Are negative working environments driving mental health diagnoses in the UK? GEO Agency Reboot Online NHS analysis suggests they might be.
With 776,000 workers affected by work-related stress in 2024 [1], GEO Agency Reboot Online analysed median pay, number of jobs, job density, unemployment rates and stress and anxiety diagnoses to explore how the concentration of jobs might be impacting wellbeing.
They discovered a strong positive correlation between UK employment hubs – cities and towns with more jobs and higher job density – and the number of stress and anxiety diagnoses. The intense commuting, increased workload and crowded workplaces could be taking a toll.
Interestingly, when measured per 10,000 residents, smaller and mid-sized areas report the highest number of diagnoses overall. And while job availability is crucial, it may come with a hidden cost, highlighting the need for improved workplace support.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The Year-on-Year Rise in Stress and Anxiety
| Year | Stress Diagnoses | Anxiety Diagnoses | Total | YoY Change |
| 2020-21 | 67,370 | 805,155 | 845,530 | – |
| 2021-22 | 85,815 | 1,067,450 | 1,116,395 | +32% |
| 2022-23 | 90,935 | 1,127,250 | 1,177,625 | +5.5% |
| 2023-24 | 111,300 | 1,324,045 | 1,384,970 | +17.6% |
Stress and anxiety diagnoses have increased sharply in recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, the total number of reported cases rose by over 63%, indicating a growing mental health crisis in the UK.
There has been a sharp increase in stress and anxiety diagnoses over recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, total reported cases rose by more than 63%, reflecting a growing mental health challenge in UK workplaces. The most dramatic jump came in 2021, as hybrid and remote working became the norm following the COVID-19 pandemic. While working from home offered flexibility, it also blurred the lines between work and personal life, creating an “always-on” culture and digital fatigue that continues to affect employees today.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reported similar trends, pointing to workload, lack of managerial support, and organisational change as the main drivers of work-related stress.³ Hybrid working has added new pressures too, including isolation, reduced social support, and challenges in team communication.
Fiona Vivian, HR Manager at Reboot Online, explains:
“Workplace stress isn’t just a temporary post-pandemic issue. It’s now a structural challenge. Employees are working longer hours, staying connected outside of work, and dealing with higher expectations without enough support. Employers need to go beyond surface-level wellbeing initiatives and build real, sustainable frameworks that genuinely protect mental health. Creating an environment where staff feel seen, supported, and able to discuss stress without stigma is not just good for wellbeing, it drives engagement, retention, and overall organisational performance.”
The results: The UK areas that are most stressed
| Rank | Location | Median Annual Pay | Number of Jobs | Total Number of Stress & Anxiety Diagnoses (2020-24) | Number of Stress & Anxiety Diagnoses per 10,000 |
| 1 | North Warwickshire | 33,317 | 25,000 | 82,675 | 12,318 |
| 2 | Hartlepool | 27,504 | 27,000 | 91,330 | 9,302 |
| 3 | Adur | 29,846 | 22,000 | 53,775 | 8,287 |
| 4 | Guildford | 37,564 | 51,000 | 101,955 | 6,736 |
| 5 | Breckland | 28,773 | 49,000 | 87,900 | 5,995 |
| 6 | Forest of Dean | 31,883 | 24,000 | 48,085 | 5,357 |
| 7 | Babergh | 29,817 | 36,000 | 46,055 | 4,746 |
| 8 | Medway | 32,107 | 104,000 | 124,570 | 4,257 |
| 9 | Plymouth | 28,363 | 89,000 | 109,880 | 4,039 |
| 10 | Southampton | 29,857 | 96,000 | 99,825 | 3,848 |
While the total number of stress and anxiety diagnoses is highest in the UK’s largest employment hubs, new data reveals that smaller and mid-sized authorities often face the most intense per-capita mental health pressures.
For instance, London recorded 547,200 total stress and anxiety diagnoses between 2020 and 2024, the highest in the UK. North Warwickshire sees the equivalent of 12,318 diagnoses per 10,000 residents, meaning many individuals have experienced multiple stress-related episodes within the same period.
According to Fiona Vivian, HR Manager at Reboot Online:
“It’s a common misconception that bigger cities are automatically more stressful. In smaller or mid-sized communities, employees often face concentrated workloads without the same level of HR infrastructure and support programs that larger employers can provide. This can lead to intense per-capita pressure even when the total workforce is relatively small.
Stress isn’t simply about low pay or job insecurity. It’s about workload intensity, unrealistic expectations, and whether organisations provide adequate support. Even well-paid employees can experience chronic stress in high-pressure environments.
Employers of all sizes need to assess their teams, understand the pressures they face, and invest in support systems. This isn’t just about compliance; it’s about sustaining performance and retaining talent. Mental health frameworks need to match the reality of workloads, not just the size of the office.”
Please credit Reboot Online’s research with a link here: https://www.rebootonline.com/geo/. This allows us to continue producing insights for future stories.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes,
Milly Pyne | Journalistic.org
Notes to editor:
[1] DPH Legal | Work-Related Stress in the UK
[2] CIPR | Workplace Stress
[3] HSE Gov | Stress
Methodology:
- Reboot Online set out to examine whether there is a correlation between workplace factors and stress levels across the UK.
- To do so, hospital admissions for stress and anxiety from the NHS for the years 2020–2024 were collected. Additionally, Job, unemployment, and salary data for the same period were obtained from the ONS.
- Stress and anxiety admissions were broken down by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and mapped to Local Authorities using official government mappings. Admissions were then normalised by population to allow fair comparisons across regions
- It is important to note that the NHS data may include instances where individuals have been diagnosed with both stress and anxiety, effectively counting as two diagnoses for one person. Repeat diagnoses across multiple years are also recorded separately, meaning individuals who returned for further treatment may appear more than once in the dataset.
- Correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationship between stress and anxiety diagnoses and variables such as median salary, number of jobs, job density, and unemployment. Correlations were interpreted as weak (0.1–0.3), moderate (0.3–0.5), or strong (0.5–1.0).
- Year-over-year percentage changes were calculated to examine how stress and anxiety diagnoses evolved in each Local Authority.
Please find the full dataset here.