Children of immigrants from low‐and‐middle‐income countries show excess overweight/obesity risk relative to host populations, possibly due to socioeconomic disadvantage. The present study was conducted to estimate overweight/obesity prevalence and its association with the family socioeconomic‐position in 2–11‐year‐old Australian‐born children of immigrants and Australian‐mothers.

A cross‐sectional analysis of 10‐year data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children was undertaken. Overweight/obesity was defined according to the International Obesity Taskforce, age‐and sex‐specific BMI cut‐off‐points.

Approximately 24% children aged 2–3 years (22% sons, and 25% daughters), were overweight/obese with no significant difference between children of immigrants and Australian‐mothers. Overweight/obesity prevalence consistently increased with age for sons of mothers from low‐and‐middle‐income countries but not daughters. Adjusting for the family socioeconomic‐position did not explain excess overweight/obesity in children of mothers from low‐and‐middle‐income countries. The odds of overweight/obesity in sons were significantly higher at 8–9 years (OR 1.5; p = 0.03) and 10–11 years (OR 1.5; p = 0.03) and in daughters at 4–5 years (OR 1.7; p = 0.002) when the mothers were from low‐and‐middle‐income countries.

Excess weight in children of immigrants is not due to socioeconomic disadvantage alone. Other social processes and interactions between immigrants and host cultures may be involved.