PTSD Statistics UK: 2026 Facts, Data & Key Insights

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is among the most serious and most misunderstood mental health conditions in the United Kingdom. It develops in response to traumatic experiences that overwhelm a person's capacity to cope — and its consequences extend to every dimension of life, including a substantially elevated risk of suicide. Yet the majority of people with PTSD in the UK are not receiving treatment, and recovery rates through the NHS Talking Therapies programme are significantly below those seen for other conditions. This guide brings together data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24, NHS Talking Therapies, Samaritans, and military and occupational health research to provide the most comprehensive UK PTSD statistics available.

Key Facts

5.7% of adults screened positive for PTSD in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24 — up from 4.4% in 2014 and 4.4% in the 2014 survey
Approximately 1 in 10 people in the UK is expected to experience PTSD at some point in their lives
Around 4 in 100 people in the UK have PTSD at any given time
Women aged 16 to 24 are the highest-risk demographic: 12.6% screen positive for PTSD in this age group
PTSD has been rising for over a decade: from 4.4% in 2014 to 5.7% in 2023/24 — a 30% increase in prevalence
9.4% of adults in the most deprived areas screened positive for PTSD, compared with 3.9% in the least deprived (APMS)
It is estimated that 27% of people who have received a PTSD diagnosis in their lifetime have attempted suicide
Women with PTSD are approximately 7 times more likely than other women to die by suicide
Men with PTSD are approximately 4 times more likely than other men to die by suicide
Only 24% of people who screen positive for PTSD are receiving psychological treatment
The PTSD recovery rate through NHS Talking Therapies is approximately 37.8% — significantly below the overall rate of 50“60% across all disorders
In some NHS services, PTSD recovery rates are as low as 15“20%
Rates of PTSD following specific traumas: rape 49%, severe physical assault 31.9%, road traffic accident 16.8%, shooting or stabbing 15.4%
LGBTQ+ people are more than twice as likely to experience PTSD than cisgender/heterosexual people
Veterans who served in a combat role have a PTSD prevalence of 17% — compared with 6% among those in support roles (KCMHR)

How Common Is PTSD in the UK?

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24 — the most comprehensive population survey of mental health in England — found that 5.7% of adults screened positive for PTSD using the validated PCL-C instrument. This represents a significant increase from the 4.4% recorded in 2014, and places PTSD as one of the more prevalent mental health conditions in the population.

The lifetime risk is higher still. Approximately 1 in 10 people in the UK is expected to develop PTSD at some point in their lives. At any given moment, around 4 in 100 people meet the criteria for a current PTSD diagnosis.

PTSD is not uniformly distributed. Women aged 16 to 24 are the highest-risk demographic group: 12.6% screen positive for PTSD in this age group — more than double the overall population rate. This reflects both the higher rates of sexual violence and intimate partner abuse experienced by young women, and the developmental vulnerability of this life stage to trauma.

Deprivation is a powerful predictor. 9.4% of adults in the most deprived 10% of areas screened positive for PTSD, compared with 3.9% in the least deprived — a more than twofold difference. This gradient reflects the greater exposure to traumatic events — including domestic abuse, violent crime, and adverse childhood experiences — associated with economic deprivation.

The Rising Prevalence of PTSD

PTSD prevalence has increased substantially over the past decade. The rise from 4.4% in 2014 to 5.7% in 2023/24 represents a 30% increase in prevalence — a trajectory that runs against the narrative that post-COVID wellbeing has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Several factors are likely contributing:

Greater public and clinical awareness of PTSD has increased both disclosure rates and identification in clinical settings. The expansion of validated trauma-related diagnoses — including complex PTSD (CPTSD), which was formally included in ICD-11 in 2022 — has captured a broader population of trauma survivors who might previously have received other diagnoses. The pandemic itself, through bereavement, ICU experiences, domestic confinement, and economic trauma, has created new sources of traumatic stress.

PTSD and the Risk of Suicide

The suicide risk associated with PTSD is one of the most critical and least publicly known facts about the condition. 27% of people who have received a PTSD diagnosis in their lifetime have attempted suicide — a rate dramatically above the general population. The gender dimension is particularly stark:

Women with PTSD are approximately 7 times more likely than other women to die by suicide
Men with PTSD are approximately 4 times more likely than other men to die by suicide

These figures connect directly to the patterns documented in our suicide statistics guide and men's mental health statistics guide, where untreated and unrecognised mental health conditions are among the strongest risk factors for suicide. The implication is clear: identifying and treating PTSD is a suicide prevention intervention as well as a mental health one.

Who Is Most at Risk?

PTSD can develop following any traumatic experience, but research identifies specific exposures associated with the highest rates:

Rape or sexual assault: 49% of those exposed develop PTSD
Severe physical assault: 31.9%
Road traffic accidents: 16.8%
Shooting or stabbing: 15.4%

Beyond event type, certain populations face consistently elevated risk. LGBTQ+ people are more than twice as likely to experience PTSD than cisgender/heterosexual people — particularly transgender people. Veterans who served in a combat role have a PTSD prevalence of 17%, compared with 6% among those in support roles and 7.4% across veterans overall. Police officers and other emergency services personnel face elevated PTSD risk from cumulative occupational trauma. People who have experienced domestic abuse or adverse childhood experiences are significantly more vulnerable.

Almost 10% of adults with poor physical health screened positive for PTSD — a reminder that trauma responses have physical as well as psychological dimensions, and that PTSD often co-occurs with chronic physical illness.

The Treatment Gap

The treatment gap for PTSD in the UK is substantial and concerning. Only 24% of people who screen positive for PTSD are receiving psychological treatment (APMS 2023/24 / myndup). This means approximately three-quarters of the PTSD population — hundreds of thousands of people — are receiving no specific psychological intervention for a condition that significantly increases their suicide risk.

For those who do receive treatment through the NHS Talking Therapies programme, outcomes are below average. The PTSD recovery rate through TTAD is approximately 37.8% — compared with an overall programme recovery rate of 50“60%. In some NHS services, PTSD recovery rates are as low as 15“20%. This discrepancy reflects the particular complexity of trauma processing in a time-limited primary care therapy context.

Written by

This guide was produced by the team at Mental Health First Aid Course. Our training programmes cover trauma, PTSD, and trauma-informed practice as core components, equipping practitioners across healthcare, education, and the workplace to recognise and respond appropriately to trauma survivors.