Stress statistics and facts

Facts and statistics about stress from leading mental and public health organisations.

On this page: Prevalence Demographics In the workplace Causes

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.

list of stress stats

Prevalence

The overwhelming majority (79%) of UK adults feel stressed at least 1 day a month [1]
1 in every 14 people (7%) in the UK say they feel stressed every single day. 1 in 5 UK adults (21%) say they never feel stressed [1]
74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope [2]
32% of adults said they had experienced suicidal feelings as a result of stress [2]
In 2020, Peru was found to be the most stressed country in the world. When interviewed, 66% of Peruvians said they had experienced a lot of stress the previous day [3]
51% of adults who felt stressed reported feeling depressed, and 61% reported feeling anxious [2]

Demographics

Gender

On average, women in the UK say they feel stressed approximately 10 days each month, whereas men say they experience stress for an average of 7 days a month [1]
81% of women have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope, compared to 67% of men [2]
35% of women said they had experienced suicidal feelings as a result of stress, compared to 29% of men [2]
74% of women say they are stressed for work-related reasons competed to 61% of men [4]

Age

91% of Generation Z (18 to 24 year olds) report feeling stressed at least once a month, compared to 55% of Baby Boomers (55+ years old) [1]
30% of older people reported never feeling so stressed they feel overwhelmed or unable to cope in the past year, compared to 7% of young adults [2]
39% of 18 to 24 year olds said they had experienced suicidal feelings as a result of stress, compared to 25% of adults aged 55 and over [2]
29% of 18 to 24 year olds said they had self-harmed due to stress compared to 6% of adults aged 55 and over [2]
91% of Generation Z (18 to 24 year olds) report feeling stressed at work, higher than the 84% average across age groups [1]

Location

Plymouth (87% feel stress at least once a month), Liverpool (86%) and Glasgow (86%) are the top 3 most stressed cities in the UK [1]

In the workplace

914,000 workers were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing) in 2021/22 [5]
17 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2021/22 [5]
In 2021/22, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 51% of all work-related absences [5]
55% of all working days lost were due to work-related ill health [5]
Stress-related health issues are estimated to cost the NHS over £11 billion a year [6]
Poor mental health, such as stress, costs UK employers up to £45 billion a year [7]

Causes of stress

36% of all adults who reported stress in the previous year cited either their own or a friend/relative's long-term health condition as a factor. This rose to 44% of adults over 55 [2]
The most common type of stress experienced by Brits was work stress, with 79% of respondents saying they frequently felt this type of stress. Furthermore, 60% of respondents frequently feel monetary stress, while 48% experience family stress [8]
Excessive workload (73%), lack of control (31%) and lack of support (29%) are the top 3 causes of negative stress at work [9]
In another survey, not getting enough sleep, money and health were the top 3 causes of stress to adults in the UK [1]

Coping with stress

46% say that they eat too much or too unhealthily due to stress [2]
16% say that they started smoking or increased their smoking due to stress [2]
Almost 60% of adults are drinking alcohol in order to cope with the stresses of everyday life [10]
57% of people say they drink after work to cope with stress and pressure, while 14% say they drink during the day [11]
88% of people say they think about their work outside of working hours [12]