England’s Obesity Rate Doubles as Seven Million More Adults Face the Crisis

England’s obesity rate has doubled since 1993, with about 14 million adults now living with obesity. New analysis suggests England would have around seven million fewer adults with obesity if rates had remained at their 1993 level.

The figures from the King’s Fund show that 15% of adults aged 16 and over were obese in 1993. By 2024, the rate had reached 30%.

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The increase has occurred despite successive governments introducing 14 national obesity strategies over three decades. The figures have renewed debate over why previous policies have failed to reverse the trend.

Young adults see the fastest rise

Obesity has increased particularly quickly among younger adults.

The King’s Fund analysis found that 18% of people aged 16 to 24 were obese or severely obese in 2024. In 1993, the figure stood at just 6%.

Population growth means around one million young adults now live with obesity in England. The figure would have been about 300,000 if obesity rates had remained at their 1993 level.

Dave Buck, a senior fellow for public health at the King’s Fund, described the trend as worrying.

He said governments had “talked the talk” but had not taken enough action to tackle the problem.

Why obesity has increased

Experts point to major changes in food, work and daily life over the past three decades.

The UK economy now relies more heavily on service-sector jobs. Traditional manufacturing and other forms of manual work have declined.

As a result, more people spend their working lives sitting at desks. Office-based work can reduce daily physical activity compared with jobs that require manual labour.

Food has also become easier to access.

Supermarket competition has helped reduce the cost of some foods since the 1990s. At the same time, fast-food outlets and delivery services have expanded.

Buck said modern lifestyles make it easier for people to consume more food and choose products high in fat, salt and sugar.

Food delivery has also made takeaway meals more convenient. Customers can order meals with a few taps and have them delivered directly to their homes.

Cost and deprivation play a role

The availability of less healthy food varies across England.

Takeaway outlets selling food high in fat, salt and sugar are more common in some deprived communities. People living in these areas also face a higher risk of obesity.

Healthier food choices can also cost more, particularly during periods of financial pressure.

Several cost-of-living crises have affected household budgets in recent years. For some families, price remains a major factor when choosing what to eat.

Fourteen strategies have produced limited results

Obesity increases the risk of several serious health conditions. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and some cancers.

The economic cost is also substantial. Government estimates put the annual cost of overweight and obesity to the UK economy at about £126bn, including around £12bn for the NHS.

Governments have introduced 14 national obesity strategies since 1992.

Tony Blair’s government introduced restrictions on junk food advertising during children’s television programmes.

Gordon Brown later launched a strategy aimed at reversing what his government called the “rising tide of obesity”.

David Cameron considered further restrictions before leaving office. His proposals included limiting multi-buy promotions for unhealthy products and restricting junk food advertising.

Those plans did not fully materialise. The pandemic later delayed several proposed measures, while ministers also raised concerns about the impact of restrictions during the cost-of-living crisis.

Junk food advertising faces tighter rules

The Labour government introduced new restrictions on junk food advertising in January.

The rules prohibit certain adverts for less healthy food and drink on television before 21:00. They also restrict such advertising online at all times.

The policy followed years of debate over how far governments should intervene in food marketing.

Further measures targeting the sale and promotion of unhealthy food remain under consideration.

A recent parliamentary committee also called for stronger action, including tighter controls on fast-food outlets near schools.

Can weight-loss drugs solve the problem?

Weight-loss medicines have become another important part of the obesity debate.

GLP-1 medicines are increasingly used to treat obesity. NHS access remains restricted to people who meet specific health and eligibility criteria.

Wegovy is available through the NHS for eligible adults with obesity and certain weight-related health conditions. Some people also purchase weight-loss medicines privately.

Mounjaro has also become available through specialist NHS weight-management services in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, new oral weight-loss medicines could expand treatment options further.

However, government health officials stress that medication represents only one part of the response.

They also support measures aimed at improving diets, increasing physical activity and reducing exposure to unhealthy food.

Experts warn against relying only on medication

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, has warned that relying on lifelong medication alone would represent a “societal failure”.

The wider challenge involves changing the environment in which people make everyday food and lifestyle choices.

That means addressing food prices, advertising, access to healthy options, physical activity and the availability of highly processed foods.

Some countries have managed to keep obesity rates more stable. France is one example cited by Whitty.

England’s latest figures suggest the problem will require more than another short-term campaign.

After three decades and 14 national strategies, the central question is no longer whether obesity needs attention. It is whether governments can deliver policies strong enough to change the conditions that have allowed obesity to rise so sharply.