HSE estimates that 964,000 workers in Great Britain suffered work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25. Employers must assess and manage work-related stress risks, but the national statistics are estimates of reported ill health, not a compliance score. This page separates HSE’s Labour Force Survey estimates from wider absence surveys and economic models.
Key facts and figures
- 964,000 workers reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25.
- +24% in a single year: total cases rose from 776,000 in 2023/24.
- 409,000 of the 2024/25 cases were new cases that began during the year.
- 22.1 million working days were lost to stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25 — 62% of all days lost to work-related ill health.
- 22.9 days were lost on average for every case in 2024/25.
- 52% of all work-related ill health cases in 2024/25 were stress, depression or anxiety.
- 3,220 vs 1,980 cases per 100,000 workers: female and male rates respectively, averaged over 2022/23–2024/25.
- £51 billion — the estimated annual cost of poor employee mental health to UK employers (Deloitte, 2024).
Checked on 15 October 2026. HSE’s latest annual work-related ill-health estimates cover 2024/25. Other sources below have their own dates and populations; the three-year demographic rates are labelled separately.
How many workers suffer work-related stress in the UK?
HSE estimated 964,000 workers with work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25, compared with 776,000 in 2023/24. This is an increase of about 24% in the estimated count. HSE reports that the prevalence rate rose statistically significantly compared with the previous year.
Of the 2024/25 total, 409,000 were new cases that started during the year, up from around 300,000 the year before; the remainder were long-standing conditions that workers continued to experience. The overall prevalence rate works out at 2,770 cases per 100,000 workers — roughly 2.8% of the working population reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety in a single year.
Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health cases in 2024/25 — 964,000 of the 1.9 million workers who reported any work-related ill health condition. In other words, stress-related conditions now outnumber every other category of work-related ill health combined, including musculoskeletal disorders.
A note on coverage: the HSE’s figures are accredited official statistics for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), based on self-reports collected through the Labour Force Survey. Northern Ireland’s workplace health data is reported separately.
| Measure | 2024/25 figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Workers affected (all cases) | 964,000 | Great Britain; about 24% above 776,000 in 2023/24 |
| New cases | 409,000 | Up from around 300,000 in 2023/24 |
| Working days lost | 22.1 million | 62% of all days lost to work-related ill health |
| Average days lost per case | 22.9 days | Mean across cases, not every individual’s absence |
| Share of all ill health cases | 52% | 964,000 of 1.9 million total cases |
| Prevalence rate | 2,770 per 100,000 workers | 2024/25 annual estimate; demographic rates use three years |
How many working days are lost to stress each year?
An estimated 22.1 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25: 62% of days lost to work-related ill health. The mean was 22.9 days per case. A mean does not show the absence duration experienced by every worker or the median case.
For wider context, ONS estimated 148.8 million days lost to all-cause sickness absence in the UK in 2025, equivalent to 4.4 days per worker. The CIPD’s 2025 employer survey reported an average of 9.4 days per employee among responding organisations. These use different methods and populations.
HSE’s work-related category, ONS’s all-cause population estimate and the CIPD’s employer survey should not be added together or treated as directly comparable measures of one trend.
Who is most affected by work-related stress?
HSE’s three-year averages for 2022/23–2024/25 show 3,220 cases per 100,000 female workers and 1,980 per 100,000 male workers. These are not single-year 2024/25 rates, and the figures alone do not establish why the difference exists.
HSE identifies public administration and defence, education, and human health and social work as industries with higher-than-average rates in its three-year analysis. National sector patterns can help focus questions, but a workplace assessment must examine the actual demands, support and other conditions experienced by its staff.
In the CIPD’s 2025 survey, 64% of organisations said they were taking steps to identify and reduce stress. Of those taking steps, 50% believed their efforts were effective. The 64% figure is not the proportion experiencing stress-related absence.
What causes work-related stress?
Workload is one potential source of work-related stress, alongside the way work is organised and supported. HSE’s framework asks employers to examine demands, control, support, relationships, role and change, rather than assuming the same cause applies to every person or workplace.
The HSE structures the causes of work-related stress around its six Management Standards: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. These are the six areas of work design where the evidence shows poor management reliably produces ill health — excessive demands, lack of control over how work is done, inadequate support, destructive relationships (including bullying and harassment), unclear or conflicting roles, and badly managed organisational change.
