Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese was 1.8% in 2014. ▼ Falling
Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1975–2014
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 1.8% for share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 4.6% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2012.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 158th out of 198 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.6% | — |
| 1976 | 4.4% | -4.3% |
| 1977 | 4.3% | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 4.2% | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 4.1% | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 3.9% | -4.9% |
| 1981 | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| 1982 | 3.7% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 3.0% | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.3%, 78% of the median. (67 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 1.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.5%, 72% of the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1.8% in 2014, according to NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2012.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 158th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women defined as underweight, healthy, overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of women (% of adult population), who are underweight, healthy/normal, overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI). Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight divided by their height squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as underweight; 18.6 to 25.0 as normal/healthy; 25.1 to 30 as overweight; and >30.0 as obese.