Occupational disease statistics describe several different realities: modelled deaths and disability, employer-recorded illness, self-reported symptoms, and officially recognised disease cases. The figures below keep those measures separate while showing the scale of occupational disease globally and in the United States, Great Britain and the European Union.
Key Occupational Disease Statistics
The most broadly useful figures span modelled burden, observed reporting and survey-based symptoms:
- In 2016, about 90 million work-related DALYs were estimated globally from selected occupational risk factors and outcomes.
- In 2016, occupational diseases accounted for 71% of estimated work-related DALYs worldwide, while injuries accounted for 30% after rounding.
- In 2016, quantified occupational risks accounted for an estimated 2.1% of all deaths worldwide.
- In 2016, long working hours of at least 55 hours per week were linked to an estimated 745,000 global deaths.
- In 2016, occupational particulate matter, gases and fumes were linked to an estimated 450,000 global deaths.
- In 2016, the global work-related death rate was estimated at 34.3 per 100,000 working-age people.
- In 2024, U.S. private-industry employers reported 148,000 illness cases.
- In 2024, the U.S. private-industry illness incidence rate was 13.9 cases per 10,000 full-time-equivalent workers.
- In 2024/25, an estimated 1.9 million Great Britain workers had new or long-standing work-related ill health.
- In 2024/25, stress, depression or anxiety represented 52% of Great Britain’s self-reported work-related ill-health cases.
- During 2013–2022, EU countries officially recognised 37,022 occupational cancer cases across 24 participating Member States.
- During 2013–2022, lung cancer and mesothelioma represented 81.5% of recognised EU occupational cancer cases in the participating-country series.
- In the 2025 OSH Pulse survey, 28% of EU respondents reported work-caused or work-worsened bone, joint or muscle pain in the previous 12 months.
- In 2024, 52.6% of EU27 workers reported upper-limb pain in the previous 12 months.
- In 2020–2021, about 1.2 to 1.5 million U.S. workers’ asthma cases were estimated to be work-related.
Contents
- Global occupational disease burden
- Occupational disease risk factors and outcomes
- United States occupational illness data
- Great Britain work-related ill health and lung disease
- EU occupational cancer statistics
- Musculoskeletal and asthma statistics
Global Occupational Disease Statistics: Burden of Death and Disability
The WHO/ILO global estimates measure attributable burden from selected workplace risks rather than officially recognised disease claims. Their 2016 assessment estimated 90 million DALYs from workplace risk factors, and quantified occupational risks represented 2.1% of all deaths and 2.7% of worldwide disease burden.
| Global measure | Estimate | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Work-related deaths from disease | About 2.6 million | 2023 report using global estimates; worldwide |
| Work-related deaths from accidents | 330,000 | 2023 report using global estimates; worldwide |
| Work-related DALYs | 90 million | 2016; selected occupational risks and outcomes |
| Disease share of work-related DALYs | 71% | 2016; injuries were 30% after rounding |
The International Labour Organization’s 2023 summary reported about 2.6 million global deaths from work-related diseases compared with 330,000 deaths from work accidents. These are separate components of the global burden, and the disease figure is a global burden estimate rather than a count of officially recognised cases (International Labour Organization, “Nearly 3 million people die of work-related accidents and diseases”).
Regional and sex-specific estimates show why population structure matters when interpreting totals. Asia and the Pacific represented 63% of global work-related mortality in the ILO summary, while the WHO/ILO 2016 work-related death rate was 51.4 per 100,000 working-age adults for men and 17.2 per 100,000 for women; the source defines working age as 15 or older.
The global average was 34.3 work-related deaths per 100,000 working-age people in 2016, compared with 45.0 per 100,000 in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The regional share reflects workforce size as well as risk, so it should not be read as a region-specific probability without the relevant denominator (WHO/ILO, “Total WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, 2000–2016”).
Occupational Disease Statistics by Risk Factor and Health Outcome
Long working hours and airborne workplace exposures are prominent contributors in the global estimates. At least 55 hours of work per week was associated with an estimated 745,000 deaths in 2016, while occupational particulate matter, gases and fumes were linked to 450,000 deaths.
| Risk factor or outcome | Deaths or DALYs | Period and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Long working hours | 745,000 deaths; 23.3 million DALYs | 2016; at least 55 hours per week |
| Particulate matter, gases and fumes | 450,000 deaths | 2016; grouped occupational exposure |
| Occupational injuries | 26.4 million DALYs | 2016; largest listed risk-factor total |
| Ergonomic factors | 12.3 million DALYs | 2016; grouped ergonomic risks |
The same WHO/ILO framework associated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with 450,000 work-related deaths in 2016, stroke with 398,000, and ischaemic heart disease with 347,000. For disability-adjusted life years, stroke produced 12.6 million work-related DALYs, back and neck pain 12.3 million, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 10.9 million.
These figures are attributable-risk estimates for selected exposures and outcomes, not a complete register of every occupational disease. The 26.4 million DALYs attributed to occupational injuries are included for comparison with disease-related outcomes and should not be treated as disease cases (WHO/ILO, “Total WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, 2000–2016”).
