UK Obesity Rates Plateau After Decades of Increase

Obesity rates in the UK have stopped rising rapidly and begun to stabilise in recent years, according to a global study published in the journal Nature. The analysis, which examined more than four decades of height and weight data from over 232 million people in 200 countries and territories, indicates the rapid increases observed previously are now decelerating or levelling off.

For girls in the UK the plateau occurred around the year 2000, with boys following before 2005. While rates among adult men and women continue to climb, the pace of increase has slowed significantly. The slowdown in high-income nations first appeared among school-aged children before extending to adults.

In 1980, 1.5 percent of boys in the UK were obese. That figure rose to 12.4 percent in 2024. For girls, the rate increased from 1.6 percent to 10.1 percent over the same period. Among men, obesity prevalence went from 5.7 percent in 1980 to 26.7 percent in 2024.

For women the rate rose from 8.5 percent to 29.6 percent. The UK remains mostly in the top 10 countries among high-income western nations for obesity rates.

Some countries, including France, Italy and Portugal, have seen reversals in obesity trends. These shifts occurred in the early to mid-2000s for women and shortly afterwards for men. The lead researcher told the Press Association that a high proportion of people in the UK are still obese compared with many other western European countries.

The study found that obesity prevalence continues to rise in many low and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Pacific and Caribbean islands. More than 1,900 researchers contributed to the work, which drew on the National Child Measurement Programme data for England and the Health Survey for England.

The effects of weight loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are not yet reflected in the data because of the time period studied. The lead researcher said the focus should be on making these drugs more affordable to all who need them. He described the medications as another tool that will have large benefits for individuals and perhaps at the population level.

He added that the drugs could be a game-changer going forward or could end up having a small impact if side-effects emerge. The researcher noted that differences in obesity rates between countries involve many factors, including economics, food sources, culture around food, and the availability of packaged and processed items versus fresh food.

A research programme manager at the University of Cambridge said the findings suggest obesity prevalence in the UK may be stabilising but at a relatively high level compared with many other high-income countries. The manager added that this should not be interpreted as evidence that the problem has been solved.