Missing Men Annual Report 2026: Lives of many men and boys still worse than before the pandemic

August 31, 2026

|

by

CPRMB Team

CPRMB's unique annual report "Missing Men" 2026 shows many men and boys are living worse lives than they were before the pandemic.

Media contact:

Every year, the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPRMB) publishes a unique annual "Missing Men" report that through taking a annualised business scorecard approach with 25 key indicators provides an overall snapshot on the state of men and boys across four essential areas - employment, education, health and crime. The first was published in 2025, and the 2026 version has now been published.

Overall, the findings show life for many men and boys is still worse than before the pandemic. Annualiised unemployment is increasing, mental health is worsening and the number of men in prison continues to grow. On the flipside, physical health is starting to improve, and educational outcomes are gradually getting better - albeit a significant gender attainment gap remains. There is a no identikit “man or “boy” so race, place and class, as well as many other factors, all play a role.

The report shows that too many men and boys in the UK are still missing. They are missing from the economy. They are missing out on education. They are missing from society and families. We need to get men and boys back to at least an overall state of “pre-pandemic norms”.

To flourish, our economy and society need the energy and skills of men and boys and women and girls. The key recommendation of this report is therefore for the government at all levels, the policymaking and academic community, and employers and the third sector to apply a gender sensitive lens to how they approach the challenges facing men and boys in the UK. Gender considerations must be central and not side-lined.