148 million working days lost to ill health as sickness absence stalls
Author: RSPH 01 May 2026 1 min read
New data reveals that sickness absence has remained unchanged from 2024, as RSPH calls for action to tackle the underlying causes of sickness at work.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has called for action to tackle the underlying causes of sickness absence amongst workers, as new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a stagnation in the number of days lost to ill health.
148 million working days have been lost in the UK due to sickness absence in 2025, a number unchanged from 2024. This cost the economy £141 billion.
the number of working days lost due to ill health.
the cost to the UK economy in 2025 due to lost working days to ill health.
the number of adults who will be economically inactive due to long-term health conditions by 2035.
Minor illnesses still leading cause of sickness absence
The most common reason for sickness absence were minor illnesses (such as flu), musculoskeletal (MSK) problems and mental health conditions.
Sickness absence due to MSK problems increased by 3%, while absence due to mental health conditions decreased by 16%.
Disparities in population groups and regions reflect persisting inequalities
Women continue to have a higher sickness absence rate than men, but the gap has narrowed. The number of days lost due to ill health increased by 5% in men and decreased by 5% in women.
The data also shows differences in regions. The South West of England observed a 12.5% decrease in days lost due to sickness, while the East and North East had a 29% and a 30% increase respectively.
Human health and social work remain the highest reported sectors for days lost due to sickness, with over 30 million days lost.
The solutions exist
The data comes as the government continues to increase efforts to reduce long-term sickness absence after the publication of the Keep Britain Working review last year.
RSPH is calling for healthy workplaces that support good physical and mental health at work. This could include early interventions like training for managers and health checks at in the workplace
Previous RSPH research has shown that by 2035 over three million adults will be economically inactive due to long-term health conditions. If this trend continues, long-term health conditions alone will not only impact on lives but also cost our economy £192 billion in lost working days.
Ten million people across the UK workforce currently do not have access to workplace health support.
This data is a wake-up call. We have not seen progress in improving the health of the workforce.
Matthew Bazeley-Bell, Deputy Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health
There are stark inequalities between different population groups and employment sectors – but these differences are not inevitable.
They are shaped by policy choices, workplace practices and how health and wellbeing is prioritised across working lives.
