Occupational diseases statistics
EXPERIMENTAL

Data extracted in November 2025

Planned article update: November 2026

Highlights

The EU index for the number of (newly) recognised cases of people having an occupational disease was almost the same in 2023 as it was in 2013, down 2% overall.

In the EU, the number of (newly) recognised cases of people having inflamed and painful joints, and shoulder lesions was 38% higher in 2023 than in 2013, while the number of (newly) recognised cases of people with inflammation of the synovial lining of a joint or tendon sheath was 25% higher.

Development of occupational diseases – total and groups, EU, 2013-23

This article presents a set of main statistical findings in relation to indicators concerning occupational diseases in the European Union (EU). The statistics presented are experimental. The data for the EU are based on (at most) information for 24 EU countries: data for Germany, Greece and Portugal are not included.

For reasons of comparability, the focus of the analysis in this article is on developments over time. The time series are shown using an index referenced to 2013 = 100. As such, the article does not show the absolute number of people recognised as having an occupational disease but focuses on the change in this number over time.

Country profiles for individual EU countries are available on Eurostat’s website in the relevant thematic section. These country profiles show the national situation in relation to a ‘core list’ of occupational diseases. The occupational diseases included in the core list were selected from those most often reported by the countries participating in the development of these experimental statistics. The criteria considered were a) a significant number of cases and b) recognition by a majority of the participating countries.

This article is included in a set of statistical articles concerning specific health conditions in the EU which forms part of an online publication on Health in the European Union – facts and figures.

Overall developments

Figure 1 shows the development of the total index of the number of people recognised as having an occupational disease as well as information for 4 aggregate indices for groups of occupational diseases.

Between 2013 and 2017, the total index for the number of people recognised as having an occupational disease in the EU was relatively stable. Thereafter, a 12.5% decline in 2018 was followed by an 8.2% increase in 2019. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic and social restrictions coincided with a change in the development of the index: in 2020, the index fell 19.2% and remained at a relatively low level for 2 years, as the index decreased 2.3% in 2021 and increased 1.8% in 2022. The index rebounded in 2023 (up 30.8%), reaching a level 2% below what it had been in 2013. Among the 4 groups of diseases for which aggregate indices are available, the largest overall decrease between 2013 and 2023 was observed for contact dermatitis (down 60%); smaller decreases were observed for selected occupational cancers (down 24%) and pneumoconiosis (down 23%). By contrast, large increases in the 2 most recent years resulted in an index level in 2023 for selected musculoskeletal disorders that was 17% above its 2013 level.

Figure 1: Development of occupational diseases – total and groups, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

Developments for specific diseases

Figure 2 shows that the EU index of the number of people recognised as having 1 of the other non-grouped occupational diseases (those that are not part of the 4 groups shown in Figure 1) fell at a faster than average pace between 2013 and 2023:

for pleural plaque (the pleura is a membrane surrounding the lungs and lining the rib cage; exposure to asbestos can cause a thickening of the membrane) the index was down 38%
for asthma it was down 48%
for other diseases of the inner ear it was down 62%.

The decrease for other diseases of the inner ear was the second largest decrease (among the 16 diseases covered by this article) between 2013 and 2023, marginally smaller than the decrease for soft tissue disorders related to use, overuse and pressure (see Figure 6).

Figure 2: Development of occupational diseases – non-grouped diseases, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

Figure 3 presents data for 2 selected occupational cancers: mesothelioma (a malignant tumour that is caused by inhaled asbestos fibres and forms in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart) and lung cancer. Across the EU, the number of people recognised as having these occupational cancers was at a lower level in 2023 than in 2013, down 14% for mesothelioma and 46% for lung cancer.

Figure 3: Development of occupational diseases for selected occupational cancers, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

Pneumoconiosis is a group of diseases caused by the inhalation of dust. Indices for 2 sorts of pneumoconiosis are presented in Figure 4, the first relating to mineral fibres (such as asbestos) and the second to dust containing silica (silicon dioxide). The EU indices for the number of people recognised as having pneumoconiosis were lower in 2023 than they had been 10 years earlier, down 28% for pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres and down 19% for pneumoconiosis due to dust containing silica.

Figure 4: Development of occupational diseases for pneumoconiosis, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

Contact dermatitis is a type of skin disease provoked by contact with a particular substance, with the skin typically becoming dry, blistered or cracked. Such dermatitis can be caused either by an irritant (something which damages the skin) or an allergen (something which provokes an immune response which damages the skin). Figure 5 shows that the number of people in the EU recognised as having these occupational diseases was at a considerably lower level in 2023 than in 2013, down 60% for the allergy-based variant and 61% for the irritant-based variant.

Figure 5: Development of occupational diseases for contact dermatitis, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

The final figure, Figure 6, presents developments for 7 selected musculoskeletal disorders. Among these, 3 occupational diseases / conditions recorded larger decreases than observed for all occupational diseases between 2013 and 2023:

the number of people in the EU recognised as having soft tissue disorders (such as muscle or tendon injuries) related to use, overuse and pressure was down 63%
the number of people recognised as having other peripheral vascular diseases (blood circulation disorders) was down 61%
the number of people recognised as having other intervertebral disc disorders was down 23%.

The 4 other selected musculoskeletal disorders were the only occupational diseases (among the 16 specific diseases covered by this article) with a higher EU index value in 2023 than in 2013. The index level for mononeuropathies (damage to a single nerve) of upper limb had almost the same index level in 2023 as in 2013, up 3% overall. The index levels of the 3 remaining selected musculoskeletal disorders were notably higher in 2023 than 10 years earlier: synovitis and tenosynovitis (inflammation of the synovial lining of a joint or tendon sheath) was up 25%, while the number of recognised people with other enthesopathies (inflamed and painful joints) or with shoulder lesions were both up 38%.

