Marvin OnumonuData from MoneySuperMarket has found that 2.4 million small business owners across the UK felt burnt out at the end of last year.
The survey showed nearly six in 10 owners of businesses with 10 to 49 employees reported burnout, compared to 39% of sole traders and 37% of those with one to nine employees.
Owners of larger businesses were also the most likely to say running their company negatively affected their mental health, with 43% reporting an impact.
Londoners made over 25,000 searches last year for “burnout” and “work stress”, with Birmingham ranking as the most stressed city outside the capital, followed by Manchester and Glasgow.
Searches for “burnout” went up by 27% nationally over the past year, while searches for “work stress” rose 22% in the last quarter.
The data highlighted that 32% of business owners said running their company had a negative effect on their mental health, with stress most common among those running larger businesses.
Alicia Hempsted, business insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Burnout is on the rise among business owners and employees.
“The Health and Safety Executive reported that between 2024 and 2025, 52% of all work-related ill health and 62% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health in Great Britain were caused by work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.
“That’s why it’s essential that business owners consider these stress-related risks not just to their business, but also to themselves.”
Hempsted added: “Having financial safeguards in place, such as income protection, can help self-employed business owners suffering from extreme stress by covering part of their monthly income if their condition is severe enough to prevent them from working.
“Meanwhile, business insurance, which can cover loss of key employees, business interruption, and lost or damaged equipment, can speed up recovery after a major disruption.
“This can reduce stress and burnout among owners who usually bear the burden of keeping a business afloat when things go wrong.”
