Obesity Rates in England: What the Latest Statistics Actually Show

• Every figure taken from published government statistics with the data year stated
• Regional breakdown for children, and the deprivation gaps for both adults and children
• Explains why two sources can both be right and still disagree, which no other statistics page does
• Online consultation with UK registered prescribers, with clinical assessment before any supply

Obesity figures for England get quoted constantly and understood rarely. Two articles can give different percentages for the same year and both be accurate, because they are using different surveys, different age groups and different ways of collecting height and weight.

This page gives the current figures with the data year attached to each one, then explains how to read them. That second part matters more than it sounds. If you know why one source says 26 per cent and another says 29, you can tell which figure answers your question.

Everything here comes from published government statistics for England. Where a breakdown does not exist, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Key things to know

• In 2023 to 2024, 64.5 per cent of adults in England aged 18 and over were overweight or obese, and 26.5 per cent were obese
• Obesity among adults has risen from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 2016, an increase of almost four percentage points
• Childhood obesity rises from 9.6 per cent at reception age to 22.1 per cent by year 6
• Obesity reaches 37.4 per cent of adults in the most deprived areas against 19.8 per cent in the least deprived
• Adult figures come from a self reported survey, which is the main reason different sources disagree
• There is no single UK-wide obesity figure from one survey, because each nation collects its own

What percentage of England is overweight or obese?

In 2023 to 2024, 64.5 per cent of adults in England aged 18 and over were overweight or obese, and 26.5 per cent were obese.

Reading those two numbers correctly

The larger figure includes the smaller one. Overweight or obese means a body mass index of 25 or above. Obese means 30 or above. So roughly two in three adults sit at 25 or above, and roughly one in four sit at 30 or above.

The gap between them, about 38 per cent of adults, is the overweight but not obese group. That group is often left out of headlines and is the group most likely to move in either direction.

What percentage of adults are obese

26.5 per cent, on the 2023 to 2024 figures. Just over a quarter.

For context, government dietary recommendations put average adult energy needs at 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men aged 19 to 64, and NICE recommends a deficit of about 600 calories a day for steady weight loss. Those are the numbers an individual acts on; the prevalence figure is the number a health system acts on.

Obesity significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. These health risks contribute to the overall burden on public health and the NHS, with obesity-related conditions costing billions annually. The Health Survey for England uses measured height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI), which helps estimate obesity levels and monitor health improvement efforts at a national level. Understanding the prevalence of obesity and overweight in different population groups, including disparities related to ethnicity, disability, and education, is crucial for effective public health action plans and targeted interventions.

Physical activity and healthy eating are key components in managing obesity levels and reducing the risk of associated diseases. The study revealed that obesity levels are higher in deprived areas, emphasizing the need for increased access to health resources and education to address these disparities effectively.

How the figures have changed over time

Both measures have risen, and the obesity figure has risen faster than the overweight figure.

The pattern is worth noticing. The overweight or obese total grew by 3.3 points while the obese group grew by 3.9, which means the obese group grew faster than the total. People are not only crossing into the overweight category, they are moving through it.

Anyone who has already tried to reverse that on their own may find help with losing weight safely more useful than another unsupported attempt.

Childhood obesity statistics for England

Obesity affected 9.6 per cent of reception aged children aged 4 to 5 in 2023 to 2024, rising to 22.1 per cent of year 6 children aged 10 to 11. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in this age group is a critical public health concern, as early childhood obesity can lead to a higher rate of obesity in adulthood and increase the risk of heart disease and other related health conditions. Monitoring these figures helps inform government initiatives aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving consumption of healthy foods among young people.

Why the figure more than doubles across primary school

The measurement happens twice, six years apart, on the same population. Between those two points obesity prevalence more than doubles, and the deprivation gap widens at the same time.

Children gain independence, pocket money, unsupervised food choices and longer sedentary periods across those years. The Chief Medical Officer's 2025 report on health trends describes nearly 1 in 10 reception children living with obesity in 2023 to 2024, and more than twice that proportion in year 6.

