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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

Number of people with chronic pain in England to rise by 1.9m by 2040

X-ray lumbo-sacral spine and pelvis of adult
Pain is also an example of Britain’s stark health inequalities, with the poorest almost three times more likely than the best-off to have to endure its highly debilitating effects. Photograph: Puwadol Jaturawutthichai/Alamy

Almost 2 million more people will be suffering from sore backs, necks and other body parts by 2040 due to a surge in chronic pain caused by England’s ageing population, new research shows.

The number of people in England aged 20 and over with chronic pain is set to soar from 5.345 million in 2019 to 7.247 million by 2040, according to projections by the Health Foundation thinktank.

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