New government figures show that sickness absence across the UK Civil Service increased in 2025, with the average number of working days lost per employee rising by 5% compared with the previous year.
The data indicates that civil servants lost an average of 8.2 working days per staff year, up from 7.8 days in 2024.
Long-term sickness absence accounted for a significant proportion of the total, with mental health-related conditions responsible for 47.1% of long-term absences.
The figures reveal wide variation between departments. The Scotland Office recorded the largest increase in average working days lost, rising by 338%. Other departments also saw notable increases, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (up 44%), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (up 20%), the Cabinet Office (up 14%), the Home Office (up 12%) and the Ministry of Justice (up 10%).
Several other public bodies experienced double-digit rises, including the Government Actuary’s Department, Estyn, the Office of Rail and Road, and National Savings and Investments. In contrast, some organisations reported reductions in sickness absence, including the Charity Commission, UK Export Finance and the Wales Office.
Commenting on the figures, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart said the increase raised concerns about productivity within the Civil Service. He argued that the rise in sickness absence coincided with an expanding workforce and criticised the government for moving away from previous plans to reduce staff numbers.
The government has not yet issued a response to the latest data. The figures were published as part of official Civil Service workforce statistics and are based on average working days lost per staff year across departments and agencies.
