At least a third of adults are obese in a growing number of areas - and two regions are worst affected
7 May 2025, 16:03 | Updated: 7 May 2025, 16:09
At least a third of adults are obese in a widening amount of areas - and the Midlands and the north-east of England are the worst affected.
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Doncaster, Stockton-on-Tees and Walsall are among 44 local authorities in England where at least 33.3% of adults were likely to be obese in 2023/24.
All three authorities were below this level five years earlier in 2018/19, as were other urban areas in these parts of the country, such as Durham and Hull.
The estimates have been published by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID), using data from the Sport England Active Lives Adult Survey.
They suggest that West Lindsey in Lincolnshire had the highest proportion of people aged 18 and over living with obesity in the year to March 2024, at 38.8%, followed by Hartlepool (37.9%) and Bolsover in Derbyshire (37.9%).
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The entire top 10 are located either in the Midlands, Yorkshire or the North East.
Of the 44 local authorities with at least a third of adults classed as obese in the latest year, only five are in southern England.
By contrast, nine of the ten areas with the lowest obesity estimates are in southern England, with the three lowest areas all in London: Islington (13.0%), Hammersmith & Fulham (12.1%) and Camden (11.0%).
A total of 317 local authorities in England are included in the survey, meaning around one in seven were estimated to have at least a third of adults living with obesity in 2023/24. This is up from around one in 25 (13 out of 317) in 2018/19.
There is a 27.8 percentage point gap between the areas with the highest (38.8%) and lowest (11.0%) obesity levels in the year to March 2024.
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"Obesity is a global and complex public health concern," the OHID said.
"It is associated with reduced life expectancy and is a risk factor for a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, liver, and respiratory disease.
"It can also impact on mental health.
"Regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer, and improved mental health."
The figures also show that prevalence of obesity is highest among those living in the most deprived areas of England, at 37.4% of adults in 2023/24, and lowest in those living in the least deprived areas (19.8%).
Obesity levels are estimated to be higher among adults identifying as black (33.1%) than those in other ethnic groups, including white British (27.8%), mixed (23.0%) and Asian (20.6%).
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Some 252 of the 317 local authorities in England saw an increase in estimated obesity between 2018/19 and 2023/24, while 65 saw a fall.
There were 176 authorities that recorded a year-on-year rise between 2022/23 and 2023/24, with 140 seeing a drop and one recording no change.
All the data used by the OHID to compile the estimates is based on height and weight that has been self-reported by the survey's participants, which has then been adjusted to more accurately predict figures that would have been measured by a health professional.