The pressure is not confined to a minority of workplaces. Mental Health UK’s Burnout Report 2026 (YouGov fieldwork, published January 2026) found that 91% of UK adults experienced high or extreme pressure or stress in the past year, and that 1 in 5 workers took time off sick in the past year because of poor mental health caused by pressure or stress.
Do employers have to risk-assess work-related stress?
In Great Britain, regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to employees’ health, including work-related stress. Employers with five or more employees must record significant findings. Northern Ireland has separate legislation.
HSE’s Management Standards offer one practical assessment approach, including a 35-question Indicator Tool. The tool can inform discussions with staff, but a questionnaire alone does not complete the assessment or replace action on the findings. See our stress risk assessment guide for a practical walkthrough.
The CIPD findings on preventive steps and perceived effectiveness underline the importance of checking whether measures work. They do not establish what proportion of all UK employers meets its legal risk-assessment duties.
What does work-related stress cost UK employers?
Deloitte’s 2024 analysis estimated that poor employee mental health costs UK employers £51 billion annually, including about £24 billion associated with presenteeism. Its literature review estimated an average £4.70 return per £1 invested in mental-health interventions. This is a modelled average, not a guaranteed return for a particular programme.
HSE separately estimated the societal cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health in Great Britain at £22.9 billion in 2023/24. It includes costs borne by individuals, employers and government. The stress share of illness cases cannot be applied to this total to calculate a stress-only cost, and the HSE and Deloitte totals must not be added together.
Is work-related stress getting worse?
The latest HSE estimate is higher: 964,000 cases in 2024/25 versus 776,000 in 2023/24, a rise of about 24%. HSE also reports a statistically significant annual increase in the prevalence rate. These are self-reported survey estimates with uncertainty, rather than a register of clinical diagnoses.
Other surveys provide context but measure different things. Mental Health UK’s 2026 report found that one in five workers surveyed had taken time off because of poor mental health caused by pressure or stress. That does not create a like-for-like trend comparison with HSE’s work-related illness category.
The next HSE annual health and safety statistics release is expected in November 2026. Until publication, the 2024/25 work-related illness estimates remain the latest available figures.
Frequently asked questions
What are the latest HSE stress statistics?
The latest annual HSE estimates cover 2024/25:964,000 workers in Great Britain reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety, including 409,000 new cases. An estimated 22.1 million working days were lost, averaging 22.9 days per case. The category represented 52% of work-related illness cases.
How many working days are lost to stress in the UK each year?
HSE estimated 22.1 million working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain in 2024/25. That is 62% of days lost to work-related ill health. ONS separately estimated 148.8 million days lost to all-cause sickness absence across the UK in 2025.
What is the main cause of work-related stress?
The causes differ between workplaces and people. HSE’s six Management Standards cover demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. Assess these with employees and act on the actual risks identified.
Is work-related stress a health and safety issue in UK law?
Yes. InGreat Britain, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess and manage risks to health, including work-related stress. Employers with five or more employees must record significant findings. Northern Ireland has separate legislation.
Why does the HSE count stress, depression and anxiety together?
HSE reports stress, depression or anxiety as one category in its Labour Force Survey estimates. Workers report conditions they believe were caused or made worse by work. These figures should not be read as a clinical diagnosis register.
When are the next work-related stress statistics published?
The next annual HSE health and safety statistics release is expected in November 2026. As checked on 15 October 2026, the latest work-related stress estimates cover 2024/25.
Related guides
- Risk Assessment Statistics UK: Compliance Facts & Data
- HSE Enforcement Statistics UK: Fines, Prosecutions & Notices
- Stress risk assessment: the HSE Management Standards and what employers must do
- What is a risk assessment? A guide to UK workplace law
- Working from home risk assessment: the duty for home and hybrid workers
- How often should a risk assessment be reviewed?
Sources & references
- HSE — Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics 2025
- HSE — Management Standards for work-related stress
- ONS — Sickness absence in the UK labour market 2025
- CIPD — Health and wellbeing at work 2025
- Deloitte — Mental health and employers 2024
- Mental Health UK — Burnout Report 2026
- Management Regulations 1999, regulation 3
- HSE — Costs to Britain 2023/24
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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.