Historical trend
Trend summary
28.0% of adults in England were classified as obese (BMI ≥30) in 2022, based on the Health Survey for England.
Trend
- Adult obesity prevalence has risen from around 13% in 1993 to 28% in 2022.
- A further 36% of adults are classified as overweight (BMI 25–29.9), giving a combined overweight and obese prevalence of around 64%.
- Obesity prevalence is higher in lower-income groups and varies significantly by region.
Context
- The Health Survey for England uses objectively measured height and weight, not self-reported values.
- BMI is widely used for population surveillance but has acknowledged limitations as an individual measure of adiposity.
Commentary contains no editorial judgement — describes direction, magnitude, and official projections only.
OECD comparison
🇯🇵 Japan
4.5 %
🇮🇹 Italy
12 %
🇫🇷 France
17 %
🇩🇪 Germany
22 %
🇨🇦 Canada
30 %
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
30 %
🇺🇸 United States
42 %
About this indicator
- Source
- NHS Digital/ OECD
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Last updated
- 20 June 2026
- Licence
- OGL v3
- Direction
- ↑ Rising
Statistics
- Latest
- 30 %
- Period high
- 30 %
- Period low
- 30 %
- Period average
- 30 %