Nearly three in ten US workers say they “frequently” or “occasionally” feel burned out at work, and the figure is only part of what makes burnout so hard to treat. Across studies, burnout is tied to higher turnover and sickness absence, along with measurable impacts on health and performance. Let’s look at where the strain concentrates and which patterns keep showing up.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 5 employees (20%) reported burnout at work in the United States in 2019 (Gallup)
- 22% of employees reported feeling burned out “very often” or “always” in a 2022 survey of U.S. workers
- 6 in 10 (60%) healthcare workers reported burnout symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (systematic review, 2020)
- 41% of employees said they do not have the resources they need to do their job well (US survey, 2022)
- 30% of workers reported emotional demands at work that were too high (European Working Conditions Survey 2021)
- Burnout was associated with a 63% higher risk of job turnover (meta-analysis, 2019)
- Burnout was associated with a 23% higher risk of sickness absence (meta-analysis, 2017)
- Work-related stress costs US employers an estimated $200 billion per year
- Burnout symptoms accounted for 29% of variance in intention to quit among hospital employees (study, 2019)
- In a 2020 meta-analysis, burnout was significantly associated with depression with a pooled correlation of r=0.47
- In a 2018 study, emotional exhaustion reduced cognitive performance scores by 0.4 SD (standard deviation)
- Global burnout-related wellbeing market reached $9.6 billion in 2023 (estimate; workforce wellbeing software and services)
- The global employee wellness market is projected to reach $90.8 billion by 2030 (forecast, 2024)
- Participants in workplace mindfulness programs showed an average reduction of stress symptoms of about 0.5 SD in meta-analyses (2019)
- 28% of U.S. workers reported that they “frequently” or “occasionally” feel burned out at work (2023, National Safety Council/NSC Work-Related Stress Survey).
One in five employees reported burnout in the US in 2019, and costs are huge.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence4 stats
01
1 in 5 employees (20%) reported burnout at work in the United States in 2019 (Gallup)
02
22% of employees reported feeling burned out “very often” or “always” in a 2022 survey of U.S. workers
03
6 in 10 (60%) healthcare workers reported burnout symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (systematic review, 2020)
04
72% of nurses in a 2022 systematic review reported burnout symptoms (average across included studies)
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
Under the Prevalence angle, burnout is widespread, affecting about 1 in 5 employees in the United States in 2019 and rising to 22% reporting they feel burned out very often or always by 2022, with healthcare workers even more impacted at 60% and nurses averaging 72% showing burnout symptoms in recent evidence.
02 · Category
Risk Drivers2 stats
01
41% of employees said they do not have the resources they need to do their job well (US survey, 2022)
02
30% of workers reported emotional demands at work that were too high (European Working Conditions Survey 2021)
Interpretation
Risk Drivers Interpretation
Risk drivers for burnout are strongly linked to workplace capacity, since 41% of employees say they lack the resources to do their jobs well and 30% report emotionally overwhelming demands in the workplace.
03 · Category
Economic Impact8 stats
01
Burnout was associated with a 63% higher risk of job turnover (meta-analysis, 2019)
02
Burnout was associated with a 23% higher risk of sickness absence (meta-analysis, 2017)
03
Work-related stress costs US employers an estimated $200 billion per year
04
Employees with burnout reported 23% more healthcare utilization days compared with non-burnout peers (observational study, 2020)
05
Burnout prevalence among workers was 27% in a 2020 meta-analysis spanning 14,000+ participants
06
In a 2021 Gallup analysis, disengaged employees cost the US economy $483–$604 billion per year (burnout-related engagement impact)
07
In a 2018 study, emotional exhaustion predicted a 2.1x higher likelihood of reduced job performance
08
Burnout is associated with a 1.5x higher risk of reduced quality of care (meta-analysis, 2019)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an Economic Impact perspective, burnout is not just a wellbeing issue but one that measurably drives costs, including a 63% higher job turnover risk and a 27% prevalence rate in a 2020 meta analysis, while work related stress alone is estimated to cost US employers about $200 billion per year.
04 · Category
Outcomes7 stats
01
Burnout symptoms accounted for 29% of variance in intention to quit among hospital employees (study, 2019)
02
In a 2020 meta-analysis, burnout was significantly associated with depression with a pooled correlation of r=0.47
03
In a 2018 study, emotional exhaustion reduced cognitive performance scores by 0.4 SD (standard deviation)
04
Workers with burnout had a 1.6x higher likelihood of making medical errors (study, 2017)
05
Burnout is linked with a 40% increase in absenteeism (meta-analysis, 2016)
06
In a 2019 study, burnout was associated with 1.8x higher odds of suicidal ideation among working adults
07
In a 2022 meta-analysis, burnout showed a pooled association with cardiovascular risk factors (effect size reported across studies)
Interpretation
Outcomes Interpretation
Looking at the Outcomes category, the evidence consistently shows burnout has wide-ranging and measurable real world impacts, including a 40% increase in absenteeism, a 1.6 times higher likelihood of medical errors, and a pooled association with depression of r = 0.47.
