Income gap for women with higher BMI

Published in: BMJ 2016
People studied: 119,669

In 119,669 UK adults, women with a BMI about 4.6 points higher had about £1,900 less household income a year.

Checked against: PubMed 26956984
Published in: BMJ 2016
Last checked: 30 October 2026

Key takeaway

This UK study of 119,669 adults aged 37 to 73 compared BMI with income, education and jobs, and used genes linked with BMI to test cause. For women, a BMI about 4.6 points higher went with about £1,900 less household income a year; for men the gap was about £200. The genetic analysis pointed the same way for women only, at about £2,900 a year.

At a glance

Type of study: genetic study (Mendelian randomisation) in UK Biobank, a large UK health database
People studied: 119,669
Compared with: people with a lower BMI
Main result: Women with higher BMI had about £1,900 less household income a year.
Strength of evidence: Long-term or observational studies

What this study does not show

This is household income, not personal pay. It looks at BMI over a lifetime, not at what happens after losing weight. Genetic methods point towards cause but rest on assumptions that cannot be fully checked, and everyone was of British ancestry.

Results from studies in groups of people, mostly in diet and movement programmes. They cannot be promised to any one person. This information is educational and does not replace a consultation with a doctor.