840 thousand people die each year from causes related to adverse psychosocial working environments

April 22, 2026 Health recovery

According to ILO data, more than 840 thousand people die every year from diseases associated with unfavorable psychosocial work environments. This refers not only to overwork or excessive workload, but also to poor treatment, bullying, and harassment. Constant staying in such an environment can lead to cardiovascular diseases, psychological disorders, and even suicides.

The WHO even calculated that if you sum up all the years of healthy life lost by all workers worldwide due to diseases, disabilities, and premature death, it amounts to a total of 45 million years annually, with the associated economic losses equaling 1.37 percent of global GDP.

The report emphasizes: how work is organized and structured and how it is managed directly affects the safety and health of employees, as well as the effectiveness of the organization’s activities.

For a deeper understanding of psychosocial risks in the workplace, the report suggests analyzing the nature of the work itself, including requirements and responsibilities, how it is organized, as well as broader workplace policies regulating labor activities. Such policies include employment conditions, digital monitoring, performance evaluation and remuneration processes, occupational safety and hygiene policies, procedures to prevent violence and harassment at the workplace, as well as mechanisms for consultations with workers and participation in decision-making.

How the Ministry of Transport calculated the number of deaths

The figure, exceeding 840 thousand deaths per year, was calculated based on two main data sources. The first is data on the global prevalence of phenomena such as work overload (high demands combined with low control levels), imbalance between efforts and rewards, lack of job security, long working hours, as well as bullying and harassment in the workplace.

The second source is scientific studies showing how these risks increase the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and psychiatric disorders.

Global mortality and health data obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) were also used for calculations.

In addition, the report summarizes a large amount of data indicating that an unfavorable psychosocial environment is associated with a wide range of psychological and physical illnesses among workers, including depression and anxiety, as well as metabolic diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and sleep disturbances.

Work environment transformation

Although many problems in the working environment are not new, radical transformations in the labor sphere, including digitalization, artificial intelligence, remote work, and new forms of employment, are leading to a transformation of the social labor environment.

Changes can exacerbate existing problems or create new ones if necessary measures are not taken. At the same time, they open up opportunities to improve the organization of labor and increase the flexibility of the work environment.

“Psychosocial risks are becoming one of the most serious problems in the field of safety and occupational hygiene in the modern world,” said ILO representative Manal Azzi.

“Improving the psychosocial working environment is important not only for protecting the mental and physical health of workers, but also for increasing productivity, organizational effectiveness, and economic development,” she added.

The report notes that countries and enterprises can create “healthier” jobs, which will benefit both workers and organizations, while simultaneously strengthening productivity and economic stability.