ONS estimated an average of 4.4 working days lost per UK worker in 2025, while CIPD’s 2025 employer survey reported 9.4 days per employee among respondents. These are different measures, not competing estimates from the same sample. This page sets out their scope alongside dated NHS and Civil Service figures.
Key facts and figures
- 4.4 days — the average number of working days lost to sickness or injury per worker in 2025, on the ONS labour-force measure.
- 148.8 million working days were lost to sickness or injury across the UK in 2025 (ONS).
- 2.0% — the UK sickness absence rate in 2025, unchanged from 2024 and 0.1 percentage points above the 2019 pre-pandemic level (ONS).
- 9.4 days — the average lost per employee reported by employers in the CIPD 2025 survey, up from 7.8 days in 2023 and 5.8 days pre-pandemic.
- 2.9% vs 1.7% — the public-sector absence rate against the private-sector rate in 2025 (ONS).
- 5.3% — the NHS England hospital and community health services sickness absence rate in June 2026, compared with 4.9% in June 2025.
- 8.2 days — average working days lost per Civil Service staff year to 31 March 2025, up from 7.8 (GOV.UK).
- £30 billion — IPPR’s modelled increase in annual employee-sickness costs between 2018 and 2023, published in 2024.
Checked on 15 October 2026. ONS figures cover 2025; the latest NHS monthly release covers June 2026. CIPD and Civil Service figures are from their 2025 reports. Different denominators prevent direct ranking of every rate on this page.
How many sick days does the average UK worker take per year?
The honest answer is either 4.4 or 9.4 days, depending on which measure you use — and confusing the two is the single most common mistake in absence reporting. On the ONS labour-force measure, an estimated 148.8 million working days were lost to sickness or injury in 2025, an average of 4.4 days per worker. On the CIPD’s employer survey (2025 edition, published 9 September 2025), organisations reported an average of 9.4 days lost per employee — nearly two working weeks.
ONS derives its population estimates from the Labour Force Survey, including employees and self-employed people. CIPD surveys organisations about their absence records. Differences in respondents, workforce composition and methods affect the results, so the CIPD mean should not be assumed to predict the experience of a particular employer.
ONS estimated a 2.0% sickness absence rate in 2025, unchanged from 2024. CIPD reported 9.4 days per employee, compared with 7.8 in its 2023 survey. These separate series should be described individually rather than combined into one trend.
What is the UK sickness absence rate?
The UK sickness absence rate was 2.0% in 2025, unchanged from 2024 and 0.1 percentage points above the 2019 pre-pandemic level of 1.9%, according to the ONS. The rate is the share of scheduled working hours lost to sickness across the workforce — a cleaner cross-group comparator than raw day counts, because it adjusts for how many hours each group is contracted to work.
ONS reports that smaller achieved Labour Force Survey sample sizes have increased volatility, so changes need additional caution. Reweighting also creates a discontinuity from 2019. The 2025 rate was unchanged from 2024; the figures alone do not identify the causes of that stability.
Are public sector workers off sick more than private sector?
On the ONS measure, public-sector employees had a 2.9% sickness absence rate in 2025, compared with 1.7% in the private sector. These are shares of working hours lost, not the percentage of employees who were ill.
ONS notes that age, sex and job characteristics can affect sector comparisons. These descriptive rates do not isolate the effects of sick-pay policies, workplace culture or individual behaviour. Comparisons are more useful when the populations and working arrangements are similar.
How does sickness absence vary by worker group?
The ONS 2025 estimates show rates of 2.8% for part-time workers and 1.9% for full-time workers, and 2.4% for women versus 1.7% for men. Rates were 1.3% among 16–24-year-olds and 3.3% among those aged 65+. Workers with a long-term health condition had a 4.0% rate, compared with 1.0% among those without one.
| Group (2025) | Absence rate | Comparator |
|---|---|---|
| All UK workers | 2.0% | Baseline |
| Public sector | 2.9% | Private sector 1.7% |
| Part-time | 2.8% | Full-time 1.9% |
| Women | 2.4% | Men 1.7% |
| Aged 16–24 | 1.3% | Aged 65+ 3.3% |
| Long-term health condition | 4.0% | No condition 1.0% |
| Highest occupation (process, plant & machine operatives) | 3.3% | Managers & senior officials 1.0% |
| Highest region (Yorkshire & The Humber) | 2.4% | London 1.5% |
ONS Labour Force Survey estimates for the 2025 reference year; rates are working hours lost to sickness or injury as a percentage of working hours.
