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

Latest (2024)
65.2%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
55th
of 199 countries
All-time high
65.4%
in 2018
All-time low
39.8%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are overweight or obese in United Kingdom, 1980–2024

02040601980200220241980: 39.8 %1981: 40.8 %1982: 41.8 %1983: 42.8 %1984: 43.8 %1985: 44.9 %1986: 46 %1987: 47.1 %1988: 48.2 %1989: 49.4 %1990: 50.5 %1991: 51.7 %1992: 52.8 %1993: 54 %1994: 55.1 %1995: 56.2 %1996: 57.2 %1997: 58.2 %1998: 59.1 %1999: 60 %2000: 60.8 %2001: 61.6 %2002: 62.3 %2003: 63 %2004: 63.5 %2005: 64 %2006: 64.4 %2007: 64.7 %2008: 65 %2009: 65.1 %2010: 65.2 %2011: 65.3 %2012: 65.3 %2013: 65.3 %2014: 65.3 %2015: 65.3 %2016: 65.3 %2017: 65.4 %2018: 65.4 %2019: 65.4 %2020: 65.3 %2021: 65.3 %2022: 65.3 %2023: 65.2 %2024: 65.2 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 52 Norway 66.1% compare
  2. 53 Ecuador 65.7% compare
  3. 54 Estonia 65.4% compare
  4. 56 Bahrain 65.0% compare
  5. 57 Micronesia (country) 65.0% compare
  6. 58 Oman 64.9% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

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

Indicator
Share of men who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

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 metres squared.