Stress statistics and facts UK 2025

74% of adults have felt so stressed at some point over the past year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope, and other statistics and facts about stress.

On this page: Prevalence Workplace Economic & social impact Health & wellbeing Youth stress Coping & support

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Stress is a phenomenon that arises as a response to a difficult situation. Stress is something we all experience in our lives, as we react to external factors going on around us. You might experience stress when you have a tight deadline at work or when you're experiencing financial difficulties.

Stress is a natural response and it's probably more common than you think. Below are a collection of facts and statistics about stress, collated from leading organisations and charities in mental health and public health.

Prevalence

General Prevalence: A UK-wide stress survey found that 74% of adults have felt so stressed at some point over the past year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. [1]
Gender Differences: In the same survey, 81% of women reported feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope due to stress, compared to 67% of men. [1]
Age Factor: Younger people experience higher stress related to the pressure to succeed, with 60% of 18-24-year-olds and 41% of 25-34-year-olds citing this, compared to 17% of 45-54s and 6% of over 55s. [2]

Workplace stress

In 2023/24, an estimated 776,000 workers in Great Britain suffered from work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. [3]
During the same period, 16.4 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. [3]
Stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for 46% of all work-related ill health cases and 54% of all working days lost due to ill health in 2023/24. [3]

Economic and social impact

Work-related stress costs the UK economy £28bn a year. [4]
32% of working adults saying their workplace had plans in place to help colleagues spot the signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout in the past year. [5]

Health and wellbeing

Common physical symptoms of stress include headaches, muscle tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, and changes in sex drive. [6]
Chronic stress can contribute to the development of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. [6]
Almost a third of people (32%) had experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings because of stress. [1]

Youth stress

60% of young people aged 18–24 have felt so stressed by the pressure to succeed that they have felt unable to cope. [7]
Almost half of young people (47%) had experienced significant stress in relation to body image and worries about their appearance. [7]

Coping and support

44% of 18-24-year-olds say they have benefitted from professional support for mental health to help alleviate stress and protect against burnout at work. [5]
A study on workplace well-being interventions reported a 41% improvement in employees experiencing no symptoms of burnout. [8]