Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 7.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom stood at 7.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom peaked at 8.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2000.
That places United Kingdom 60th out of 163 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.0% | — |
| 2001 | 7.0% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 7.2% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 7.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7.6% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 7.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 91% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 7.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.6%, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.3% | 7.0% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.9% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 57 Nauru 8.2% compare
- 58 Bhutan 8.0% compare
- 59 Costa Rica 7.9% compare
- 61 Turkey 7.7% compare
- 62 Dominican Republic 7.5% compare
- 62 Equatorial Guinea 7.5% compare
- 62 Lesotho 7.5% compare
More health data for United Kingdom
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,134 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 461 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7128 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0247 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7724 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in United Kingdom was 7.8% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
- United Kingdom ranks 60th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight children is the percentage of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.