United States Occupational Disease Statistics: Reported Illness and Work Loss
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses captures employer-recorded cases subject to OSHA recordkeeping requirements. In private industry, employers reported 148,000 illness cases in 2024, down 26.0% from 2023, and the illness incidence rate fell from 19.0 to 13.9 cases per 10,000 full-time-equivalent workers.
| U.S. private-industry measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Employer-reported illness cases | — | 148,000 |
| Illness incidence rate per 10,000 FTE workers | 19.0 | 13.9 |
| Respiratory illness cases | — | 54,000 |
| Respiratory illness rate per 10,000 FTE workers | 9.5 | 5.1 |
| Total recordable cases per 100 FTE workers | 2.4 | 2.3 |
Respiratory illness made up 54,000 reported cases in 2024, with a rate of 5.1 per 10,000 full-time-equivalent workers compared with 9.5 in 2023. The total recordable case rate, which combines injuries and illnesses, was 2.3 per 100 FTE workers in 2024, while health care and social assistance recorded 3.4 per 100 FTE workers, down from 3.6 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024”).
The BLS also reported 1.8 million private-industry cases involving days away from work over 2023–2024. Days-away cases represented 61.5% of DART cases, and the annualized days-away rate was 86.6 per 10,000 FTE workers; these measures include categories defined by days away, restriction or transfer and are not disease-only.
The 2023–2024 BLS case and demographic data have a classification-system break, and published rates and counts are rounded. The figures therefore describe recorded cases under the survey’s definitions, not the full underlying prevalence of occupational disease.
Great Britain Occupational Disease Statistics: Ill Health and Lung Disease
Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive uses Labour Force Survey responses for broad work-related ill health. In 2024/25, an estimated 1.9 million workers had new or long-standing work-related ill health, equivalent to a self-reported rate of 5,360 cases per 100,000 workers.
| Work-related ill-health category | Share of cases | Great Britain period |
|---|---|---|
| Stress, depression or anxiety | 52% | 2024/25 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders | 27% | 2024/25 |
| Other illnesses | 21% | 2024/25 |
The HSE breakdown places stress, depression or anxiety at 52% of cases, musculoskeletal disorders at 27%, and other illnesses at 21%. These are self-reported classifications and are broader than formally recognised occupational disease (Health and Safety Executive, “Work-related ill health and occupational disease in Great Britain”).
Long-latency disease changes how current mortality should be interpreted. About 11,000 lung-disease deaths each year in Great Britain were estimated to be linked to past occupational exposure, with COPD accounting for 35%, non-asbestos-related lung cancer 23%, asbestos-related lung cancer 20%, and mesothelioma 20%.
The lung-disease figures are annual estimates connected to past exposures, rather than a count of diseases newly diagnosed in the measurement year. That latency caveat is essential when comparing them with survey rates from 2024/25.
EU Occupational Cancer Statistics: Recognised Cases and Cancer Types
Eurostat’s experimental European Occupational Diseases Statistics series recorded 37,022 recognised occupational cancer cases during 2013–2022 across 24 participating Member States. Germany, Greece and Portugal were excluded from this series, and recognised cases depend on national legal and social-security systems.
| EU recognised occupational cancer measure | Cases | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total recognised cases | 37,022 | 2013–2022 |
| Annual average | 3,909 | 2013–2019 |
| Recognised cases | 3,094 | 2020 |
| Recognised cases | 3,258 | 2021 |
| Recognised cases | 3,309 | 2022 |
Lung cancer accounted for 15,272 recognised cases and mesothelioma for 14,914 during 2013–2022. Together they represented 81.5% of recognised occupational cancer cases in the participating-country series, while bladder cancer accounted for 2,559 cases (Eurostat, “37 022 occupational cancer cases between 2013 and 2022”).
The 2020 count may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and reporting systems. These are recognition statistics, not incidence rates for the entire EU population, so differences in national recognition practice affect the observed totals.
Work-Related Musculoskeletal and Asthma Statistics
Musculoskeletal measures range from diagnosed or reported work-related problems to symptoms in the previous year. An EU Labour Force Survey measure cited by EU-OSHA found that work-related musculoskeletal disorders affected 6.0% of employed or formerly employed people aged 15–64.
In the 2025 OSH Pulse survey, 28% of respondents reported work-caused or work-worsened bone, joint or muscle pain during the previous 12 months. The 2024 European Working Conditions Survey found upper-limb pain in 52.6% of EU27 workers, backache in 52.4%, and lower-limb muscular pain in 38.1%; these are self-reported health problems, not necessarily confirmed occupational disease (EU-OSHA, “Introduction to musculoskeletal disorders”).
EU-OSHA also summarises WHO/ILO estimates for 2000–2016 in which musculoskeletal disorders represented approximately 20% of listed work-related disease and injury DALYs. A German estimate attributed EUR 37.7 billion in lost gross value added to MSD-related productivity losses, which measures lost labour productivity rather than direct medical spending.
Asthma statistics require the same care around definitions. An estimated 12.7 million U.S. working adults had asthma in 2020–2021, 8.6% of working adults with asthma reported an emergency-room or urgent-care visit during the previous year, and an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million workers’ asthma cases were work-related.
The U.S. work-related asthma estimate is not the same as total asthma prevalence. Separately, a 2025 case series identified 30 work-related asthma cases among legalized-cannabis industry workers in four U.S. states through 2023; a case series is not a prevalence estimate (NIOSH, “Work-related Asthma: Early Recognition and Prevention”).