Obesity rates by region in England

Regional breakdowns are published for children rather than for adults, so the honest regional picture is a childhood one. These figures are important as obesity rates in England vary significantly by location, reflecting socioeconomic factors and lifestyle differences. Adults living in deprived regions tend to show higher obesity prevalence, and this regional disparity is a key focus for public health strategies aiming to reduce obesity-related health inequalities. Understanding these regional differences helps to obtain permission for targeted interventions and to address concerns from copyright holders about data use. Further information on regional obesity rates is available through official government sources under the open government licence, ensuring third party copyright information is respected in reporting.

Reception children by region

In 2023 to 2024, obesity among reception children was highest in the West Midlands at 10.9 per cent, followed by the north east at 10.8 per cent, Yorkshire and the Humber at 10.7 per cent and the north west at 10.1 per cent.

It was lowest in the east of England at 8.4 per cent, the south east at 8.6 per cent and the south west at 8.8 per cent.

Year 6 children by region

The same year, obesity among year 6 children was highest in the north east at 24.5 per cent, the West Midlands at 24.4 per cent, London at 24.0 per cent, Yorkshire and the Humber at 23.6 per cent and the north west at 23.3 per cent.

It was lowest in the south west at 19.1 per cent, the south east at 19.2 per cent and the east of England at 20.0 per cent.

Why adult regional figures are harder to find

For adults, the published commentary reports variation by local authority and by deprivation rather than by region. That is a deliberate choice, because local authority variation within a region is often larger than the difference between regions.

So if you are searching for adult obesity rates by region and finding little, that is why. The figure you want is usually a local authority figure.

Obesity and deprivation in England

Deprivation is the strongest pattern in the whole dataset, larger than any regional difference. In 2023 to 2024, 71.2 per cent of adults in the most deprived areas were overweight or living with obesity, with 37.4 per cent classified as obese or severely obese. In comparison, the figures for the least deprived areas were 59.4 per cent overweight or obese and 19.8 per cent obese. This stark contrast highlights how obesity rates in England are closely linked to socioeconomic status, with people living in disadvantaged communities facing higher risks. The combined rate of overweight or obesity is notably higher among men than women, reflecting differences in lifestyle and health behaviours.

These disparities have significant implications for public health policy and resource allocation, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions in deprived areas to address the growing obesity ranged across the population. Additionally, copyright holders concerned about the use of detailed local data have influenced how regional obesity statistics are published, ensuring privacy and compliance with data protection regulations.

Adults

In 2023 to 2024, 71.2 per cent of adults in the most deprived areas were overweight or obese and 37.4 per cent were obese. In the least deprived areas the figures were 59.4 per cent and 19.8 per cent.

That is a gap of 11.8 percentage points on overweight or obesity and 17.6 points on obesity. Adults in the most deprived areas are close to twice as likely to be obese.

Children

Among reception children, 12.9 per cent in the most deprived areas were obese against 6.0 per cent in the least deprived. By year 6 the figures were 29.2 per cent and 13.0 per cent.

The gap widens from 6.9 percentage points at reception to 16.1 by year 6. Whatever produces the deprivation difference operates across childhood rather than being fixed at birth.

Obesity by ethnic group

Prevalence among adults who identified as Black was 73.4 per cent overweight or obese and 33.1 per cent obese in 2023 to 2024, the highest of the groups reported.

Among reception children, obesity prevalence was highest in those from Black African backgrounds at 14.2 per cent and Black other backgrounds at 13.2 per cent. In year 6, children from most ethnic groups were more likely to be living with obesity than white British children, whose prevalence was 20.5 per cent.

These figures matter clinically as well as statistically, because NICE applies lower body mass index thresholds for several groups, covered further down.

Where these figures come from, and why sources disagree

This is the section that makes the rest of the page usable, and it is the part most statistics pages leave out.

Self reported against measured

The adult figures above come from a national survey in which people report their own height and weight. Other surveys send a trained interviewer to measure and weigh participants directly.

Self reported height and weight is known to understate obesity, because people tend to round height up and weight down. A measured survey and a self reported survey covering the same year will therefore give different prevalence figures, and both are correctly reported.

