Prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Prevalence of overweight was 61.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
61.4%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
67th
of 196 countries
All-time high
61.4%
in 2022
All-time low
45.7%
in 1990
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990–2022

02040601990200620221990: 45.7 % of adults1991: 46.9 % of adults1992: 48 % of adults1993: 49.1 % of adults1994: 50.2 % of adults1995: 51.3 % of adults1996: 52.4 % of adults1997: 53.4 % of adults1998: 54.3 % of adults1999: 55.2 % of adults2000: 56 % of adults2001: 56.8 % of adults2002: 57.5 % of adults2003: 58.1 % of adults2004: 58.6 % of adults2005: 59.1 % of adults2006: 59.5 % of adults2007: 59.8 % of adults2008: 60 % of adults2009: 60.3 % of adults2010: 60.4 % of adults2011: 60.5 % of adults2012: 60.6 % of adults2013: 60.6 % of adults2014: 60.7 % of adults2015: 60.8 % of adults2016: 60.9 % of adults2017: 61 % of adults2018: 61.1 % of adults2019: 61.2 % of adults2020: 61.2 % of adults2021: 61.3 % of adults2022: 61.4 % of adults

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of adults.

Analysis

In 2022, prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 61.4%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 61.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 45.7%, in 1990.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 67th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight (% of adults) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990 to 2022.
Year % of adults Change
1990 45.7%
1991 46.9% +2.5%
1992 48.0% +2.4%
1993 49.1% +2.3%
1994 50.2% +2.2%
1995 51.3% +2.1%
1996 52.4% +2.0%
1997 53.4% +1.9%
1998 54.3% +1.8%
1999 55.2% +1.6%
2000 56.0% +1.5%
2001 56.8% +1.4%
2002 57.5% +1.2%
2003 58.1% +1.1%
2004 58.6% +0.9%
2005 59.1% +0.8%
2006 59.5% +0.7%
2007 59.8% +0.6%
2008 60.0% +0.5%
2009 60.3% +0.3%
2010 60.4% +0.2%
2011 60.5% +0.2%
2012 60.6% +0.1%
2013 60.6% +0.1%
2014 60.7% +0.1%
2015 60.8% +0.1%
2016 60.9% +0.1%
2017 61.0% +0.2%
2018 61.1% +0.1%
2019 61.2% +0.1%
2020 61.2% +0.1%
2021 61.3% +0.1%
2022 61.4% +0.1%

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 61.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.7%, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 61.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 57.1%, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 50.6% 45.7% 55.2% 10
2000s 58.6% 56.0% 60.3% 10
2010s 60.8% 60.4% 61.2% 10
2020s 61.3% 61.2% 61.4% 3

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 64 Azerbaijan 61.7% compare
  2. 65 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 61.5% compare
  3. 66 Greece 61.4% compare
  4. 68 Republic of Moldova 61.2% compare
  5. 69 Jamaica 61.1% compare
  6. 70 Seychelles 60.8% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 61.4% in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
What is the highest prevalence of overweight recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 61.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 45.7% in 1990.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for prevalence of overweight?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 67th out of 196 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of overweight rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/), published as part of Prevalence of overweight (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of overweight in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-percent-of-adults/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight (% of adults)
Unit
% of adults
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
239 places, 7,896 data points, 1975–2022
Last refreshed

Prevalence of overweight adults is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is more than 25 kg/m2. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.