Number of obese adults in England has doubled to 14.3m since UK's first obesity strategy in 1992, damning analysis reveals

By SHAUN WOOLLER, EXECUTIVE HEALTH EDITOR Published: 21:00, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 21:00, 6 August 2026 The number of obese adults in England has doubled to 14.3million since the UK's first obesity strategy was published in 1992, damning new analysis reveals. John Major's Conservative government vowed to cut obesity among men by a quarter and women by a third in its pioneering 'Health of the Nation' document but rates subsequently soared. Since then, a further 13 national obesity strategies have been published, each of which has failed to stem the crisis, the King's Fund think tank says. Its latest research shows there are 7.2 million more adults living with obesity than would be the case if rates had stayed the same as 1993, when the Health Survey for England first published obesity prevalence data. The percentage of adults who were either obese or severely obese rose from 15 per cent to 30 per cent from 1993 to 2024, the most recent year available. The King's Fund is now calling for urgent action to address the 'obesity time-bomb' and warns GLP1 fat jabs, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, are not the 'silver bullet'. It's analysis, shared exclusively with the Daily Mail, reveals the rise in obesity has been 'particularly stark' among young people. In 1993, just 6 per cent of 16-to 24-year-olds were obese or severely obese but this had tripled to 18 per cent - or 1.1million - by 2024. John Major 's Conservative government vowed to cut obesity among men by a quarter and women by a third in its pioneering 'Health of the Nation' document but rates subsequently soared. Accounting for the rise in rates and population change, it means there are 730,000 more obese or severely obese young adults in England than there would have been if rates had not risen over the last three decades. Virginia Bottomley, Sir John's health secretary when the first obesity strategy was published, warned at the time: 'No responsible Government can be a disinterested observer of an unhealthy nation. 'There is an enormous cost to the national health service and to our economy of avoidable illness.' More recent studies have found obesity is linked with higher unemployment, greater sickness absence, and lower wages, costing the UK an estimated £31 billion a year in lost productivity alone, with a total annual economic and societal cost of around £126 billion. Dave Buck, senior fellow for public health at The King's Fund, said: 'For more than three decades successive governments of all stripes have talked the talk on obesity but have not sufficiently walked the walk. 'This analysis shows the scale of the failure to take the necessary action on tackling this obesity time-bomb. 'After 14 national strategies up to 2020, millions more people are living with obesity than would have been the case if governments had taken more effective action – with real consequences for people's health, family life, work and the NHS. 'New weight-loss drugs could make a real difference for some people, but they are not a silver bullet. Virginia Bottomley said 'no responsible Government can be a disinterested observer of an unhealthy nation'.  'They should be seen as a complement to, not a substitute for, longer term and effective preventive measures that address the fact the everyday food environment makes it far too easy for people to become unhealthy. 'This would avoid a short-term 'sugar rush' of a wider GLP1s rollout, which should be treated as part of a wider effort to tackle obesity. 'The government now has a chance to stop repeating past mistakes. 'That means making healthier food easier and more affordable, holding supermarkets and food companies to account, and using new powers for local leaders to improve health in their communities. 'Ministers need to move from warm words to action; to walk the walk not just talk the talk on obesity policy.' The King's Fund said it is 'understandable' that central government is using weight loss jabs as a 'new tool in their locker' but stressed it is important people who could benefit the most are not priced out of accessing them, as the vast majority are still bought privately, rather than prescribed on the NHS. It wants mandatory targets on healthy food sales and said prime minister Andy Burnham's devolution agenda offers 'huge opportunity' to tackle obesity, with mayors urged to restrict advertising of junk food on public transport, as he did in Greater Manchester. For adults, a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and 30 or more is obese. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of ill health in this country, costing the NHS billions of pounds every year. 'That's why we're making weight loss jabs available through the NHS, so those with the greatest need can receive those treatments, not just people who can pay privately. 'But we've always been clear that those drugs are only one part of a much broader plan to tackle obesity, including tackling the promotion of less healthy food and drink, and encouraging healthier options and exercise.'