Different age bases

The adult figures here cover people aged 18 and over. Some measured surveys report adults aged 16 and over. Including 16 and 17 year olds lowers the average, because obesity prevalence rises with age through most of adulthood.

Any comparison between two figures has to check the age base first. A three point difference can be nothing more than that.

Different years and different geographies

Statistics for England are published on a rolling basis and different indicators update at different times. A page quoting 2019 figures is not wrong, it is old, and headline figures have moved since.

England compared with the rest of the UK

There is no single UK obesity figure published from one survey, because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own health surveys with their own methods and timetables.

That means a stated UK-wide figure is always either a combination of separate surveys or a figure from one nation being described loosely. If you need a UK number, check which nations it covers and whether the methods match. If you need a reliable comparison, England-only figures over time are the more defensible choice.

For anyone whose interest in these numbers is personal rather than academic, licensed obesity treatments are assessed against individual clinical criteria rather than against population prevalence.

How obesity is defined in these figures

Every percentage on this page rests on body mass index, so the categories are worth stating.

The standard categories

• Healthy weight: body mass index 18.5 to 24.9
• Overweight: 25 to 29.9
• Obesity: 30 or above
• Severe obesity: 40 or above

Waist to height ratio

NICE recommends measuring waist-to-height ratio in adults with a body mass index below 35, classing 0.4 to 0.49 as healthy central adiposity, 0.5 to 0.59 as increased and 0.6 or above as high. The simple version is to keep your waist under half your height.

This exists because body mass index says nothing about where fat is carried, and fat carried around the abdomen carries more risk than the same weight carried elsewhere.

Lower thresholds for some groups

NICE applies lower thresholds for people of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African Caribbean family background, classing 23 to 27.4 as overweight and 27.5 or above as obesity.

That is a clinical adjustment for higher cardiometabolic risk at a lower body mass index. It also means population prevalence figures using the standard categories understate risk in those groups.

What these figures mean for one person

Prevalence data tells you how common something is, not what to do about it. Two things translate it into something personal.

Work out your own numbers

1. Calculate your body mass index and place it in the categories above
2. Measure your waist at the same point and divide it by your height
3. Check whether the lower thresholds apply to you
4. Record both figures and repeat monthly rather than daily
5. Judge any change over four weeks

Who licensed treatment is for

Prescribing begins at a body mass index of 30, or at 27 where a weight related condition is present. Orlistat 120 mg begins at 30, or at 28 alongside weight related risk factors.

Response is reviewed against roughly a 5 per cent reduction, at 12 weeks for orlistat and at six months for the weekly injections. Treatment suitability depends on an individual clinical assessment, and this medicine should only be used under the supervision of an appropriately qualified prescriber. Where a weekly dose is missed, the patient information for that product sets out how to handle it, and two doses are never taken together to catch up.

What the evidence shows treatment achieves

In a 72 week trial of 2,539 adults, average weight reduction with a licensed weekly injection reached 22.5 per cent at the highest dose studied, with waist circumference falling 19.9 cm against 3.4 cm on placebo. In a separate 68 week trial of 1,961 adults on a different weekly injection, average reduction was 14.9 per cent, with waist down 13.5 cm against 4.1 cm. An oral licensed treatment studied in 307 adults over 64 weeks produced an average reduction of 13.6 per cent against 2.2 per cent on placebo.

Each figure belongs to the medicine studied rather than transferring across treatments, and results vary between individuals. Costs differ by treatment and dose, so the current price for any option should be read from its own product page, and GLP-1 treatment in tablet form is priced separately from the weekly injections.

Red flags and when to seek advice

Speak to a healthcare professional if any of the following apply.

• Weight rising steadily despite sustained changes to what you eat
• Weight loss you cannot account for
• Excessive thirst, passing urine far more often than usual, or unexplained tiredness
• Breathlessness on mild exertion, or swelling of the ankles
• Persistent abdominal swelling, or a change in bowel habit lasting more than a few weeks
• Eating patterns that feel outside your control, or distress about food affecting daily life