35 Workplace stress statistics that will really open your eyes

A quick insight: Workplace stress is widespread and costly both for people and organisations. Many employees report moderate to high stress levels at work, with a large share saying work is a significant source of stress and contributing to lost days, burnout and disengagement. The post brings together key statistics that highlight how stress affects mental health, productivity and the employee experience and why understanding these numbers matters for planning effective support.

Stress is no joke. In fact, it’s become an epidemic that stands to really disrupt companies in terms of productivity, performance and engagement. Across industries, employers are struggling to monitor stress levels, pinpoint issues that are causing issues and make actionable plans for improvement. It’s a difficult problem to navigate, no doubt, and the companies who aren’t able to tackle it effectively are facing issues such as absenteeism, prsenteeism and high turnover. 

We’ve discussed strategies for handling workplace stress as well as warnings signs of stress at work. Now, we want to explore workplace stress statistics to highlight the scale of the issue and its various causes, with many stats coming straight from our own cross-sector benchmark data.

Related: The ultimate employee wellbeing guide 2025

Workplace stress statistics

Below are 35 eye-opening workplace stress statistics, including common causes of workplace stress and the sectors that are most affected.

Prevalence of stress in the UK workplace

1. 776,000 UK workers reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024, representing nearly half of all reported work-related ill health cases.
2. The average rate of work-related stress is 2,480 per 100,000 workers in the UK.
3. 84% of UK employees report feeling stressed at least once a month, with 39% saying it affects their work performance.
4. Stress levels at work appear to have only grown post-pandemic.
5. The burnout rate in the UK stands at 20%, with one in five employees having to take time off work to cope with their stress.
6. Only one in seven UK businesses provide stress management training.
7. Presenteeism is experienced by over a quarter (26%) of employees with poor mental health.

Causes of workplace stress

8. Our own benchmark data reveals that across sectors, only 68% of employees are able to strike a healthy balance between work and home.
9. Our data also shows that only 65% of employees believe their company does enough to support their health and wellbeing.
10. We know that 36% of employees are unable to comfortably cope with their workload.
11. 36% of employees claim that their opinions aren’t sought on decisions that directly affect their work, which can certainly raise levels of stress.
12. The top cause of work-related stress is workload, cited by 65% of employees.
13. 48% of UK employees cite poor management as a significant stressor.
14. 33% of UK hybrid and remote workers feel “always on” due to blurred boundaries.
15. 23% of UK employees experience anxiety when they receive an email notification outside of work hours and feel pressure to respond.
16. According to our own data, 32% of employees say they aren’t getting the training and development needed to do their job — which can certainly raise stress levels.
17. Our data shows us that 39% of employees don’t feel people at their company communicate openly, indicating that poor communication can be a contributor to stress.
18. Over a quarter of employees we’ve surveyed (28%) say they don’t have the equipment or resources needed to do their job properly.
19. 33% of employees say that people aren’t treated fairly or equally at their company.
20. 35% of employees don’t feel recognised or appreciated for the work they do.
21. 37% of employees don’t feel they have the right opportunities to learn and grow, with 48% saying their career development aspirations are not being met.
22. 46% of employees aren’t satisfied with the benefits offered by their company and an incredible 53% say they aren’t satisfied with the pay they receive for the work they do, indicating that financial stress is an ongoing issue for employees.

Related: Supporting mental health in emergency services: What needs to change?

Loss of productivity and the business cost

23. 33.7 million working days were lost in the past year (2024) due to work-related ill health and injury, with stress being a significant contributor.
24. Work-related stress accounts for 55% of all work-related ill health in the UK.
25. Poor mental health is said to cost UK employers £45 billion each year.
26. 50% of employees with mental health issues are too embarrassed to discuss the matter with their employer, which will ultimately have knock-on effects in terms of performance.
27. It’s been shown that happy employees are as much as 20% more productive at work than unhappy, stressed employees.

Related: 7 ways to care for the mental health of young employees

Sector-specific statistics on stress in the workplace

28. Public administration and education sectors report the highest rates of work-related stress in the UK.
29. Healthcare workers in the UK are particularly affected, with stress rates significantly above the national average.

Age and sex stress statistics

30. Reports reveal that Generation Z is the most stressed generation in the workplace, with many struggling to cope.
31. Our data, however, shows that of all age groups, those aged 50-59 feel the least supported at work, saying their company doesn’t do enough to support their wellbeing (38%).
32. Our data indicates that those aged 40-49 find it hardest to strike a healthy balance between work and home, with 36% saying they struggle.

Workplace stress statistics from across the globe

33. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that workplace stress costs the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
34. In the USA, 83% of workers report workplace stress, with 25% saying it is severe.
35. According to global reports, Myanmar has been identified as having the highest levels of workplace stress, with 48% of its workers experiencing stress daily

Workplace stress statistics like these make one thing clear — stress is a pervasive challenge that requires actionable responses. Organisations that invest in understanding and addressing these issues through strategies such as staff wellbeing surveys will better position themselves to support their employees. Ignoring stress has long-term implications for productivity, retention, and morale.

If you’d like to explore how a staff wellbeing survey could help your organisation support its employees, contact us today. Together, we can build a workplace that motivates, engages, and supports people to thrive.