Black Country borough has the highest number of obese children in Year 6 - here's where
The figures for childhood obesity of Reception age and Year 6 kids show some areas of the Black Country and Staffordshire have ranked among the worst in the country - with one borough topping the national charts
The latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme shows that one in 10 children in the first year of primary school in England is obese – the highest figure on record outside the pandemic.
Across the country, 10.5% of children in Reception and more than a fifth in Year 6 (the last year of primary school) were obese in 2024/25, with boys more likely to be overweight than girls.
Excluding the peak during the first year of the pandemic, this is the highest obesity prevalence seen in Reception year since records began in 2006/07, and is higher than the 9.6% in 2023/24.
But looking at the figures a little closer to home, it was found that among Reception children (aged four to five), Stoke-on-Trent ranks second highest in England, with 15.1% of pupils classed as obese, followed closely by Wolverhampton (14.4%) and Walsall (13.8%).
Meanwhile, more rural areas such as Shropshire (10.1%) and Lichfield (9.6%) record significantly lower rates.
The pattern continues among Year 6 pupils (aged 10 to 11), where obesity levels rise sharply across the region.
Sandwell tops the national list with 30.7% of children in this age group classed as obese, while Wolverhampton (30.0%), Walsall (28.4%) and Stoke-on-Trent (27.5%) also feature among the country’s highest rates. By contrast, Stafford (19.5%) and Shropshire (20.1%) record some of the lowest figures locally.
