The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that there are nearly 190,000 adults across Great Britain receiving support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for Chronic Pain conditions.
This includes 27,457 people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), 146,083 with Fibromyalgia and a further 16,340 with other pain syndromes.
According to research by the British Medical Journal, chronic pain affects between one-third and one-half of the population of the UK, equivalent to just under 28 million adults.
It also said that data from the best available published studies suggests that this figure is likely to increase further in line with an ageing population.