uses. The WHO-5 is brief enough to repeat weekly or monthly without becoming burdensome, and sensitive enough to detect meaningful change. Many people use it as a wellbeing check-in during stressful periods, while implementing wellbeing interventions, or during recovery from depression. The Mindtalk app saves results so you can see trends over time.
Need a clinician's read on your results?
A high score is a signal, not a diagnosis. Mindtalk's psychiatrists and clinical psychologists can interpret your results and recommend next steps — same-day appointments available.