Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United States
United States: Body weight — Share of population who are obese was 40.8 Percentage of population in 2023. ▲ Rising
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United States, 1978–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for body weight — share of population who are obese in United States is 40.8 Percentage of population, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, body weight — share of population who are obese in United States peaked at 42.8 Percentage of population in 2018 and was at its lowest, 15 Percentage of population, in 1978.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 15 Percentage of population | — |
| 1991 | 23.2 Percentage of population | +54.7% |
| 2000 | 30.9 Percentage of population | +33.2% |
| 2002 | 31.2 Percentage of population | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 32.9 Percentage of population | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 35.1 Percentage of population | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 34.3 Percentage of population | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 36.1 Percentage of population | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 35.3 Percentage of population | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 38.2 Percentage of population | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 40 Percentage of population | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 42.8 Percentage of population | +7.0% |
| 2020 | 42.3 Percentage of population | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 40.8 Percentage of population | -3.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 40.8 Percentage of population is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.15 Percentage of population, 1.4× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Body weight — Share of population who are obese in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +54.7% | 15 Percentage of population | 23.2 Percentage of population |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15 Percentage of population | 15 Percentage of population | 15 Percentage of population | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.2 Percentage of population | 23.2 Percentage of population | 23.2 Percentage of population | 1 |
| 2000s | 32.88 Percentage of population | 30.9 Percentage of population | 35.1 Percentage of population | 5 |
| 2010s | 38.48 Percentage of population | 35.3 Percentage of population | 42.8 Percentage of population | 5 |
| 2020s | 41.55 Percentage of population | 40.8 Percentage of population | 42.3 Percentage of population | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
More population data for United States
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 375,392 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.129 (2100)
- Population density 46.05 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 19.91 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is body weight — share of population who are obese in United States?
- Body weight — share of population who are obese in United States was 40.8 Percentage of population in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 42.8 Percentage of population in 2018.
- What is the lowest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 15 Percentage of population in 1978.
- How does United States rank for body weight — share of population who are obese?
- United States ranks 1st out of 18 countries with data for 2023.
- Is body weight — share of population who are obese rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Body weight — Share of population who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. This dataset presents the latest data for overweight and obesity (measured and self-reported data). Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.