Process, plant and machine operatives had the highest major-occupation rate in 2025, at 3.3%, while managers, directors and senior officials had the lowest, at 1.0%. Yorkshire and The Humber had a 2.4% regional rate and London 1.5%. The estimates do not establish the cause of those differences.
What are the most common reasons for sickness absence?
Minor illnesses accounted for 30.4% of sickness-absence occurrences in 2025, followed by “other” conditions at 15.6%, musculoskeletal problems at 14.6% and mental health conditions at 8.9%. These are shares of occurrences — times a reason was given — not shares of all days lost.
Short spells and long absences can have different patterns. A condition’s share of absence occurrences is not its share of time lost: a relatively small number of long absences can account for many days. For work-related mental-health figures, see our work-related stress statistics.
Which UK sector has the highest sickness absence rate?
The latest NHS England release reports a 5.3% sickness absence rate for hospital and community health services in June 2026, compared with 5.0% in May and 4.9% in June 2025. It measures full-time-equivalent days lost as a share of available days, so it is not directly comparable with the ONS hours-based rate.
In June 2026, ambulance trusts recorded a 6.6% rate. Ambulance support staff had a 7.7% rate and HCHS doctors 2.1%. Anxiety, stress, depression and other psychiatric illness accounted for over 694,000 FTE days lost, or 30.2% of NHS sickness absence that month. These are within-NHS comparisons, not a ranking of all UK sectors.
What is the Civil Service sickness absence rate?
The Civil Service reported 8.2 average working days lost per staff year for the year ending 31 March 2025, compared with 7.8 a year earlier. This staff-year measure has its own coverage and calculation; it should not be converted into or ranked against the ONS hours-based percentage.
Mental ill health accounted for 47.1% of long-term Civil Service sickness absence in the year ending 31 March 2025. That denominator is long-term absence, whereas the NHS psychiatric-illness share above covers all sickness days in a single month. The two percentages are not directly comparable.
How much does sickness absence cost UK employers?
IPPR’s 2024 analysis estimated that annual employee-sickness costs rose by £30 billion between 2018 and 2023: about £25 billion from reduced productivity while working unwell and £5 billion from absence. This is a model using survey data and wage-based productivity assumptions, not employers’ audited expenditure or a new 2026 estimate.
The model illustrates why days absent are only one aspect of workforce health. Its productivity costs should not be added to other health-cost estimates without checking overlap. Employers can use their own absence patterns and risk assessments to identify appropriate preventive action and support.
Frequently asked questions
How many sick days does the average UK worker take per year?
ONS estimated 4.4 working days lost per UK worker in 2025. CIPD’s 2025 employer survey reported 9.4 days per employee among responding organisations. Different populations and methods explain why the two measures should be labelled separately.
Which UK sector has the highest sickness absence rate?
On the ONS 2025 measure, public-sector employees had a 2.9% rate versus 1.7% in the private sector; process, plant and machine operatives had the highest major-occupation rate, at 3.3%. NHS monthly rates use days rather than hours, so they cannot establish a directly comparable all-sector ranking.
Are public sector workers off sick more than private sector?
ONS estimated a 2.9% sickness absence rate for public-sector employees in 2025 versus 1.7% for private-sector employees. The figures are descriptive; workforce and job characteristics differ and the rates alone do not explain the gap.
How much does sickness absence cost UK employers?
IPPR’s 2024 model estimated a £30 billion increase in annual employee-sickness costs between 2018 and 2023, including £25 billion associated with working while unwell and £5 billion with absence. It is a modelled historical comparison, not a direct measure of current employer expenditure.
How often are these statistics updated?
Checked on 15 October 2026. The latest ONS annual figures cover 2025, and the NHS monthly figures used here cover June 2026. Each source has its own release schedule and reference period; the Civil Service report covers the year ending 31 March 2025.
Related guides
- Work-Related Stress Statistics UK: HSE Facts & Data
- Risk Assessment Statistics UK: Compliance Facts & Data
- HSE Enforcement Statistics UK: Fines, Prosecutions & Notices
- Stress risk assessment: the HSE Management Standards explained
- Risk assessment examples: three worked examples for UK workplaces
Sources & references
- ONS — Sickness absence in the UK labour market 2025
- CIPD — Health and wellbeing at work 2025
- NHS England — Sickness absence rates,June 2026
- Cabinet Office — Civil Service sickness absence 2025
- IPPR — Employee sickness cost model,July 2024
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, risk assessment and accredited online training for Risk Assessment Training, part of Online CPD Academy.