UK obesity rate compared with other countries
The UK's adult obesity rate was 27.4% in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. That is the joint 10th-highest of the 38 OECD countries ranked here. The range ran from 5.9% in Japan to 41.0% in the US. The simple average across the 38 was 22.7%, a difference of 4.6 percentage points from the UK's figure.
The UK over ten years
From 2015 to 2024 the UK's figure was highest in 2024 (27.4%) and lowest in 2015 (25.6%).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in every year from 2015 to 2024.
In 2015 the UK ranked 10th of the 38 countries with a figure; in 2024 it ranked 10th of 38.
No country changed places with the UK between 2015 and 2024.
How the WHO measures it
The World Health Organization's figure is the share of adults aged 18 and over with a body mass index of 30 or more. The estimates are modelled by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration from measured height and weight in national surveys, and age-standardised so that countries with older or younger populations can be compared.
Countries compared: The 38 member countries of the OECD. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the WHO covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
There is no single ONS obesity rate for the UK. The Health Survey for England, published by NHS England, measures adults' height and weight every year, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own health surveys. The World Health Organization's figures are modelled from surveys like these and age-standardised so that countries can be compared, so they do not match any one national survey.
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://ghoapi.azureedge.net/api/NCD_BMI_30A?$filter=Dim1%20eq%20'SEX_BTSX'%20and%20TimeDim%20ge%202014
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
56d46052add987a3… - World Health Organization: Global Health ObservatoryThe publisher's page for this data, indicator NCD_BMI_30A.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for adult obesity rate in OECD countries?
WHO figures for 2024 put the UK 10th (joint) of 38, counting from the highest, at 27.4%.
Which OECD country has the highest adult obesity rate?
The US, at 41.0% in 2024 (World Health Organization).
Which OECD country has the lowest adult obesity rate?
Japan, at 5.9% in 2024 (World Health Organization).
What is the OECD average adult obesity rate?
The simple average of the 38 countries with figures for 2024 is 22.7%. The UK's figure is 27.4%.
How has the UK's adult obesity rate changed since 2015?
WHO figures give 25.6% for 2015 and 27.4% for 2024; the ten-year chart above shows the years in between.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
There is no single ONS obesity rate for the UK. The Health Survey for England, published by NHS England, measures adults' height and weight every year, and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own health surveys.
More comparisons
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- UK health spending compared with other countries
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.