England Obesity Diagnoses Jump 20% in Adults in Their 30s, Outpacing Older Groups
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 24
England Obesity Diagnoses Jump 20% in Adults in Their 30s, Outpacing Older Groups
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 24
Summary
24.1 new obesity diagnoses per 1,000 people were recorded for adults aged 30-39 in 2024-25, up from 20.3 in 2019-20, while rates for those aged 20-29 rose 16% to 20.3 per 1,000.
55 million NHS adult records analyzed in the Lancet study showed the sharpest increases were in younger adults even though obesity diagnoses remained most common in people in their 40s and 50s.
Researchers and public health experts linked the rise to years of exposure to cheap unhealthy food, heavy advertising, food apps, pandemic disruption and a cost-of-living squeeze that made healthier diets harder.
Non-white groups and the most deprived areas saw earlier onset and steeper increases, while diagnosis rates fell among people aged 60-79, possibly because they were more able to afford weight-loss drugs.
30.3% of adults were recorded as obese in 2024-25, up from 26.2%, adding to concern that post-pandemic health inequalities in England are widening.