Childhood obesity is rising globally but the UK shows a different pattern
Globally, rates of childhood overweight and obesity have increased sharply since 1990. Over this period, the share of children and young people living with excess weight has doubled (9.4% to 19.3%) and children living with obesity has tripled (2.8% to 6.8%). If current trends continue, projections suggest that around one in three children and young people aged 5–24 could be overweight or obese by 2050, reflecting long-term shifts in diet, physical activity and food environments across many parts of the world.
Many low and middle-income countries now face a dual challenge: rising childhood overweight and obesity alongside persistent undernutrition. This means some populations are experiencing both forms of malnutrition at the same time. Across many high-income countries, childhood obesity continues to rise. While the number of children who are overweight is starting to level off in some regions, the number living with obesity is still increasing, a sign that more children are moving into more severe forms of excess weight. Use the slider in the map below to explore how rates have changed between 1990 and 2022. Hover over any country to see its figure.
A different pattern in the UK
The UK presents a slightly different picture. National measurement data show that childhood overweight and obesity rates have remained high but relatively stable over the past decade. This stability does not indicate improvement, rather, it means that a large proportion of children continue to start school with excess weight and many carry this risk into later childhood and adolescence.
There are also differences between the four UK nations. Northern Ireland and Wales generally report higher levels of childhood overweight and obesity than England and Scotland.
This matters because children who develop obesity early in life are more likely to experience long-term health problems, placing additional pressure on health and wider public services. For this reason, experts emphasise that early intervention remains crucial, even when headline rates do not appear to be rising.
The growth of childhood obesity in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, around one in four children (25.3%) start school with excess weight. By Year 8, this rises to more than one in three (35%). This increase is not confined to particular areas; every Local Government District (LGD) records higher rates at Year 8 than at Primary 1, with some districts exceeding 40% by post-primary. Children who gain excess weight during this period are at greater risk of carrying it into adulthood, where the associated health consequences become more significant.
Childhood overweight and obesity are more common in more deprived areas of Northern Ireland
Children living in the most deprived areas are more likely to have excess weight than those in the least deprived areas and this difference is evident from the start of primary school. At Primary 1, around two in ten children in the least deprived areas are overweight or obese (21.5%), compared with almost three in ten in the most deprived areas (28.5%).
By Year 8, the gap is wider. Around three in ten children in the least deprived areas are overweight or obese (30.0%), compared with more than four in ten in the most deprived areas (41.2%).
While overweight and obesity affect children across all communities, those growing up in more deprived circumstances face consistently higher rates and the gap becomes more pronounced as they move into early adolescence.
Does geography play a role beyond deprivation?
Belfast contains some of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland and indeed, the UK, yet its childhood obesity rate of 32.2% is slightly lower than several mixed and rural districts that have lower levels of deprivation overall, including Fermanagh and Omagh (36.1%), Mid and East Antrim (36.2%) and Causeway Coast and Glens (35.2%).
It is worth noting, that childhood obesity data in Northern Ireland is only available at LGD level, which may not capture more localised variation in deprivation within these areas, so it is not possible to draw firm conclusions from this pattern alone. However, environmental and access factors, such as distance from fresh food or reliance on cars, are nonetheless worth exploring as potential contributors in rural settings.
This pattern is supported by research from England, which suggests that while income is the main driver of childhood overweight and obesity, the relationship between poverty and weight plays out differently in urban and rural areas, suggesting that place, and the environmental conditions that come with it, matter alongside poverty.
Gender matters too
At Primary 1, rates of overweight and obesity are similar for boys and girls (around 25%). By Year 8, a gap has emerged: 37% of boys compared with 32% of girls. This suggests that whatever is driving the increase in childhood weight affects boys more than girls as they move through primary school. This pattern isn’t unique to Northern Ireland, international research shows that in most high-income countries, boys tend to have slightly higher rates of obesity than girls by late childhood, with over half of countries reporting a higher prevalence among boys aged 5–19.
Why childhood overweight and obesity occur
While diet and physical activity play a role, childhood obesity is rarely about individual choices alone. It reflects a combination of individual, parental, family and wider environmental factors, the conditions and systems that shape children’s everyday lives.
Click on each card below to explore the key factors driving childhood overweight and obesity in Northern Ireland.
What can be done and what Northern Ireland is doing
Northern Ireland has introduced a series of policies and programmes over the past decade to address childhood overweight and obesity, including Food in Schools, early years nutrition initiatives and multiagency prevention work under A Fitter Future for All.
Building on this foundation, the new Healthy Futures obesity framework recognises the need for a more joined up, whole system approach that tackles the broader social and environmental factors driving inequalities from early childhood. This is supported by the newly approved Regional Obesity Management Service, which adds specialist treatment and clinical support. However, as global experts point out, real progress will depend on sustained political commitment and long-term investment to ensure these plans deliver lasting change.
A note on terms and definitions
Overweight means a child has more weight than is healthy for their age and height, while obesity is a higher level of excess weight with greater health risks. For children, these categories are based on Body Mass Index (BMI) adjusted for age and sex, using growth charts.
Different data sources also use different growth charts to measure children’s weight. Global datasets often use WHO (World Health Organisation) or IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) standards, while UK figures use the UK90 growth reference, which tends to classify slightly more children as overweight or obese. Northern Ireland uses UK90 standards. Because these standards differ, UK and international figures aren’t directly comparable.