Musculoskeletal Disorder Statistics UK

Musculoskeletal conditions affect muscles, joints and related tissues. The broader population includes people with conditions unrelated to work; HSE’s work-related MSD estimates cover people who believe work caused or worsened their condition.

This guide keeps those measures separate and labels their geography and period. England population survey results are not UK totals, and all work-related MSDs should not be described as lifting injuries.

Reviewed 15 October 2026. HSE workforce estimates cover Great Britain in 2024/25; cost estimates use the 2023/24 reference year. Population surveys and other periods are labelled separately.

Key Facts & Figures (Overview)

  • 17.9% of people aged 16 and over in England reported a long-term MSK condition in the 2024 GP Patient Survey analysis published by OHID.
  • 13.4% reported an MSK condition and at least one other long-term condition in that survey.
  • 511,000 workers had work-related MSDs in Great Britain in 2024/25.
  • 173,000 workers reported a new work-related MSD case in 2024/25.
  • 27% of work-related ill-health cases were MSDs.
  • 7.1 million days were lost to work-related MSDs in 2024/25.
  • 14 days were lost per MSD case on average.
  • 43% of cases mainly affected the back.
  • 41% mainly affected the upper limbs or neck; 15% the lower limbs. Rounding prevents an exact 100% total.
  • 20% of all days lost to work-related ill health were due to MSDs.

How Many People Have an MSD in the UK?

OHID’s April 2025 profile uses the 2024 GP Patient Survey for England. It found 17.9% of adults aged 16 and over reporting a long-term MSK condition. The question changed in 2024, so direct comparisons with earlier years are not valid.

  • Prevalence was 20.0% among females and 15.6% among males.
  • 13.4% reported an MSK condition alongside another long-term condition.
  • The survey concerns long-term MSK conditions whether or not work contributed to them.

HSE estimates 511,000 workers with a work-related MSD in Great Britain in 2024/25, including 173,000 new cases. These are Labour Force Survey estimates rather than confirmed clinical diagnoses.

  • The overall prevalence rate was 1,470 per 100,000 workers.
  • MSDs accounted for 27% of work-related ill-health cases.
  • HSE describes rates in the latest three years as similar to the 2018/19 pre-pandemic level. A small change between annual estimates does not prove a change in prevention effectiveness.

Which Body Parts Are Most Affected?

HSE classifies cases by the area mainly affected in 2024/25:

  • Back: 221,000 workers, 43% of cases.
  • Upper limbs or neck: 211,000 workers, 41%.
  • Lower limbs: 78,000 workers, 15%.

Rounded counts and percentages do not sum exactly to the total. These categories are not equivalent to particular causes, so the upper-limb share does not measure cases caused by computer work.

Working Days Lost to MSDs

Work-related MSDs caused an estimated 7.1 million days lost in Great Britain in 2024/25: 20% of all days lost to work-related ill health, with 14 days lost per case on average.

  • Back conditions accounted for 41% of MSD days lost.
  • Upper-limb or neck conditions accounted for 34%.
  • Lower-limb conditions accounted for 25%.

The share of days lost differs from the share of cases. These estimates do not represent all-cause MSK absence in the NHS or across the whole economy.

Which Industries and Occupations Are Most at Risk?

HSE identifies three broad industries with significantly higher work-related MSD rates than the all-industry average over 2022/23–2024/25:

  • Construction.
  • Transportation and storage.
  • Administrative and support service activities.

The industry comparison concerns illness associated with a current or most recent job, so its denominator differs from the headline annual prevalence measure. The administrative and support category should not be read as a count of office workers with RSI.

The Causes of Work-Related MSDs

MSDs can develop gradually or follow an accident. Several exposures may combine, and a diagnosis alone does not identify its occupational cause.

  • Manual handling and forceful exertion.
  • Awkward or sustained positions.
  • Repetitive movements without suitable recovery.
  • Vibration and unsuitable equipment or workstation design.
  • Work organisation and psychosocial factors.

HSE’s cause evidence includes historical worker surveys from 2009/10–2011/12 and GP reports from 2013–2015. These should not be presented as new cause rankings measured in 2024/25.

The Cost of MSDs to the UK Economy and NHS

MSDs can create treatment, absence and support costs for people, employers and public services. HSE’s £22.9 billion estimate for 2023/24 covers all workplace injuries and new work-related ill health in Great Britain, rather than MSDs alone.

  • Do not apply the MSD case share to the national cost total: costs vary by condition and severity.
  • For workplace planning, use actual absence and operational records.
  • Population health-care spending and work-related economic costs have different scopes and cannot be added without checking for overlap.

MSDs and Employment

An MSK condition does not necessarily prevent someone from working. The effect depends on symptoms, job demands and available support.

  • Discuss tasks that are difficult and consider suitable changes.
  • Arrange occupational health or clinical advice where needed.
  • Review adjustments as circumstances change.

Employment rates from different years, disability definitions and age groups should not be treated as one current measure of the effect of MSDs.

MSDs and Mental Health

OHID’s 2024 England survey analysis found higher odds of reporting a mental-health condition among people with an MSK condition: an odds ratio of 1.5. This is an association, not proof of causation or a 50% increase in probability.

  • The odds ratio was 3.8 at ages 16–24 and 1.2 at age 85 and over.
  • The analysis also identified inequalities by deprivation.
  • Practical support should consider pain, mental wellbeing and work demands together.

HSE describes a general downward trend in work-related MSD rates before the pandemic. Rates in each of the latest three years were similar to 2018/19, as were days lost per worker.

  • Survey estimates have uncertainty; small year-to-year movements should not be overinterpreted.
  • A change in case numbers alone does not show which workplace exposures caused it.
  • England’s 2024 population survey question changed, preventing a direct trend comparison with earlier versions.

MSD Law and Employer Responsibilities in the UK

The main duties described here apply in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate corresponding legislation.

  • Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess unavoidable operations and reduce risk.
  • Assess relevant workstation and repetitive-task risks.
  • Control vibration exposure where the work creates a risk.
  • Consider whether a diagnosed occupational disease or accident meets the specific RIDDOR reporting criteria; not every MSD is reportable.

Reducing Work-Related MSDs: What Works

Controls should suit the task and worker; training supports risk reduction but does not replace changes to hazardous work.

For Employers

  • Redesign tasks to reduce handling and repetition.
  • Provide suitable aids and maintain them.
  • Assess workstations, including relevant home-working setups.
  • Plan suitable changes of activity and recovery time.
  • Provide instruction and encourage early reporting.
  • Review work and seek appropriate occupational health advice when symptoms arise.

For Workers

  • Follow agreed methods and use equipment as instructed.
  • Raise concerns about demanding or uncomfortable tasks.
  • Report persistent or worsening symptoms.
  • Seek advice about suitable activity and treatment for the particular condition rather than assuming one exercise approach suits every MSD.

Written by Workplace Safety Experts

This guide was produced by the team at Manual Handling Training, a UK provider of RoSPA-approved and CPD-accredited online manual handling courses. Manual handling can contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and our training is used by businesses across construction, warehousing, healthcare, and logistics to help workers understand the risks, apply safe techniques, and protect their long-term musculoskeletal health. Because this subject sits at the core of what we do, we are well placed to track the latest HSE and NHS data and present it clearly for employers, HR professionals, safety officers, and workers alike.

Sources & references

Make sure your team is trained in safe manual handling.

Explore the Manual Handling Training Course →
Mark McShane
Mark McShane
Health & Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about workplace health & safety, manual handling and accredited online training for Manual Handling Training, part of Online CPD Academy.