Overview

• Lost workdays due to temporary incapacity in the general regime climbed from 242 million in 2018 to 368.7 million in 2023.
• The cost of sick leave reached €81.574 billion in 2023, equal to 5.4% of Spain’s GDP and marking a €25.9 billion rise since 2018.
• Musculoskeletal disorders and mental health conditions together represent over 50% of the growth in absenteeism.
• Workers over 50 account for 70% of the increase in sick leave and women lost 6.4% of their working days to temporary incapacity compared with 4.8% for men in 2023.
• Mutual insurance providers handle 72.5% of temporary incapacity cases with an average duration of 36 days compared with 43 days through the national social security institute, indicating that improved case management could limit rising absenteeism.