Obesity prevalence map: England 2024/25

65% of adults in England are overweight or obese — but that national average hides a 24.6-point gap between areas. This map shows the share of adults aged 18+ classified as overweight or obese across all 106 sub-ICB locations, from 54.4% in North Central London ICB - 93C to 79% in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 04Y.

England average

65%

adults 18+ overweight/obese

Highest area

79%

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 04Y

Lowest area

54.4%

North Central London ICB - 93C

Area-to-area gap

24.6 pts

across 106 areas

Where obesity is highest and lowest

Darker shading marks higher adult overweight and obesity prevalence. The pattern is broadly north-and-coast heavy: the North East, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and parts of the South West run hottest, while large parts of inner and outer London sit lowest.

% of adults 18+ classified overweight or obese (2024/25)

Under 60%60-64%64-68%68-72%72% and over

England average 65% · hover an area for detail · self-reported, age-standardised

Does obesity track deprivation?

Partly — but less than the headlines suggest. Across the 75 areas with matched IMD 2019 deprivation scores, the link is positive but modest (correlation r = 0.34). The most-deprived quarter of areas average 69.5% overweight or obese, against 65.2% in the least-deprived quarter — a real gap, but deprivation explains only a fraction of the area-to-area variation.

The clearest exception is London: several of its most income-deprived areas record England's lowest adult overweight rates, pulling the national correlation down. Population age structure is not the driver here — the underlying figures are age-standardised, so differences in how old each area is have already been removed.

NHS obesity-drug prescribing: a postcode lottery

NHS dispensing of obesity medicines (BNF section 4.5) broadly follows prevalence — higher-prevalence ICBs tend to prescribe more (r = 0.46 across 30 ICBs, to 2026-03). But the spread is enormous: Black Country dispenses 16.7 items per 1,000 patients, while Northamptonshire dispenses just 0.6 — a roughly 28-fold difference that prevalence alone cannot explain.

Because this counts NHS prescriptions only, it misses the large and growing volume of privately prescribed weight-loss medication — which is exactly where most people now obtain treatments like tirzepatide and semaglutide. A low NHS prescribing rate does not mean low local demand; it often means people are going private instead.

Integrated Care Board	Overweight/obese	NHS obesity-drug items / 1,000
Black Country	71.2%	16.7
South Yorkshire	71%	15.9
Staffordshire And Stoke-On-Trent	69.8%	14.5
Lincolnshire	69.1%	14.2
North East And North Cumbria	69.9%	13.5
Coventry And Warwickshire	66.5%	13.3
Cheshire And Merseyside	67.5%	13.3
Humber And North Yorkshire	68%	13.1
Lancashire And South Cumbria	67.5%	13
Birmingham And Solihull	66.1%	11.8
Greater Manchester	66.3%	11.7
Leicester, Leicestershire And Rutland	65%	10.8
Herefordshire And Worcestershire	63.2%	9.5
Cornwall And The Isles Of Scilly	69%	9.3
North East London	61.2%	9.1
Derby And Derbyshire	67.6%	8.3
West Yorkshire	66.8%	7.5
Dorset	65.5%	7.4
Kent And Medway	66.6%	7.3
Shropshire, Telford And Wrekin	67%	7.2
South West London	56.5%	7.2
Somerset	68.4%	7.1
South East London	58.3%	6.2
Devon	64.3%	5.9
Bath And North East Somerset, Swindon And Wiltshire	62.3%	5.7
Hampshire And Isle Of Wight	63.9%	5.1
Gloucestershire	66.2%	4.6
Bristol, North Somerset And South Gloucestershire	61.4%	4.3
Nottingham And Nottinghamshire	68.5%	2.4
Northamptonshire	68%	0.6

NHS dispensing, BNF section 4.5, items per 1,000 registered patients, 12 months to 2026-03. Source: OpenPrescribing.net. ICBs shown where a population denominator was available.

The affordability gap: where treatment costs the most income

Private weight-loss treatment is priced nationally, but incomes are not. Across UK providers, a typical mid-range maintenance dose of GLP-1 treatment runs roughly £219–£268 a month — on the order of £2,820 a year. Set that against disposable income per head and the burden falls hardest exactly where obesity is highest. In the North East — England's highest-prevalence region at 70.3% — a year of treatment equals 15.3% of per-head disposable income, against just 8.7% in London, the lowest-prevalence region. The same price is a 1.8× heavier load on the places with the greatest need.

Region	Overweight/obese	Disposable income / head	A year of treatment
North East	70.3%	£18,388	15.3% of income
Yorkshire and The Humber	68.2%	£19,249	14.7% of income
West Midlands	67.6%	£19,480	14.5% of income
North West	67%	£19,752	14.3% of income
East Midlands	67.5%	£19,879	14.2% of income
South West	64.7%	£22,612	12.5% of income
East of England	65.2%	£23,661	11.9% of income
South East	63%	£26,058	10.8% of income
London	57.4%	£32,330	8.7% of income

Income: ONS regional gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head, 2022. Treatment cost is a UK category figure based on published pharmacy list prices for a mid-range maintenance dose of GLP-1 weight-loss treatment (median across 33 UK providers, March 2026) — it is not a specific product, brand or provider price, and is shown only to express affordability as a share of income. “A year of treatment” = £2,820 as a percentage of per-head disposable income.

