Average weight in England: what adults weigh by age and sex, in stones and pounds

What is the average weight in England?

The best measured figures come from the Health Survey for England, published by NHS England Digital. The 2024 report was published on 27 January 2026.¹ It covers adults aged 16 and over living in England. It does not cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and no figure for the whole of the United Kingdom is published in the survey used here. That is why this page says England wherever it quotes a number, even though most people search for the UK.

Two things make these figures more reliable than a casual poll. Height and weight were measured, not reported by the person, and the survey weighed 3,123 men and 3,553 women with a valid weight in 2024.¹² Even so, a survey is a sample, and the report flags margins of error on its estimates.¹

Every weight below is a mean, the sum of the weights divided by the number of people. It is not a median, and it is not a “typical” weight, because a few very high or very low weights can pull a mean one way or the other.

Average height is worth keeping in mind when you read a weight. In 2024 men in England averaged 175.8 cm (5 ft 9 in) and women 162.1 cm (5 ft 4 in).¹² Height has barely moved since 1993: the report says men have gained less than 2 cm, from 174.4 cm to 175.8 cm, while women went from 161.1 cm to 162.1 cm.¹²

Average weight by age and sex, in stones and pounds

The table gives the mean measured weight for each age band in England in 2024. Each row is a separate estimate with its own margin of error, so small gaps between neighbouring rows should not be over-read.

Read down the columns and a pattern shows in the 2024 sample. The youngest group, aged 16 to 24, is the lightest. Men aged 25 to 34 average 7.4 kg more than men aged 16 to 24 (87.0 kg against 79.6 kg), and women aged 25 to 34 average 5.7 kg more (73.2 kg against 67.5 kg). The heaviest bands are 45 to 54 for men and women alike.

The survey tables do not test these gaps statistically, and they do not say why they exist. Do not read the table as saying that weight must rise with age. It is a snapshot of different people of different ages, taken in one year.

Average is not the same as healthy

A population average describes where people are, not where they should be. The clearest proof is in the same survey. The average body mass index of adults in England in 2024 was 27.8 kg/m².¹ The NHS says that for most adults a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is in the overweight range.³ So the average adult in England sits above the line the NHS draws for a healthy weight.

The survey puts a number on that: 66% of adults in England were overweight or living with obesity in 2024, which was 70% of men and 62% of women.¹ Weight alone also says little about body shape. The NHS notes that its BMI calculator cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat.³⁴

For the formula, the BMI lines at every height and the different lines the NHS uses for some groups, see the guide to BMI and healthy weight in stones and pounds. This page answers a different question: where the population sits, not where a healthy range starts.

Why the averages have crept up since 1993

The Health Survey for England has been running since 1993, and its measured weights show a steady rise. Men averaged 78.9 kg (12 st 6 lb) in 1993 and 86.2 kg (13 st 8 lb) in 2024. Women went from 66.6 kg (10 st 7 lb) to 73.0 kg (11 st 7 lb).¹²

The arithmetic is simple. For men, 86.2 − 78.9 = 7.3 kg, or about 16 lb. For women, 73.0 − 66.6 = 6.4 kg, or about 14 lb. That is roughly 9% more body weight for men and 10% for women over the period, while height changed by only a centimetre or two.

Average BMI tells the same story: it went from 25.8 kg/m² in 1993 to 27.8 kg/m² in 2024, and the report describes little change in recent years.¹

Two cautions. First, the sources read describe the trend, not its causes, so this page does not offer a reason. Second, the 2021 survey is not directly comparable with the other years, because the survey method and response rates changed, and its heights and weights were self-reported rather than measured, so the report leaves it out of the trend analysis.¹ That is why no 2021 figure appears here.

Where you sit: a worked example

Here is how to put an average in context without treating it as a goal. The person in this example is an illustration, not a real case. Take an adult who is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall and weighs 11 st 3 lb.

1. Convert to pounds. 11 st 3 lb is 11 × 14 + 3 = 157 lb. In kilograms, 157 × 0.45359237 = 71.2 kg.
2. Compare with the average. The average man in England weighs 190 lb (13 st 8 lb) and the average woman 161 lb (11 st 7 lb).¹² The example is 33 lb below the men’s average and 4 lb below the women’s average. Both averages are for all ages and heights, and the average man is 5 ft 9 in and the average woman 5 ft 4 in, so neither is matched to this person’s height.
3. Work out the BMI. The NHS formula divides weight in kilograms by height in metres squared.⁴ At 1.7018 m (5 ft 7 in), 71.2 ÷ 1.7018² = 24.6.
4. Check the line. The NHS puts a BMI of 25 to 29.9 in the overweight range for most adults.³ At 5 ft 7 in, a BMI of 25 is 72.4 kg, or 11 st 6 lb, so the example sits 3 lb below it.
5. Check the waist. Half of 5 ft 7 in is 33.5 in (85.1 cm). The NHS advises keeping your waist under half your height.³

The two comparisons point in different directions. This person is well under the men’s average and still just under the BMI line, because the average adult in England is already above it. Weighing less than the average does not make a weight healthy, and weighing more does not make it unhealthy: the NHS calculator cannot separate muscle from fat.³⁴

Following your own trend rather than a population number

A population average cannot tell you much about one body. Your own trend can. The NHS advises weighing yourself regularly to see how you are getting on, and, if you are losing weight, aiming for 1 to 2 lb (0.5 to 1 kg) a week.³ It adds that losing 5 to 10% of body weight can improve your health.³ For someone at 14 st, 5% is 9.8 lb, a little under 10 lb. The arithmetic: 14 × 14 = 196 lb, and 196 × 0.05 = 9.8 lb.

To make your own readings comparable, weigh at the same time of day, in similar clothing, on the same scale, and look at the direction over several weeks, not at one morning. The guide to how accurate smart scales are explains what a home scale can and cannot tell you, and what body composition means covers why the split between fat and muscle matters more than the total.

None of the averages above is a target. Setting a goal against your own starting point is more useful than matching a number from a survey of other people.

When to speak to your GP or practice nurse about weight

The NHS suggests seeing a GP if your BMI is in the overweight or obesity range and your waist is more than half your height, or if you want help losing weight.³ It also lists conditions worth discussing with a GP, including pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea and cardiovascular disease.³

If you have, or think you may have, an eating disorder, the NHS says to speak to a GP, and its adult BMI calculator is not meant for you. It is also not for people under 18, who are pregnant, or who have a condition that affects their height.³⁴ If you are worried about your weight, the NHS says to contact your local pharmacist or GP surgery.⁴

Frequently asked questions