Spiralling sick leave is blamed on mental illness and long Covid as 36% of working-age people have a long-term health condition

Surging rates of depression and anxiety – along with the rise of long Covid – are driving up the number of Britons on long-term sick leave.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there were more than 2.5 million people not working due to ill health in the first three months of 2023 – a rise of 400,000 since the start of the pandemic.

It comes against a background of increasing chronic illness, with 36 per cent of all working-age people reporting to be living with at least one long-term health condition – up from 31 per cent in the first quarter of 2019.

For those whose long-term sickness has either led them to stop working or looking for work, the ONS analysis shows that 38 per cent reported having five or more health conditions – a total of 937,000 people.

Figures for depression in the UK are at an all-time high, with the condition affecting one in six adults. Women are also twice as likely to suffer from it compared with men

‘This suggests that many people have interlinked and complex health issues, which might mean that they have more than one health barrier to hinder their return to the world of work,’ says Darren Morgan, ONS director of economic statistics production and analysis.

The most common problems among those not working due to ill health were ‘depression, bad nerves or anxiety’, with more than 1.3 million people reporting these reasons – a 40 per cent increase in four years.

Mr Morgan adds: ‘The majority of these people reported it as a secondary health condition rather than their main one.’

Figures for depression in the UK are at an all-time high, with the condition affecting one in six adults. Women are also twice as likely to suffer from it compared with men.

‘Other health conditions’ – a category which includes long Covid – have risen by 53 per cent to 754,000. Back, neck and other musculoskeletal problems are also widespread and have risen by around a quarter.

ONS analysts said an ageing population accounted for only about 40,000 of the more than 400,000-strong increase in people who are long-term sick.

Instead, it highlighted the number of people waiting for treatment from the NHS, which has risen to 7.4 million in May from 4.6 million in January 2020.