Band 8+: The graph below shows the percentage of workers from five different European countries that were absent for a day or more due to illness from 1991 to 2001.

The line graph shows the proportion of employees in five European nations who took a day or more off due to illness between 1991 and 2001.

Overall, despite significant changes, the proportion of sick days taken by Dutch workers remains higher than in any other country. On the other hand, France showed a declining tendency, while Sweden showed an increasing trend. The trends in the UK and Germany were quite similar, with the UK’s numbers being slightly higher.

From 1992 and 2001, the Dutch had the highest rate of employees out sick, ranging from just under 6% to just over 8%. The French economy also steadily declined throughout this time, dropping to a low of 3% in 1999 and staying at that level until the conclusion of the decade.

In comparison, the percentage of Swedish employees off sick rose by 1.75 percentage points between 1999 and 2001, hitting a high of 4.75 percent that year. The United Kingdom and Germany, the only nations to see no change, had their rates steady at around 3.75 and 1.5 percent, respectively.