A Will allows you to set out what should happen to your estate after you die, yet our latest research suggests that a significant proportion of UK adults have yet to put one in place. Manak Solicitors surveyed 1,000 UK adults aged 18 and over to understand how many people currently have a valid Will, how this differs across age groups and different parts of the UK, and the main reasons people give for not having one.

Our research found that just 35.3% of UK adults currently have a valid Will, while 60.9% do not. A further 3.8% are unsure whether they have a valid Will.

According to our survey of 1,000 UK adults:

• 35.3% of UK adults have a valid Will
• 60.9% do not currently have a valid Will
• 3.8% are unsure whether they have a valid Will
• Adults aged 55 and over are the most likely age group to have a Will, at 47%
• Just 20.8% of 18–24-year-olds have a valid Will
• 24.7% of 25–34-year-olds have a valid Will
• 16.1% of people without a Will say they simply haven’t got around to making one
• 10.7% say making a Will isn’t currently a priority
• 8.7% believe they don’t own enough to need a Will
• 6.2% believe they’re too young to worry about making one or intend to do it later in life
• Just 3.1% of those without a Will say cost or affordability is their main reason for not having one

Our research found that slightly more than one in three UK adults surveyed currently have a valid Will. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 353 said they currently have a valid Will, compared with 609 who said they do not. A further 38 people were unsure.

This means people without a valid Will considerably outnumber those who currently have one within our survey.

Age appears to be one of the clearest differences in Will ownership identified by our research.

Those aged 55 and over are the most likely age group surveyed to have a valid Will, with 47% saying they have one. By comparison, just 20.8% of 18–24-year-olds and 24.7% of 25–34-year-olds currently have a valid Will. The survey also found that 11.3% of 18–24-year-olds are unsure whether they have a valid Will, the highest proportion of any age group.

Interestingly, Will ownership does not increase consistently with age throughout every age group. While 34.1% of 35–44-year-olds have a valid Will, this falls to 27.9% among those aged 45–54 before increasing substantially to 47% among people aged 55 and over.

Our survey found relatively little difference between men and women when it comes to having a valid Will. 36.6% of men surveyed said they currently have a valid Will, compared with 34.1% of women. Women were slightly more likely to report not having a valid Will, at 61.6% compared with 60.1% of men.

The proportion of adults with a valid Will also varied between different UK regions in our survey.

Among the regions included in the research, Greater London had the highest proportion of respondents with a valid Will, at 40%. This was followed by Northern Ireland at 39.3%, the South East at 39.1% and the North West at 38.4%.

At the other end of the table, 25% of respondents in the North East said they have a valid Will, alongside 25.6% in Scotland.

Regional sample sizes vary, so these figures should be treated as findings from our surveyed respondents rather than estimates of the exact proportion of every adult living within each region.

The research also looked at responses from adults across a number of UK cities. Of the cities included in our research, Liverpool recorded the highest proportion of respondents with a valid Will, at 41%. Southampton followed at 39.6%, with Belfast at 39.3%, London at 38.8% and Leeds at 38.2%. Respondents in Newcastle were the least likely of the cities surveyed to report having a valid Will, at 23.7%, followed by Edinburgh at 24.2% and Glasgow at 26%.

City-level sample sizes are smaller than the overall national survey, so these results should be interpreted as indicative findings among the people surveyed rather than precise estimates of Will ownership across each city’s entire population.

We also asked the 647 respondents who either did not have a valid Will or were unsure whether they had one about the main reason they had not made one.

Rather than one single barrier dominating the results, respondents gave a broad range of reasons.

Procrastination is one of the biggest barriers to making a Will

One of the clearest findings from the research is that many people without a Will aren’t necessarily prevented from making one by a specific practical barrier.

18.5% said there was no main reason why they did not have a valid Will, while another 16.1% said they simply hadn’t got around to it.

A further 10.7% said making a Will wasn’t a priority for them right now.

Together, these findings suggest that putting off the decision or not seeing it as an immediate priority plays a substantial role in why many people remain without a Will.

Almost one in 11 think they don’t own enough to need a Will

The survey found that 8.7% of respondents without a valid Will believe they don’t own enough to need one.

This was the fourth most common response overall, behind having no particular reason, not having got around to it and not considering it a current priority.

Younger adults are more likely to say they’ll make a Will later in life

Overall, 6.2% of respondents without a valid Will said they believe they’re too young to worry about it or intend to make one later in life.

However, this was considerably more common among younger respondents.

Among 18–24-year-olds without a valid Will, 14.3% gave being too young or planning to do it later in life as their main reason. The figure was 14.8% among 25–34-year-olds.

By comparison, just 0.9% of respondents aged 55 and over without a valid Will gave this as their main reason.

Cost isn’t the biggest barrier to making a Will

Despite the potential perception that cost prevents people from making a Will, only 3.1% of respondents without a valid Will said they thought making one was too expensive or that they couldn’t afford it.

Other practical barriers were similarly uncommon. 3.6% said they didn’t know how to make a Will, while 3.4% said they didn’t know where to start or found the process overwhelming.

Another 3.4% said they kept putting it off because thinking about making a Will felt uncomfortable.

While our research found that 60.9% of UK adults surveyed do not currently have a valid Will, there are a wide range of reasons why people put off making one. Some haven’t got around to it, others don’t see it as a priority, while some simply aren’t sure where to start.

Making a Will can help ensure your wishes are clearly recorded and that your estate is dealt with according to your intentions after your death.

If you’re considering making or updating a Will, our Will Solicitors can guide you through the process, helping you understand your options and put the appropriate arrangements in place.

The research was conducted among 1,000 UK adults aged 18 and over, with the sample nationally representative. Responses were collected between 14 and 17 July 2026.

Respondents were initially asked: “Do you currently have a valid Will?”

Those who did not have a valid Will or were unsure were subsequently asked: “If you do not currently have a valid Will, what is the main reason?”

The second question was answered by 647 respondents.

All statistics on this page are taken directly from this research.