Indicator
Trends in children who are overweight or obese
Published
5 June 2025
Last updated
5 June 2025
Time to read
About 2 mins
About 2 mins
The proportion of children classified as overweight or obese has remained relatively constant over the past two decades
- In general, the proportion of children classified as overweight or obese has remained relatively constant in each nation over the past decade.
- In 2023/24, 22.1% of 4 to 5-year-olds in England were classified as overweight or obese, compared to 22.3% in Scotland and 25.2% in Northern Ireland. The most recent data for Wales, from 2022/23, show that 24.8% of children in this age group were classified as overweight or obese.
- In England and Scotland, there was an increase in the proportion of children classified as overweight or obese in 2020/21. However, data collection during this period was significantly disrupted by the pandemic due to the closure of schools. This means that the data from that year may not accurately reflect the true prevalence in the population.
While overall rates have remained stable over the past two decades, this masks a widening of inequalities. In this period, the proportion of children classified as overweight or obese has increased in the most deprived areas and decreased in less deprived areas.
- Rates of overweight and obesity are based on national measurement programmes – based on height and weight measurements collected in health reviews conducted in schools. Data collection was significantly impacted during the pandemic due to the closure of schools.
Source: Health Foundation analysis of Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, Fingertips, England, 2023/24; Public Health Scotland, Primary 1 Body Mass Index (BMI) statistics, 2024; Public Health Wales, Child Measurement Programme Data, 2022–23; Public Health Agency, Children's health in Northern Ireland, 2023/24