05 · Category
Interventions11 stats
01
Global burnout-related wellbeing market reached $9.6 billion in 2023 (estimate; workforce wellbeing software and services)
02
The global employee wellness market is projected to reach $90.8 billion by 2030 (forecast, 2024)
03
Participants in workplace mindfulness programs showed an average reduction of stress symptoms of about 0.5 SD in meta-analyses (2019)
04
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions reduced anxiety symptoms by a pooled standardized mean difference of ~0.4 in working populations (meta-analysis, 2020)
05
A 2016 Cochrane review found that workplace interventions targeting stress resulted in modest improvements in stress outcomes
06
The WHO Healthy Workplace Framework recommends adopting organizational strategies; workplace interventions can reduce stress-related outcomes (framework guidance, 2010)
07
Mental health first aid training is associated with improved help-seeking intentions; meta-analyses show medium effects (Hedges g ~0.4, 2019)
08
Job crafting interventions increased job satisfaction by about 0.3 SD (meta-analysis, 2020)
09
Workplace ergonomic interventions reduced musculoskeletal disorder risk by about 20% on average (Cochrane, 2016; often linked to stress reduction pathways)
10
In a randomized trial, structured debriefing interventions reduced burnout scores by 8 points on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (study, 2018)
11
Stress management training reduced perceived stress by about 0.6 SD in a meta-analysis (2017)
Interpretation
Interventions Interpretation
Workplace interventions are showing measurable benefits, with meta-analyses reporting about 0.5 SD reductions in stress symptoms from mindfulness programs and roughly 0.4 SD improvements from CBT, while the broader wellness market scaling from $9.6 billion in 2023 to a projected $90.8 billion by 2030 underscores how strongly organizations are investing in these evidence based approaches under the Interventions category.
More related reading
06 · Category
Risk Prevalence7 stats
01
28% of U.S. workers reported that they “frequently” or “occasionally” feel burned out at work (2023, National Safety Council/NSC Work-Related Stress Survey).
02
A 2021 systematic review reported that burnout prevalence estimates vary widely across studies, with a pooled range of 5% to 60% depending on population and measurement (systematic review).
03
In a 2020 meta-analysis, pooled burnout prevalence among physicians was 38.2% (meta-analysis).
04
A 2020 OECD report found that 35% of workers in OECD countries reported that they experience stress “sometimes” or “more often” at work (OECD data synthesis).
05
In a 2021 Eurofound working conditions survey report, 39% of workers reported that work is “emotionally demanding” (European Working Conditions Survey 2021, as presented in Eurofound report).
06
In a 2022 report by Microsoft Work Trend Index, 52% of employees said they experience burnout at some level at work (as measured in the survey).
07
In a 2021 report, 72% of organizations reported that burnout had increased in their workforce over the prior 12 months (LHH/CIPD global talent survey).
Interpretation
Risk Prevalence Interpretation
Risk prevalence signals a widespread burnout problem across workplaces, with figures ranging from 28% of U.S. workers reporting they feel burned out at least occasionally to major studies showing high levels such as 38.2% of physicians and 52% of employees experiencing burnout at some level, alongside 72% of organizations reporting it has increased over the prior year.
07 · Category
Performance Metrics1 stats
01
In a 2023 longitudinal study of healthcare workers, burnout (emotional exhaustion) predicted a decline in self-rated quality of care with a standardized effect size of −0.18 (study).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In performance metrics terms, a 2023 longitudinal study found that burnout with an emotional exhaustion measure was linked to a decline in self rated quality of care with an effect size of −0.18, showing a meaningful negative impact over time.
08 · Category
Health Outcomes1 stats
01
In a 2019 meta-analysis, burnout was associated with a pooled relative risk of 1.58 for depression symptoms (meta-analysis).
Interpretation
Health Outcomes Interpretation
From a health outcomes perspective, a 2019 meta-analysis found burnout was linked to a 1.58 pooled relative risk of depression symptoms, underscoring that burnout can have a measurable negative impact on employee mental health.
09 · Category
Intervention Effectiveness4 stats
01
In a 2021 meta-analysis of organizational interventions, burnout reductions were larger when interventions included both organizational and individual components (pooled improvement reported; effect size 0.34).
02
In a 2018 randomized trial, a mindfulness-based workplace program reduced emotional exhaustion by 0.21 points on the Maslach Burnout Inventory from baseline to post-intervention (trial).
03
In a 2020 randomized controlled trial, a brief supervisor training program targeting leadership behaviors reduced burnout among employees by 22% at 3 months follow-up (trial).
04
In a 2019 meta-analysis, organizational justice interventions reduced burnout with a pooled effect size of 0.30 (meta-analysis).
Interpretation
Intervention Effectiveness Interpretation
Across intervention effectiveness evidence, combining organizational and individual components in 2021 produced the largest burnout improvements with a pooled effect size of 0.34, and this aligns with other results showing justice interventions at 0.30 and multiple targeted workplace programs yielding measurable reductions such as a 22% drop after supervisor training.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Employee Burnout Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/employee-burnout-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Employee Burnout Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/employee-burnout-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Employee Burnout Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/employee-burnout-statistics.
Sources & references
45 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)