The affordability angle

Private weight-loss treatment is priced nationally — an online provider charges the same whether you live in the highest-prevalence area or the lowest. That means the places with the greatest need are often the least able to fund treatment privately when NHS access is limited. If you are weighing up your options, compare what UK providers actually charge for consultations and monitoring before you commit.

Compare UK weight-loss provider pricing →

Every area ranked (106 sub-ICB locations)

Adult overweight and obesity prevalence for 2024/25, highest to lowest, with each area's gap to the 65% England average.

#	Sub-ICB location	Overweight/obese	vs England
1	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 04Y	79%	+14
2	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 00P	77%	+12
3	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 01J	74.6%	+9.6
4	South Yorkshire ICB - 02P	74.4%	+9.4
5	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 00N	74.4%	+9.4
6	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03K	74.2%	+9.2
7	Greater Manchester ICB - 02H	73.7%	+8.7
8	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05W	73.6%	+8.6
9	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 00L	73.3%	+8.3
10	West Yorkshire ICB - 03R	73.2%	+8.2
11	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 01F	73.1%	+8.1
12	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 01T	73%	+8
13	South Yorkshire ICB - 03L	72.5%	+7.5
14	Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB - 02Q	71.8%	+6.8
15	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 12F	71.8%	+6.8
16	South Yorkshire ICB - 02X	71.5%	+6.5
17	Mid and South Essex ICB - 07G	71.3%	+6.3
18	Black Country ICB - D2P2L	71.2%	+6.2
19	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 16C	70.8%	+5.8
20	Mid and South Essex ICB - 99F	70.7%	+5.7
21	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 02G	70.7%	+5.7
22	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 00X	70.6%	+5.6
23	Mid and South Essex ICB - 99E	70.4%	+5.4
24	West Yorkshire ICB - 02T	70.4%	+5.4
25	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03H	70.2%	+5.2
26	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05D	69.8%	+4.8
27	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03F	69.6%	+4.6
28	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 84H	69.3%	+4.3
29	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 01A	69.1%	+4.1
30	Lincolnshire ICB - 71E	69.1%	+4.1
31	Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly ICB - 11N	69%	+4
32	Greater Manchester ICB - 01Y	68.8%	+3.8
33	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 01X	68.6%	+3.6
34	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 02Y	68.5%	+3.5
35	Somerset ICB - 11X	68.4%	+3.4
36	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 01V	68.4%	+3.4
37	Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB - 52R	68.4%	+3.4
38	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 02M	68.3%	+3.3
39	Greater Manchester ICB - 01D	68.1%	+3.1
40	Greater Manchester ICB - 00Y	68.1%	+3.1
41	West Yorkshire ICB - X2C4Y	68.1%	+3.1
42	Northamptonshire ICB - 78H	68%	+3
43	Greater Manchester ICB - 00T	67.9%	+2.9
44	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 99A	67.9%	+2.9
45	Greater Manchester ICB - 01G	67.9%	+2.9
46	Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB - 04V	67.9%	+2.9
47	Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB - M1J4Y	67.9%	+2.9
48	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 00R	67.8%	+2.8
49	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 13T	67.8%	+2.8
50	Derby and Derbyshire ICB - 15M	67.6%	+2.6
51	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 01H	67.5%	+2.5
52	South Yorkshire ICB - 03N	67.4%	+2.4
53	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05Q	67.2%	+2.2
54	Mid and South Essex ICB - 06Q	67.1%	+2.1
55	Suffolk and North East Essex ICB - 06T	67.1%	+2.1
56	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 00Q	67%	+2
57	Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB - 03W	67%	+2
58	Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB - M2L0M	67%	+2
59	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 03Q	66.9%	+1.9
60	Kent and Medway ICB - 91Q	66.6%	+1.6
61	Coventry and Warwickshire ICB - B2M3M	66.5%	+1.5
62	Gloucestershire ICB - 11M	66.2%	+1.2
63	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05G	66.1%	+1.1
64	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 01E	66.1%	+1.1
65	Birmingham and Solihull ICB - 15E	66.1%	+1.1
66	Suffolk and North East Essex ICB - 07K	65.9%	+0.9
67	Norfolk and Waveney ICB - 26A	65.6%	+0.6
68	Dorset ICB - 11J	65.5%	+0.5
69	Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB - 10R	65.5%	+0.5
70	Greater Manchester ICB - 00V	65.4%	+0.4
71	Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 05V	65.3%	+0.3
72	West Yorkshire ICB - 15F	65%	0
73	Humber and North Yorkshire ICB - 42D	64.9%	-0.1
74	Suffolk and North East Essex ICB - 06L	64.8%	-0.2
75	Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB - 06K	64.6%	-0.4
76	Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB - 07H	64.4%	-0.6
77	Devon ICB - 15N	64.3%	-0.7
78	West Yorkshire ICB - 36J	64%	-1
79	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 27D	64%	-1
80	Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB - D9Y0V	63.7%	-1.3
81	Sussex ICB - 97R	63.3%	-1.7
82	Greater Manchester ICB - 02A	63.2%	-1.8
83	Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB - 18C	63.2%	-1.8
84	Sussex ICB - 70F*	63.1%	-1.9
85	Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB - 14Y	63%	-2
86	Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB - 92G	62.3%	-2.7
87	Frimley ICB - D4U1Y	62.3%	-2.7
88	Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB - 04C	61.8%	-3.2
89	Greater Manchester ICB - 01W	61.8%	-3.2
90	Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB - 01K	61.5%	-3.5
91	Cheshire and Merseyside ICB - 02E	61.4%	-3.6
92	Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB - 15C	61.4%	-3.6
93	Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB - 06N	61.2%	-3.8
94	North East London ICB - A3A8R	61.2%	-3.8
95	North East and North Cumbria ICB - 99C	61.1%	-3.9
96	Greater Manchester ICB - 14L	60.9%	-4.1
97	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB - 06H	60.7%	-4.3
98	Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB - 15A	60.3%	-4.7
99	Surrey Heartlands ICB - 92A*	59.4%	-5.6
100	Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB - 10Q	59.3%	-5.7
101	South East London ICB - 72Q	58.3%	-6.7
102	Mid and South Essex ICB - 99G	58.2%	-6.8
103	South West London ICB - 36L	56.5%	-8.5
104	North West London ICB - W2U3Z	56%	-9
105	Sussex ICB - 09D	55.2%	-9.8
106	North Central London ICB - 93C	54.4%	-10.6

