South West Ranks Sixth for UK Sick Days

The South West has been named the sixth highest region in the UK for sickness and absence, according to a new study analysing a decade of data.

Research by C-Suite job board ChiefJobs.com examined Office for National Statistics figures between 2015 and 2024, ranking regions by the average number of work days lost per worker due to sickness or absence.

How the South West Compares

Over the ten-year period, workers in the South West lost an average of 4.7 days per year due to sickness or absence.

The region’s most disruptive year was 2022, when 5.9 days were lost per worker and a total of 17 million work days were lost across the South West. This was followed closely by 2023, with an average of 5.7 days lost per worker and 16.3 million work days lost in total.

In terms of overall work days lost, the South West recorded an average of 13.2 million days per year over the decade, placing it fifth nationally for total days lost.

Wales Tops the Table

Wales ranked first, losing an average of 5.8 days per worker each year. In 2022, Welsh workers lost 8.2 days each on average, the highest figure recorded by any UK region during the period analysed. Over the decade, Wales saw an average of 8.3 million work days lost per year.

Scotland came second with an average of 5.1 days lost per worker annually, followed by the North East at 5 days per worker.

At the other end of the scale, London recorded the lowest average, with workers losing 3.4 days per year over the ten-year period. However, due to its population size, London still saw an average of 15.9 million work days lost per year, the third-highest total overall.

The National Picture

Across the UK as a whole, an average of 146.1 million work days were lost per year due to sickness or absence between 2015 and 2024. That equates to around 1.46 billion work days lost over the full decade.

The highest annual total was recorded in 2022, when 188.3 million work days were lost nationwide. According to the study, that is equal to the entire population of the UK taking just under three days off work, regardless of age or work status.

Regions in the South of England, including the South West, South East, East of England and London, were found to take the fewest sick days overall, with a combined average of around 4.1 days lost per worker per year.

Long-Standing Regional Gaps

Simon Fabb, CEO at ChiefJobs.com, said:

“When you look at the data over a full decade, it’s clear that sickness absence isn’t evenly spread across the country. On average, the UK loses around 146 million work days every year to sickness and absence, which is a huge figure in itself. But what’s more telling is how unevenly that’s spread.

“In some regions, the numbers are striking. The North West, for example, loses an average of over 17 million work days every year, while Northern Ireland loses closer to four million – a difference of around 307%, driven in part by population size and the types of jobs people are doing.

“At the same time, places like the South East lose the most days overall because of their large workforces, while regions such as Wales and Scotland consistently lose more days per worker year after year.

“Those gaps don’t disappear over time; they add up to millions of lost work days and point to long-standing differences in health, job types and support across the UK.”