State of the Nation: data about social mobility in the UK
The State of the Nation Data Explorer was developed in 2023 by the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) as the official interactive companion to our annual statutory State of the Nation report.
Updated yearly, the platform features bespoke data, geographical breakdowns, and composite indicators created directly by the SMC.
As an independent statutory body, the SMC solely owns and oversees this tool, its underlying Social Mobility Index, and all associated methodologies.
Highlighted data
Mobility outcomes
The strength of the link in occupational class between children and their parents has stayed fairly steady.
Intermediate outcomes
Socio-economic background is strongly related to the level of young people’s earnings.
Drivers of social mobility
Between 2014 and 2025, the percentage of people with a postgraduate degree has slightly increased.
Find data by region
See how 205 areas of the UK are ranked for 4 different measures of social mobility.
More information
Read the full State of the Nation 2026 report on GOV.UK.
Find out more about the SMC on the Social Mobility Commission website.