A quarter of adults in England are living with chronic pain, according to the latest NHS Health Survey for England.
The comprehensive study found 26% of adults experience pain most days or every day, while 13% suffer from high-impact chronic pain that significantly interferes with daily life.
The survey found that women are more likely to be affected than men, with 29% reporting chronic pain compared to 22% of men. The findings also uncovered a strong link between deprivation and pain, with 36% of adults in the most deprived areas experiencing chronic pain – nearly double the 19% rate in the least deprived areas.
Age emerged as another factor. Just 12% of those aged 16 to 24 reported chronic pain, rising steadily to 40% among people aged 75 and over. For high-impact chronic pain, the figures jumped from 4% in young adults to 23% in the oldest age group.
The most common pain locations were arms, hands, hips, legs or feet (71% of sufferers), back (52%), and neck or shoulder (39%). Women were more likely to experience pain across multiple sites – 39% reported three or more locations compared to 29% of men.
After adjusting for age, 45% of chronic pain sufferers had two or more longstanding conditions compared to 15% without pain. The most common were musculoskeletal conditions (39%), mental and behavioural disorders (25%), and heart conditions (16%).
Nearly all adults with chronic pain – 93% – reported moderate or extreme levels of general pain or discomfort on the day of the survey. More than half experienced problems with walking, performing usual activities, and anxiety or depression. Among those with high-impact chronic pain, 46% reported difficulties with basic self-care tasks.
The Health Survey for England is an annual survey providing data on health and health-related behaviours in England. The 2024 survey marks the first time chronic pain has been measured using questions aligned with current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, defining it as pain experienced most days or every day within the last three months.
The ongoing pain crisis carries a substantial financial burden for the UK. Data shows that back pain alone costs the NHS around £400 million per year, while the two most common arthritis types cost the economy £10.2 billion.
The UK remains one of the largest consumers of prescription opioids per 1,000 inhabitants, surpassing countries including the US, Germany and Canada. Over one million people in the UK are currently on prescription opioids, with more than 50,000 taking them for six months or longer, at an estimated annual cost of £500 million to the NHS.
Despite efforts to reduce opioid prescriptions, concerns are growing about NHS capacity to manage chronic pain effectively. A 2025 survey by medical cannabis clinic Alternaleaf found that 78% of UK doctors believe opioids are currently prescribed too frequently for pain relief, whilst one in three expressed concern that the NHS is not prepared for the projected increase of 1.9 million chronic pain patients by 2040.
Growing evidence suggests medical cannabis may offer an effective alternative to traditional pain medications. A survey of 1,450 US medical cannabis patients managing chronic pain found that 86% experienced moderate to significant pain improvement, with effectiveness ratings of 8-10 out of 10 reported by 72.4% of patients.
Significantly, the survey revealed that 35% of patients stopped all prescription pain medications entirely after incorporating cannabis into their treatment regimens, whilst 14.8% stopped some medications and 11.6% reduced their dosage or frequency. 87.8% of patients said cannabis feels like a sustainable solution for managing their chronic pain over time.
Despite medical cannabis being legalised in the UK in 2018, it remains unavailable on the NHS for chronic pain, forcing patients to seek treatment through private clinics.
Recent analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research showed that adopting medical cannabis as a treatment by the NHS could add £4.5 billion to the economy over five years and £13.3 billion over a decade.
