More than 1 million UK workers experienced work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the past year, according to official figures, with mental ill health now responsible for over half of all work-related illness and the vast majority of working days lost.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that 964,000 workers were affected by these conditions in 2024/25, with 409,000 of those cases classed as new. The findings highlight an entrenched mental health burden in the workplace, with a sustained rise over the past three years that shows no sign of reversing.
The total number of working days lost to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25 reached 22.1 million, out of a total 40.1 million days lost to work-related ill health and workplace injury. It makes stress the dominant cause of workplace absence by a wide margin. The figures reflect a pattern of rising psychological strain across UK workplaces and confirm that mental health challenges remain the most pressing issue in occupational health today.
The 2025 report also shows that stress-related ill health now makes up 52 percent of all work-related illness cases, compared to 27 percent for musculoskeletal disorders and 21 percent for all other types of illness combined. While physical conditions have plateaued, mental health cases have continued to rise, with current rates well above those seen in 2018/19 before the coronavirus pandemic. This trend has persisted for three consecutive years, suggesting a deeper structural issue in how work is organised and experienced.
Sectors under strain
Frontline sectors are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Public administration, education and health and social care reported significantly higher than average rates of stress and anxiety. Employees in these areas often work under chronic pressure, with high workloads, emotional demands and staff shortages contributing to poor mental health outcomes. The Health and Safety Executive noted that these industries have consistently shown elevated levels of stress and remain a focus for targeted intervention.
The HSE data also showed that rates of stress, depression and anxiety per 100,000 workers have continued to rise over the last three years, in contrast to physical conditions, which have generally stabilised. This shift underscores the changing nature of health risks in the modern workplace.
Rising cost of inaction
Work-related illness and injury in 2023/24 cost the UK £22.9 billion, with mental health contributing the largest share. Human and financial costs include lost output, healthcare and wider impacts such as reduced team capacity and long-term absence. Employers now bear an estimated £4.3 billion of that total, with government absorbing £5.2 billion and individuals facing £13.4 billion in personal and family impacts.
The HSE defines these costs as including both measurable financial losses and human costs such as pain, grief and long-term disability. With 964,000 workers experiencing ongoing stress-related ill health and hundreds of thousands more affected each year, the pressure to invest in prevention is mounting.
Prevention still lacking
The report also found that 730,000 workers experienced a new case of work-related ill health during the year, suggesting that emerging risks are not being addressed early enough. Employers are advised to carry out stress risk assessments under health and safety legislation, but uptake and enforcement are inconsistent across sectors.
Many workplaces still rely on reactive approaches, offering employee assistance programmes or mental health first aid after problems have already escalated, rather than tackling workload design or management behaviour at the source.
The sustained rise in work-related stress raises questions about workplace culture, job design and support available to managers. Many line managers remain under-trained in how to identify early signs of stress and how to support affected employees.
Without appropriate systems in place, employees may feel unable to speak up until their health deteriorates and absence becomes unavoidable. This is especially the case in high-pressure environments where presenteeism is valued or where mental health is still seen as a taboo subject.
Hybrid working ‘no quick fix’
There is also concern that hybrid working has not solved the problem. While flexible work has reduced some commuting strain and given employees more control over their environment, it has introduced new stressors such as isolation, lack of boundaries and reduced access to informal support.
The HSE data do not yet provide a breakdown by working model, but employers are being urged to consider how remote and hybrid work is managed in practice, rather than assuming it’s a mental health solution by default.
The 2025 figures confirm that stress and anxiety are not simply fallout from the pandemic but enduring features of the modern workplace. Without targeted, preventive approaches and senior-level commitment, experts say the financial, operational and human costs will continue to rise.
