Weight
In 2019, 64% of adults in England were overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk for a number of common causes of disease and death including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Between 1993 and 2019, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of adults who are overweight or obese. The proportion of adults with a very high waist circumference, an indicator of central obesity, has also increased over time. Among children, the proportion who were overweight or obese increased between 1995 and 2004, and has remained at similar levels, with year-on-year fluctuations since.
Adults who are overweight or obese
Source: NHS Digital
Base: Adults aged 16 and over with a valid height and weight measurement
Notes: BMI is a widely used measure of weight that takes into account the individual’s height, and is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the height in metres squared(kg/m2). Adults can be classified into the following BMI groups:
- Underweight (BMI under 18.5)
- Normal (BMI 18.5 to less than 25)
- Overweight (BMI 25 to less than 30)
- Obese (BMI 30 and over)
Overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing health problems, although there are different risks associated with overweight and obesity.
Year-on-year fluctuations may not indicate real changes and can be within the margins of sampling error. We comment only on the changes that are more likely to reflect a real change.
Adults’ average BMI
Source: NHS Digital
Base: Adults aged 16 and over with a valid height and weight measurement
Notes: BMI is a widely used measure of weight that takes into account the individual’s height, and is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the height in metres squared (kg/m2).
Year-on-year fluctuations may not indicate real changes and can be within the margins of sampling error. We comment only on the changes that are more likely to reflect a real change.
Adults with a ‘very high’ waist circumference
Source: NHS Digital
Base: Adults aged 16 and over with a valid waist measurement
Notes: BMI does not distinguish between mass due to body fat and mass due to a muscular physique. It also does not take account of the distribution of fat. Waist circumference can be a useful supplementary indicator to BMI to identify central (abdominal) obesity. For men, very high waist circumference is defined as greater than 102cm. For women, very high waist circumference is defined as greater than 88cm.
Year-on-year fluctuations may not indicate real changes and can be within the margins of sampling error. We comment only on the changes that are more likely to reflect a real change.