FOI request: FOI-2025-2959
You asked
Please provide annual figures on the total number of deaths each year where obesity was listed as the underlying cause from the year 2014 up until and including the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Please provide annual figures on the total number of deaths each year where obesity was either listed as the underlying cause or listed as a contributory factor from the year 2014 up until and including the most recent year for which statistics are available.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We are responsible for publishing mortality statistics for deaths Registered in England and Wales, using the information supplied on the death certificate.
We have published Obesity and mortality during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, England: 24 January 2020 to 30 August 2022 which provides counts and rates for all cause deaths by obesity status.
Cause of death is coded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Version 10 of the ICD (ICD-10) has been used to code cause of death in England and Wales since 2001. The ICD-10 code for obesity would be E66.
Deaths registered by underlying cause including obesity are available for 2013 to 2023 from our explorable dataset available on our NOMIS webservice.
Instructions for use of this service:
Select geography (England and Wales, regional, or by local authority)
Select age (all ages, or five-year age bands)
Select gender (total, or male or female)
Select rates (all births, rates, or percentage of population, for example)
Select format (Excel or CSV, for example)
Obesity is usually a background risk factor causing another condition such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer, rather than a health problem that is specifically mentioned on the death certificate. Therefore, the number of deaths with an underlying cause, or mention of obesity on the death certificate is likely to be an underestimate of the true number of deaths where obesity was a contributing factor. As such, the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (formerly Public Health England) may be better placed to provide a more accurate estimate. They can be contacted via: dhsc.publicenquiries@dhsc.gov.uk
In case the above is not helpful, we could provide information on deaths due to obesity or deaths where obesity was mentioned on the death certificate 2014 to 2024 as a bespoke output. These services are subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs. Please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk for more information.