Share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 65.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 65.2% for share of men who are overweight or obese in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom peaked at 65.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 39.8%, in 1980.
United Kingdom ranks 55th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 39.8% | — |
| 1981 | 40.8% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 41.8% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 42.8% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 43.8% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 44.9% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 46.0% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 47.1% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 48.2% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 49.4% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 50.5% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 51.7% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 52.8% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 54.0% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 55.1% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 56.2% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 57.2% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 58.2% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 59.1% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 60.0% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 60.8% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 61.6% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 62.3% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 63.0% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 63.5% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 64.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 64.4% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 64.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 65.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 65.1% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 65.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 65.3% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 65.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 65.3% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 65.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 65.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 65.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 65.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 65.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 65.4% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 65.3% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 65.3% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 65.3% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 65.2% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 65.2% | -0.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 65.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 65.1%, 1.0× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 65.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.4%, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.5% | 39.8% | 49.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.5% | 50.5% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.4% | 60.8% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.3% | 65.2% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.3% | 65.2% | 65.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
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 men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom?
- Share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom was 65.2% 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 men who are overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 65.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.8% in 1980.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
- United Kingdom ranks 55th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. 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 men who are overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.