Key Takeaway:
- Obesity is rising in England, with nearly one in three adults affected, and new obesity cases 4% higher in 2025 than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Young adults and deprived communities face the biggest increases, with obesity rates climbing fastest among people ages 20-39 and those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.
- Health inequalities are widening, as obesity rates in some parts of northeast England are nearly six times higher than in affluent areas of central London.
Obesity rates in England have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly one in three adults affected. The england obesity gap continues to widen, marked by stark disparities across region, income, ethnicity, and age, according to a major study published Thursday.
Study finds sharp rise among younger adults
Researchers analyzed NHS England electronic health records from nearly 55 million adults between 2019 and 2025, making it the largest study of obesity trends in the country to date. The findings, which shed light on the england obesity gap, were published in the medical journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
The study found that rates of newly recorded obesity cases were 4% higher in 2025 than before the pandemic. Adults ages 20 to 39 experienced the largest increases, with new cases rising nearly 20% among those ages 30 to 39 and 16% among those ages 20 to 29.
“Levels of obesity in England have worsened since the pandemic, with nearly one in three people now affected,” said Robert Fletcher, study co-lead from the University of Cambridge, Health Data Research UK, and The George Institute.
Fletcher said the increase among younger adults was particularly concerning because obesity is linked to infertility, pregnancy complications, and childhood obesity, potentially reinforcing health inequalities across generations.
Deprivation and ethnicity deepen health divide
Researchers found obesity rates were significantly higher among people living in more deprived communities. Over the study period, new obesity cases were 35% higher among the most socioeconomically deprived groups than among the least deprived.
The gap was even wider among women. New cases were 54% higher among the most deprived women, while rates among Asian women were 94% higher than those in the least deprived socioeconomic group.
The study also revealed large differences in obesity prevalence across demographic groups. Obesity affected 4% of the most affluent White men ages 18 to 19, compared with 66% of the most deprived Black women ages 60 to 69.
“Obesity is not primarily about willpower,” said Naveed Sattar, a professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow and a co-author of the study. “Those most at risk frequently reside in the most obesogenic environments and likely have the least agency to withstand such environments.”
Sattar said expanding access to obesity treatments while improving food and physical activity environments would be necessary to reverse current trends.
Regional differences reach sixfold gap
The study identified major geographic inequalities across England. In some areas of northeast England, obesity affected 48% of adults, compared with just 8.5% in affluent parts of central London, underscoring the england obesity gap.
Researchers said obesity prevalence was nearly six times higher in the hardest-hit areas than in the least affected regions. The steepest increases occurred in communities with lower economic output, further illustrating the england obesity gap.
The study defined obesity as a body mass index of 30 or higher or a clinician-recorded diagnosis in health records. Researchers said their findings closely matched results from the NHS Health Survey for England.
The analysis found no clear evidence that wider use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro had reduced obesity rates during the study period.
“We don’t see any obvious reduction in obesity in our data following the introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists,” Fletcher said. “We need deep-seated change to the many social and economic factors that drive obesity in the first place.”
Angela Wood, a study co-lead and professor at the University of Cambridge, said the findings provide the strongest evidence yet that obesity inequalities have widened since the pandemic and highlight the need for timely public health action.
The study was funded by several organizations, including the Wellcome Trust, Health Data Research UK, and the British Heart Foundation.
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