Britain now has 'record number' of obese children, with one in four leaving primary school seriously overweight - map reveals UK region where kids are the heaviest

One in four children in England are obese by the time they start secondary school, alarming new figures show. Meanwhile, obesity in reception children has reached record highs, with one in 10 four and five year-olds severely overweight.Figures for this age group have only surpassed this once in the last 20 years - during the covid pandemic. In 2020, obesity in reception children reached 14 per cent, but by 2022, when British society had returned to normal, the figure dropped to 9.2 per cent.The figure then climbed to 9.6 per cent in 2023 and 10.5 per cent in 2024, before reaching 10.7 per cent last year. Meanwhile, obesity in children preparing to leave primary school has also risen gradually since the pandemic peak, climbing from 22.2 per cent in 2024 to 22.8 per cent last year. Obesity prevalence in Year 6 by local authorityBoys were more likely than girls to be severely obese by year 6, according to the National Child Measurement Programme report. Overall, 1.1 million children were measured in state schools in England under the programme, which records a child's height and weight to help identify which regions need the most support. As with adults, a child's body mass index (BMI) is calculated using their height and weight - which is then compared with that of other children of the same age and sex. Children are classed as obese if their BMI is higher than 95 per cent of their peers, and overweight if it is higher than 85 per cent. Large differences in prevalence by level of deprivation remain; obesity rates in the most deprived areas were more than double those in the most affluent parts of England for both reception-aged children and those in their final year of primary school. In England's most deprived areas, nearly a third of children (30.3 per cent) were obese by the time they left primary school, leaving them at increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. This compared with just 14 per cent of children in the country's most affluent areas. For reception, obesity prevalence ranged from just 5.2 per cent in the affluent London borough of Richmond upon Thames, to 15.8 per cent in Halton, in the North West. For Year 6 pupils, Sandwell in the West Midlands recorded the highest obesity rate, with 32.1 per cent classed as obese. Join the discussionWho should take the greatest responsibility for tackling rising childhood obesity – parents, schools, food manufacturers or the Government?What's your view? For Reception, obesity prevalence ranged from just 5.2 per cent in the affluent London borough of Richmond upon Thames, to 15.8 per cent in Halton, in the North West.Among ethnic minorities, Black children were more likely to be an unhealthy weight when they started and left school, while Year 6 children from Bangladeshi backgrounds also recorded particularly high obesity rates. Meanwhile, children from Indian backgrounds were the most likely to be underweight, the figures show. 'Today's data shows worsening childhood obesity levels and that the gulf in children's health between those living in deprived versus wealthy areas has widened,' Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation charity said. 'We keep measuring children, but failing to act on what we find. 'Nearly 500 days ago the Government committed to introduce mandatory reporting by large food businesses on the healthiness of their food sales with a commitment to a moonshot to end obesity. 'Every day of delay carries cost in the communities who can afford it least. Today alone around 93 children will have rotten teeth removed in hospital at a cost of £140,000. 'Delay is the most expensive policy we have.' Earlier this year, England's top paediatric doctor described childhood obesity as 'one of the biggest public health challenges facing the country' and warned lives are being cut tragically short as a result. Obesity rates peaked during the pandemic and are now on the rise again The findings come after the World Health Organisation announced that obese children can safely be given weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy - and undergo weight loss surgery.The recommendation forms part of the first set of global guidelines released by the watchdog for the treatment of obese children and young adults.Previously, the WHO said the interventions - which alter the stomach and reduce appetite - were unsuitable for obese children.However, the new guidelines say children over the age of 10 can safely be given the drugs, as well as undergo weight loss surgery, if all other options such as managed exercise and diet programmes have proved ineffective. Obese children in the UK are currently not eligible for weight-loss drugs or surgery on the NHS, although specialised clinics may offer them to children over 12 under very strict conditions.