* Surrey Heartlands (92A) and Sussex (70F) sub-ICBs changed boundaries in 2023; the parent-ICB value is shown for continuity.

Methodology & caveats

Source: OHID Fingertips indicator 93088, “Overweight (including obesity) prevalence in adults”, derived from the Active Lives Adult Survey (Sport England), 2024/25.
Self-reported: height and weight are self-reported and statistically adjusted by OHID. They still tend to under-count true prevalence relative to the measured Health Survey for England, so read these as a conservative floor.
Age-standardised: figures are age-standardised, so area age structure has been removed — differences are not an artefact of some areas being older.
Geography: 106 sub-ICB locations on ONS SICBL July 2022 (ultra-generalised, clipped) boundaries. OHID publishes only a combined (Persons) figure at this level — sex breakdowns and the longer time series exist only at ICB, regional and England level.
Deprivation: IMD 2019 average scores, matched for 75 of the 106 areas (IMD predates the 2022 boundaries, so some areas are unmatched).
Prescribing: NHS dispensing of BNF section 4.5 obesity medicines via OpenPrescribing.net, items per 1,000 registered patients, 12 months to 2026-03. Excludes private prescriptions.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of adults in England are overweight or obese?

In 2024/25, 65% of adults aged 18+ in England were classified as overweight or obese, based on OHID's processing of the Active Lives Adult Survey. Figures use adjusted self-reported height and weight and are age-standardised.

Which area of England has the highest obesity prevalence?

Among the 106 sub-ICB locations, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB - 04Y has the highest adult overweight or obese prevalence at 79%, while North Central London ICB - 93C has the lowest at 54.4% — a 24.6-point spread across England.

Is obesity higher in more deprived areas?

There is a positive but modest link: the most-deprived quarter of areas average 69.5% versus 65.2% in the least-deprived quarter (correlation r = 0.34). Deprivation explains only part of the variation — several deprived inner-London areas record England's lowest adult overweight rates.

Is private weight-loss treatment harder to afford in some regions?

Yes. Private GLP-1 weight-loss treatment is priced nationally — roughly £219–£268 a month — but disposable income varies sharply by region. A year of treatment equals about 15.3% of per-head disposable income in the North East, England's highest-prevalence region, versus 8.7% in London. The cost falls hardest where overweight and obesity are most common. (Cost is an illustrative category figure, not a brand or provider price.)

Is this measured or self-reported data?

It is self-reported height and weight from the Active Lives survey, statistically adjusted by OHID to better align with measured data. Self-reported figures still tend to understate true prevalence compared with the measured Health Survey for England, so treat these as a conservative floor.

Sources & further reading

OHID Fingertips — Obesity, physical activity and nutrition profile — Adult overweight/obesity prevalence (indicator 93088), Active Lives Adult Survey.
Sport England — Active Lives Adult Survey — Underlying self-reported height and weight data.
ONS Open Geography Portal — Sub-ICB Locations (July 2022) — Sub-ICB location boundaries used for the map.
OpenPrescribing.net — NHS obesity-drug dispensing by ICB.
ONS — Regional gross disposable household income (GDHI) — Disposable income per head by region, used for the affordability section.
NHS — Mounjaro and Wegovy eligibility — Who qualifies for NHS-funded weight-loss medication.

Guides & articles

In-depth guides and cost breakdowns from the TreatCompare editorial team.