Figure 6: Development of occupational diseases for selected musculoskeletal disorders, EU, 2013–23
Source: Eurostat (hsw_occ_ina)

Feedback

To help Eurostat improve these experimental statistics, users and researchers are kindly invited to provide feedback by email.

Source data for tables and graphs

Occupational disease statistics: tables and figures

Data sources

Legal basis

Occupational disease statistics are based on administrative data collected nationally by various organisations, usually the national statistical offices. Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 outlines the domain specific requirements of the data collection, for example in terms of the aim, scope, subjects covered, reference periods, intervals and time limits for data provision and metadata.

Geographical coverage

Germany and Greece did not take part in the pilot data collection while Portugal provided data for 2013 to 2015. As such, the data used to compile the indices for the EU are based on the availability among at most 24 EU countries; the precise number of countries that are covered varies between the individual diseases.

Core list of diseases

The core list (also referred to as the short list) of occupational diseases is composed of 16 diseases, of which 13 are presented in 4 (aggregated) groups:

selected occupational cancers, further divided into
- C34 malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung
- C45 mesothelioma
pneumoconiosis, further divided into
- J61 pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres
- J62 pneumoconiosis due to dust containing silica
selected musculoskeletal disorders, further divided into
- G56 mononeuropathies of upper limb
- I73 other peripheral vascular diseases
- M51 other intervertebral disc disorders
- M65 synovitis and tenosynovitis
- M70 soft tissue disorders related to use, overuse and pressure
- M75 shoulder lesions
- M77 other enthesopathies
contact dermatitis, further divided into
- L23 allergic contact dermatitis
- L24 irritant contact dermatitis.

The following 3 occupational diseases do not belong to any of the 4 (aggregated) groups identified above:

H83 other diseases of the inner ear
J45 asthma
J92 pleural plaque.

Variables collected

Although not presented in this article, the following information is requested for each recognised occupational disease case:

sex
age at the time of recognition of the occupational disease
employment status during the period of harmful exposure
occupation during the period of harmful exposure
economic activity of the employer
severity
exposure factor.

Data with analyses for some of these variables are available in the thematic section on occupational diseases.

Calculation of the EU index

For each disease or (aggregated) group of diseases, the number of recognised cases is tabulated, showing the number for each year (from 2013 to 2023) for each EU country (among at most 24 EU countries, for which data are available). Then, for each year and for each EU country, an index is calculated with a fixed base, namely the value for 2013. The EU index value is the median calculated across the EU countries index values, for each year. The EU index value for 2013 equals 100 by default. More details are available in a methodological note.

Experimental nature

The experimental nature of these statistics is mainly related to the fact that the data on recognised cases of occupational diseases reflect not only the occurrence of such diseases, but also the way in which the concept of occupational disease has been integrated into national social security systems. The existence of different legal systems and procedures for the recognition of occupational diseases in the EU makes comparisons difficult, noting that a low number of recognised cases of an occupational disease in a particular EU country is neither a sign of the absence of such a disease nor necessarily a clear proof of successful prevention. In the same way, well-established detection systems and large-scale information campaigns could explain the high numbers of reported and recognised cases in some countries.

Context

EU statistics on occupational diseases are essential elements in the European Commission’s strategy to assess the efficiency of EU legislation on health and safety at work. To improve working conditions, knowledge of the numbers, rates, frequencies and trends of occupational diseases are fundamental. They allow preventive actions across the EU to be monitored and prioritised.

At the present time, there is no EU-wide database concerning statistics on occupational diseases. The objective of the EU’s pilot exercise in this area is to respond to the need for data by gathering national data in a single database and from this starting point to provide information on the developments concerning the most commonly recognised occupational diseases within the EU. These requirements are underlined in Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008; annex V. Beyond providing information on the occurrence of diseases, these data could potentially provide other useful information regarding causality (exposure and medical consequences), which is needed for the prevention and evaluation of occupational diseases. The pilot data collection aims to support further development of the EU’s occupational diseases statistics.

Note for reference years 2020, 2021 and 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, preventive measures were put in place with the aim of limiting the spread of the Coronavirus and to combat the epidemic. Some of these measures resulted in activities being either completely stopped or restricted by many employers. In some cases, employees were encouraged or obliged to work remotely, for example from home. For the economic sectors where activity was stopped or reduced, the number of accidents decreased. Inactivity or reduced activity in certain sectors resulted in a smaller number of workers and/or working hours. Consequently, there was an atypical decrease in the number of reported occupational diseases. By contrast, in certain other sectors the COVID-19 pandemic generated an increase in activity, for example, for human health activities, residential care activities or social work activities without accommodation. The increased activity in sectors such as these generally generated higher numbers of reported occupational diseases (or reported accidents at work in some countries) when the cases of COVID-19 of occupational origin were included according to national practices and legislation. Occupational health services that deal with the administrations in charge of receiving notifications, reporting, investigations and recognition of occupational diseases may have operated with limited capacities. The impact of all the actions described above led to a decrease in the total number of short-listed occupational diseases in the data collected for reference years 2020, 2021 and 2022 (compared with earlier and later years for which data are available).

Explore further

Database

Health, see:

Health and safety at work (hsw)

Occupational diseases (from 2013 onwards; source: EODS) (hsw_occ)

EU index of occupational diseases (2013=100) - experimental statistics (hsw_occ_ina)

Thematic section

Health
Experimental statistics – European occupational diseases statistics

Methodology

External links

Occupational diseases statisticsEXPERIMENTAL