Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Body weight — Share of population who are obese was 28 Percentage of population in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
28 Percentage of population
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
11th
of 18 countries
All-time high
28.7 Percentage of population
in 2017
All-time low
7 Percentage of population
in 1980
Years of data
31
1980–2019

Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1980–2019

510152025301980199920191980: 7 Percentage of population1987: 10 Percentage of population1991: 14 Percentage of population1992: 14 Percentage of population1993: 14.9 Percentage of population1994: 15.7 Percentage of population1995: 16.4 Percentage of population1996: 17.5 Percentage of population1997: 18.4 Percentage of population1998: 19.4 Percentage of population1999: 20 Percentage of population2000: 21.2 Percentage of population2001: 22.4 Percentage of population2002: 22.5 Percentage of population2003: 22.6 Percentage of population2004: 22.9 Percentage of population2005: 23.2 Percentage of population2006: 23.9 Percentage of population2007: 24 Percentage of population2008: 24.5 Percentage of population2009: 23 Percentage of population2010: 26.1 Percentage of population2011: 24.8 Percentage of population2012: 24.7 Percentage of population2013: 24.9 Percentage of population2014: 25.6 Percentage of population2015: 26.9 Percentage of population2016: 26.2 Percentage of population2017: 28.7 Percentage of population2018: 27.7 Percentage of population2019: 28 Percentage of population

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 28 Percentage of population for body weight — share of population who are obese in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, body weight — share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 28.7 Percentage of population in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7 Percentage of population, in 1980.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1980 to 2019.
Year Percentage of population Change
1980 7 Percentage of population
1987 10 Percentage of population +42.9%
1991 14 Percentage of population +40.0%
1992 14 Percentage of population +0.0%
1993 14.9 Percentage of population +6.4%
1994 15.7 Percentage of population +5.4%
1995 16.4 Percentage of population +4.5%
1996 17.5 Percentage of population +6.7%
1997 18.4 Percentage of population +5.1%
1998 19.4 Percentage of population +5.4%
1999 20 Percentage of population +3.1%
2000 21.2 Percentage of population +6.0%
2001 22.4 Percentage of population +5.7%
2002 22.5 Percentage of population +0.4%
2003 22.6 Percentage of population +0.4%
2004 22.9 Percentage of population +1.3%
2005 23.2 Percentage of population +1.3%
2006 23.9 Percentage of population +3.0%
2007 24 Percentage of population +0.4%
2008 24.5 Percentage of population +2.1%
2009 23 Percentage of population -6.1%
2010 26.1 Percentage of population +13.5%
2011 24.8 Percentage of population -5.0%
2012 24.7 Percentage of population -0.4%
2013 24.9 Percentage of population +0.8%
2014 25.6 Percentage of population +2.8%
2015 26.9 Percentage of population +5.1%
2016 26.2 Percentage of population -2.6%
2017 28.7 Percentage of population +9.5%
2018 27.7 Percentage of population -3.5%
2019 28 Percentage of population +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 8.5 Percentage of population 7 Percentage of population 10 Percentage of population 2
1990s 16.7 Percentage of population 14 Percentage of population 20 Percentage of population 9
2000s 23.02 Percentage of population 21.2 Percentage of population 24.5 Percentage of population 10
2010s 26.36 Percentage of population 24.7 Percentage of population 28.7 Percentage of population 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 8 Ukraine 29.2 Percentage of population compare
  2. 9 Brazil 28.8 Percentage of population compare
  3. 10 Russian Federation 28.1 Percentage of population compare
  4. 12 Peru 25.7 Percentage of population compare
  5. 13 Canada 24.3 Percentage of population compare
  6. 14 Thailand 14.5 Percentage of population compare

See the full ranking of 20 places →

More population data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is body weight — share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Body weight — share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 28 Percentage of population in 2019, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 28.7 Percentage of population in 2017.
What is the lowest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 7 Percentage of population in 1980.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for body weight — share of population who are obese?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th out of 18 countries with data for 2019.
Is body weight — share of population who are obese rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Body weight — Share of population who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/body-weight-share-of-population-who-are-obese/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Body weight — Share of population who are obese
Unit
Percentage of population
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
20 places, 480 data points, 1975–2025
Last refreshed

Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. This dataset presents the latest data for overweight and obesity (measured and self-reported data). Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.