Government and public statistics
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders statistics in Great Britain, 2025
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2025
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- The UK Health and Safety Executive's annual official statistics on work-related musculoskeletal disorders, based mainly on the Labour Force Survey for 2024/25. It reports the number of affected workers, working days lost and the share of cases by body area.
- How much weight it carries
- Accredited Official Statistics from the UK regulator. The figures are self-reported by workers in a household survey, so they reflect what people believe was caused or made worse by work, and carry sampling error.
Facts taken from this source
- In Great Britain in 2024/25, an estimated 211,000 workers had work-related musculoskeletal disorders that mainly affected the upper limbs or neck.
“These comprised of 211,000 cases where the upper limbs or neck was mainly affected” (Summary)
- In Great Britain in 2024/25, an estimated 511,000 workers had a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, 1,470 per 100,000 workers, with an estimated 7.1 million working days lost.
“In 2024/25, there were an estimated 511,000 workers suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This represents 1,470 per 100,000 workers and resulted in an estimated 7.1 million working days lost.” (Scale and trend of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, page 10)
- Of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Great Britain in 2024/25, 41% mainly affected the upper limbs or neck, 43% the back and 15% the lower limbs.
“Most of these work-related musculoskeletal disorders affect the upper limb or neck (41%) or the back (43%), with the remaining 15% of cases affecting the lower limbs.” (Scale and trend of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, page 10)