British children are growing taller due to obesity: How widespread is obesity across Europe?

By Servet Yanatma Published on 11/05/2026 - 7:01 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

Average height is on the rise in Great Britain, a trend that accelerated sharply during the pandemic. Researchers link this increase to rising childhood obesity. The UK has the highest obesity rate among Europe's largest economies.

The average height of children in Great Britain has increased over the past two decades, according to a recent study. However, the reasons behind this trend are concerning. These gains are not linked to improvements in child health. Instead, the researchers say the rise in average height is closely associated with increasing childhood obesity among poorer children and widening socioeconomic inequalities.

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Is the obesity rate among children and adolescents increasing in the United Kingdom? Which countries have the highest prevalence of obesity among those aged 5–19 across Europe?

Researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London found that children in England, Scotland and Wales are getting taller. The study by Andrew Moscrop and colleagues, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, notes that these findings challenge recent media reports in the UK.

The study shows that the mean age-standardised height of boys aged 11 in England increased from 145 cm in the 2009/10 school year to 145.7 cm in the 2019/20 school year. It then rose more sharply to 146.5 cm in 2020/21 during the COVID-19 pandemic before easing slightly to 146.4 cm in 2023/24.

Average height is higher among girls in the same age group, but the trend is very similar. It increased from 145.8 cm in 2009/10 to 146.6 cm in 2019/20. It then reached 148 cm during the pandemic, and stood at 147.5 cm in 2023/24.

However, these gains are not linked to improved child health. Instead, the increases in average height are associated with rising childhood obesity among poorer children and widening socioeconomic inequalities.

The research emphasised that school closures and home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced opportunities for physical activity and led to less healthy diets among British children, particularly those from more deprived backgrounds.

The result is rising child obesity in deprived areas. Children in poorer communities are getting taller on average, and the researchers suggest this is linked to increasing rates of obesity.

For example, the average height of 11-year-old boys in England’s most deprived areas increased by 1.7 cm between 2009/10 and 2023/24. Over the same period, the share of children who were overweight or obese rose from 37.7% to 43.3%.

Inequalities in height are declining

The research also reveals a narrowing of height inequalities — and, among girls, a reversal. Among boys, the difference in height between the most and least deprived deciles is closing over this period. Those in the least deprived group still remain taller on average.

The shift is more striking among girls. Although the deprivation gap has historically been narrower for girls than for boys, it closed entirely during the pandemic — and briefly reversed, with girls in the most deprived decile actually outstripping those in the least deprived.

What is the deprivation decile?

‘Deprivation’ refers to people’s unmet needs. The researchers used the Index of Multiple Deprivation, which is a government measure that combines factors including income, employment, education, health, crime and housing into a single score for each small area. Dividing these into ten equal groups — or deciles — allows comparison between the most and least deprived 10% of neighbourhoods.

Moscrop, speaking on the University of Oxford blog, describes them simply as ‘poorer’ and ‘wealthier’ areas.

“Children in poorer areas are exposed to more unhealthy food outlets and fewer healthy food sources,” he said.

Childhood obesity is a rising problem

WHO data shows childhood obesity has been rising steadily across Europe.

The prevalence among 5- to 19-year-olds in the WHO European region — which covers around 50 countries, including Russia, Turkey and several Central Asian states — doubled from 3.8% in 1990 to 8% in 2022.

The UK saw an even sharper rise, from 4.5% to 11.3% over the same period.

By 2022, this was the highest rate among Europe's five largest economies — ahead of Spain (10.5%), Italy (9.6%) and Germany (8.5%). France had the lowest rate of the five at just 4.1%.

Among the roughly 40 European countries in the WHO data, Hungary had the highest childhood obesity rate in 2022 at 14.8%, followed by Cyprus (14.1%) and Finland (12.7%).

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