Share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of children who are overweight or obese was 7.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 7.8% for share of children who are overweight or obese in 2024.
The figure is down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom peaked at 8.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2000.
United Kingdom ranks 59th of 163 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | 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
- 56 Nauru 8.2% compare
- 57 Bhutan 8.0% compare
- 58 Costa Rica 7.9% compare
- 60 Turkey 7.7% compare
- 61 Dominican Republic 7.5% compare
- 61 Equatorial Guinea 7.5% compare
- 61 Lesotho 7.5% compare
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom?
- Share of children who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom was 7.8% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of children who are overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of children who are overweight or obese?
- United Kingdom ranks 59th out of 163 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are overweight or obese 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 World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children under five years old that are defined as overweight or obese. A child is classified as overweight if their weight-for-height is more than two standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.