New obesity figures highlight the income divide |
The number of obese adults in England rose from 26% in 2019 to 30% in 2025, according to a new analysis of 55 million people. Nearly one in three adults are now obese.
But averages hide a lot, and behind this one are two very different trends.
The sharpest rises are among the young. New obesity cases went up 16% among people in their twenties and 19% among those in their thirties – compared with a national rise of just 4%. Many of these are people of childbearing age, and the researchers warn that this could start an intergenerational cycle, since obesity in parents raises the chances of obesity in their children.
There’s also a stark gap between rich and poor. New diagnoses were 35% more common in the poorest fifth of the country than the richest – a gap that was wider among women and nearly doubled among Asian women. In parts of north-east England, nearly half of adults are obese. In the wealthiest pockets of central London, fewer than one in ten are. And the areas seeing the fastest rises are the most deprived ones.
Children are following the same path. The latest National Child Measurement Programme found that by the time they reach year six (ages ten and 11), children........