Spain's young workers take double the sick leave, driven by mental‑health surge

Data from Spain’s Social Security and the employers’ mutual association AMAT show that workers under 35 are twice as likely to be on temporary disability as those over 55. In 2025, about 43 per 1,000 young employees were on sick leave compared with 25 per 1,000 seniors. The gap has widened over the past seven years, with mental‑health‑related processes rising 147 % among the under‑35 group.

Nearly two million young workers filed for temporary incapacity in 2025, accounting for more than 84 million lost workdays. Although older workers lost more total days (127 million), their claims were fewer and longer (average 86 days versus 21 days for youths). Mental‑health disorders now represent roughly one‑third of all sick‑leave cases, with anxiety diagnoses increasing sharply. Spain also leads global consumption of diazepam, and about 20 % of young people have used anxiety or insomnia medication.

The patronal body AMAT expressed “deep concern” and called for investigation of the underlying causes rather than attributing the trend to fraud, highlighting a broader societal shift in how mental‑health issues are addressed in the workplace.