The UK reaches 17 million working days lost to mental ill-health in 2026 today, according to analysis by Simplyhealth, the health services and health plan provider, which also found that nearly a third of employees with mental health support through their employer may not realise they have it.
The milestone falls two days before World Mental Health Day on Saturday. Simplyhealth said mental ill-health is the leading cause of long-term employee absence in the UK and the second leading cause of short-term absence.
Simplyhealth has published a running total at intervals this year. When it reported the eight million mark on 14 May, it said the calculation was based on the Health and Safety Executive’s estimate of 22.1 million working days lost to stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, spread across 253 working days, an average of about 87,500 a day. The HSE figure covers self-reported work-related ill health in Great Britain.
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