Lift Capacity Fails to Keep Pace with UK Obesity Levels, Study Warns
Lifts are no longer adequate to accommodate the larger body sizes of UK citizens, according to a new study that highlights a growing mismatch between elevator capacity and rising obesity levels. Researchers warn that this discrepancy poses safety risks and exacerbates social exclusion for people with obesity.
The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey, analyzed photographs of weight limits from 112 lifts manufactured between 1972 and 2024 across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Finland. Lead author Prof Nick Finer, president and chair of the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation, compared the average maximum weight allowance per person with the average adult weight in the year of manufacture.
Findings show that while adult weights have steadily increased—from an average of 75 kg for men and 65 kg for women in the mid-1970s to 86 kg and 73 kg today—the total weight limits of lifts have remained static since around 2004. Maximum allowances per person rose from about 62 kg in 1972 to 75 kg in 2002, broadly matching body weight increases during that period. However, most manufacturers have since assumed an average weight of 75 kg, which is 4 kg lighter than the current average adult weight.
Prof Finer explained that manufacturers shifted focus to floor space rather than weight, using an oval shape model for passengers. “They have completely failed to recognise that if obesity is increasing, so is the amount of room you take up,” he said. This flawed calculation leads to potential safety issues, such as lifts cutting out if total weight limits are exceeded. Moreover, Finer emphasised the stigma faced by people with obesity when entering lifts, describing it as a form of everyday weight discrimination.
“We need sadly, to super-size many of the things in life to be suitable and safe for people living with obesity, as otherwise they would be excluded from society,” Finer added. Jane DeVille-Almond, president of the British Obesity Society, echoed this sentiment, stating, “We need to accept that society is unlikely to revert to sizes from 50 years ago, and start developing facilities for the 21st century.” Registered nutritionist Louise Payne noted that public spaces are not always designed with larger bodies in mind, calling it an issue of dignity, accessibility, and inclusion.
