If a quarter of morbidly obese people in England who meet the current NHS criteria for bariatric surgery were to undergo it, the net gain to the economy would be £1.3bn (€1.6bn; $2bn) within three years, estimates a new report.

For its report the Office of Health Economics, an independent research body, analysed government data and reviewed the medical literature to assess the economic implications of providing weight loss surgery. It found that a big increase in bariatric surgery among people who meet the current criteria would pay for itself in one year, by enabling many of them to return to paid employment.

Around one million people in England have a body mass …