Key Summary
- RCPCH revealed data regarding children’s health in Wales.
- In 2024/25, 27.3% of 4- to 5-year-olds were overweight or living with obesity.
- Paediatricians call for investment and sustained action to improve the condition.
New data analysis shows children’s health in Wales is declining, with poorer outcomes in oral health, asthma and mental health, alongside some of the worst obesity rates in the UK.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published a Wales-focused briefing following the launch of its UK State of Child Health 2026 report.
The document shows that vaccination coverage has reduced below recommended levels, with very few routine childhood vaccines now meeting the 95% uptake target.
In 2024/25, 27.3% of 4- to 5-year-olds were overweight or living with obesity. This is the highest prevalence recorded in Wales to date and the highest rate among all four UK nations.
An estimated 135,000 children and young people in Wales are living with a diagnosable mental health condition. Around one in six 8- to 10-year-olds, one in five 11- to 16-year-olds, and one in four 17- to 24-year-olds.
Asthma related hospital admissions among children aged 5 to 14 increased sharply in September 2024, with 110 admissions compared with 23 in August – a 378% increase.
Following this analysis, a recent YouGov poll of parents in Wales found that less than a third (27%) of respondents feel the Welsh Government are doing enough to support child health.
Only 18% of respondents believe the Welsh Government’s NHS spending on child health is ‘about right’.
Around two-thirds (68%) of respondents believe the cost-of-living crisis is having a negative impact on child health. Breakdown: 33% believe the cost-of-living crisis is having the same negative impact now compared to a year ago, while 35% believe it’s having a more negative impact.
RCPCH Co-Officer for Wales, Dr Dana Beasley, said: “We cannot accept a situation where a child’s chances of growing up healthy are so heavily influenced by where they live or the circumstances they are born into.”
She called for investment and sustained action to improve the condition.
RCPCH Co-Officer for Wales, Dr Lizzy Nickerson, said: “Wales urgently needs a clear and ambitious Children’s Health Plan that puts prevention, early intervention and reducing inequalities at its heart.”
Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes, said: “Children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health, yet this report shows that too many children in Wales are being let down by widening inequalities and inconsistent access to support.”
