More than one in five children leaving primary school are obese, new figures show

More than one in five children in their final year of primary school are obese, according to new national data, highlighting the scale of the childhood obesity crisis in England.

Figures from the National Child Measurement Programme reveal that ten point five per cent of children in Reception were obese in the 2024 to 2025 school year, meaning one in ten children are already living with obesity when they start primary school. This is the highest level recorded outside of the COVID-19 pandemic and represents an increase from nine point six per cent the previous year.

By the time children reach Year 6, obesity rates rise sharply. The data shows that twenty two point two per cent of children aged ten and eleven were obese in 2024 to 2025, a figure broadly unchanged from the previous year.

When overweight children are included, the scale of the issue becomes even clearer. Thirteen per cent of children aged four and five in Reception were classified as overweight, meaning almost one in four children in this age group are either overweight or obese. Among Year 6 pupils, thirteen point nine per cent were overweight, meaning more than one in three children leaving primary school are above a healthy weight.

The figures also show differences between boys and girls, with boys more likely to be overweight or obese at both ages measured.

In total, around one point one million children attending state-maintained schools in England were measured as part of the programme. The proportion of children recorded as having a healthy weight was seventy five point four per cent in Reception and sixty two point two per cent in Year 6.

Health experts warn that early childhood obesity increases the risk of serious health problems later in life, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and mental health difficulties, and have called for stronger action to improve children’s diets and physical activity levels both in and out of school.