Reference data
UK Blood Testing Statistics 2026
The key numbers on blood testing and health in the UK for 2026. Every figure on this page is verified against a primary source, with the link beside it. If a number could not be traced to one, we left it out.
Reviewed by a qualified clinician · analysed at UKAS-accredited UK labs (ISO 15189)
Last reviewed July 2026
Every Helvy guide is written by our health editors, then checked by a qualified clinician before it goes live and re-checked as the science moves. We name clinical roles, not individuals, until each reviewer has agreed to be credited publicly. This is wellness guidance to help you understand your own data, not a diagnosis.
LAST REVIEWED: JULY 2026
A reference set of UK blood-testing and health statistics for journalists, researchers and anyone who wants the primary figure rather than a number copied from another article. Each statistic links to its original source (NHS England, gov.uk, NICE, Diabetes UK, the British Heart Foundation or the Royal College of Pathologists). Please link back to this page if you cite it.
Blood tests sit behind an enormous share of NHS activity, and the conditions they detect are among the most common in the country. The figures below set out that scale: how many tests are run, how common diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disease and vitamin D deficiency are, and how long people wait for diagnostic tests. Where a marker has its own reference range, you can look it up on the UK reference ranges page.
The scale of NHS blood and pathology testing
95%
of clinical pathways rely on pathology services
Blood and other laboratory tests underpin almost every diagnosis and treatment decision made in the NHS.
Source: Royal College of Pathologists, Pathology facts and figures
500m + 130m
biochemistry and haematology tests carried out per year
Around 500 million biochemistry tests and 130 million haematology tests are performed annually in England.
Source: Royal College of Pathologists, Pathology facts and figures
300,000
pathology tests are performed every working day
The equivalent of around 14 tests a year for every person in England and Wales.
Source: Royal College of Pathologists, Pathology facts and figures
50 million
lab reports are sent from laboratories to GPs every year
A measure of how central test results are to primary-care decision-making.
Source: Royal College of Pathologists, Pathology facts and figures
1.7 million
diagnostic test waits on the NHS list (end of April 2025)
Of these, 360,400 (21.2%) had waited six weeks or more for a key diagnostic test. The NHS diagnostic waiting-time measure covers 15 key tests, mostly imaging and endoscopy rather than routine blood tests.
Diabetes and blood sugar
4.7 million
people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes
The latest 2024-25 registration figures, and the first time the diagnosed total has passed 4.7 million.
1.3 million
people may have type 2 diabetes but are undiagnosed
A blood test (HbA1c or fasting glucose) is how type 2 diabetes is confirmed, which is why undiagnosed cases matter.
6.9 million
people are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes
Estimated from blood-sugar levels. In total, Diabetes UK estimates over 12 million UK adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes.
Cholesterol and heart health
45% / 50%
of men and women in England have raised cholesterol
Raised total cholesterol is defined as 5 mmol/L or above. Figures are from the Health Survey for England 2024.
7.6 million
people in the UK live with heart or circulatory disease
Cholesterol, HbA1c and inflammation markers measured by blood test are among the modifiable risk factors behind these conditions.
1 in 250
to 1 in 500 people have familial hypercholesterolaemia
An inherited cause of very high cholesterol, affecting an estimated 130,000 to 260,000 people in the UK, most of them undiagnosed.
30%
of adults in England are living with obesity
29% of men and 31% of women in 2024, with 66% of adults either overweight or living with obesity. Obesity is a major driver of the metabolic markers seen on blood panels.
Thyroid disease
~2%
of the UK population have hypothyroidism
Rising to more than 5% of people over 60. Women are 5 to 10 times more likely to be affected than men. A blood test (TSH, then Free T4) is how it is found.
Source: NICE NG145, Thyroid disease
2% / 0.2%
of UK women and men have thyrotoxicosis (overactive thyroid)
An overactive thyroid is far more common in women, and again is identified through thyroid blood tests.
Source: NICE NG145, Thyroid disease
Vitamin and mineral deficiency
18%
of adults aged 19-64 have low vitamin D status
Defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D below 25 nmol/L, measured year-round. The share rises to as much as 38% in January to March. Among adults 65 and over the figure is 12%.
Source: gov.uk, National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023
Sourcing and reuse
Every figure here is taken from a primary source: a government statistics release, an NHS or NICE publication, or a named national charity or professional body. Where a claim circulating online could not be traced back to a primary source, we left it out rather than repeat it. Figures are current as of the last-reviewed date above and will be refreshed as new releases are published.
You are welcome to cite these statistics. Please attribute the original source linked beside each figure, and a link back to this page is appreciated. These are population statistics for general education. They are not medical advice, and no figure here describes any individual’s health.