How many Americans are overweight

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 22, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Overweight & Obesity Statistics

On this page:

Defining Overweight and Obesity

A person whose weight is higher than what is considered to be a normal weight for a given height is described as being overweight or having obesity.¹

Fast Facts

According to 20172018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight.²
More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity.²
About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity.²

According to 20172018 NHANES data

About 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (16.1%) are overweight.³
Almost 1 in 5 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (19.3%) have obesity.³
About 1 in 16 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (6.1%) have severe obesity.³

Using Body Mass Index (BMI) to Estimate Overweight and Obesity

BMI is a tool to estimate and screen for overweight and obesity in adults and children. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. BMI is related to the amount of fat in the body. A high amount of fat can raise the risk of many health problems. A health care professional can determine if a persons health may be at risk because of his or her weight.

Adults

The table below shows BMI ranges for overweight and obesity in adults 20 and older.

BMI of Adults Ages 20 and Older

BMI	Classification
18.5 to 24.9	Normal, or healthy, weight
25 to 29.9	Overweight
30+	Obesity (including severe obesity)
40+	Severe obesity

Use this online tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to gauge BMI for adults.

Children and Teens

A childs body composition changes during growth from infancy into adulthood, and it differs by sex. Therefore, a young persons weight status is calculated based on a comparison with other same-age and same-sex children or teens using CDCs age- and sex-specific growth charts. The comparison results in a percentile placement. For example, a boy whose weight in relation to his height is greater than 75% of other same-aged boys places in the 75th percentile for BMI and is considered to be of normal or healthy weight.

Children grow at different rates at different times, so it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. A childs health care professional should evaluate the childs BMI, growth, and potential health risks due to excess body weight.

BMI for Children and Teens

Weight Status Category	Percentile Range
Underweight	Less than 5th percentile
Normal or healthy weight	5th percentile to less than 85th percentile
Overweight	85th to less than 95th percentile
Obesity	95th percentile or greater
Severe obesity	120% of the 95th percentile

Use this online tool from the CDC to calculate BMI and the corresponding BMI-for-age percentile based on CDC growth charts, for children and teens.

Causes and Health Consequences of Overweight and Obesity

Factors that may contribute to excess weight gain among adults and youth include genetics; types and amounts of food and drinks consumed; level of physical activity; degree of time spent on sedentary behaviors, such as watching TV, engaging with a computer, or talking and texting on the phone; sleep habits; medical conditions or medicines; and where and how people live, including their access to and ability to afford healthy foods and safe places to be active.^4,5

Overweight and obesity increase the risk for many health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, joint problems, liver disease, gallstones, some types of cancer, and sleep and breathing problems, among other conditions.^5,6Learn more about the causes and health consequences of overweight and obesity.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity

Adults

Age-adjusted percentage of US adults with overweight, obesity, and severe obesity by sex, 20172018 NHANES Data²

All (Men and Women)	Men	Women
Overweight	30.7	34.1	27.5
Obesity (including severe obesity)	42.4	43.0	41.9
Severe obesity	9.2	6.9	11.5

As shown in the above table

Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight.
More than 1 in 3 men (34.1%) and more than 1 in 4 women (27.5%) are overweight.
More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity (including severe obesity).
About 1 in 11 adults (9.2%) have severe obesity.
The percentage of men who are overweight (34.1%) is higher than the percentage of women who are overweight (27.5%).
The percentage of women who have severe obesity (11.5%) is higher than the percentage of men who have severe obesity (6.9%).

Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among adults ages 20 and over, by sex and age: United States, 20172018⁷

NOTES: Estimates for adults ages 20 and over were age adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 U.S. Census population using the age groups 2039, 4059, and 60 and over. Crude estimates are 42.5% for total, 43.0% for men, and 42.1% for women. Access data table for Figure 1 (PDF, 97.2 KB) .SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 20172018.

As shown in the above bar graph

Among adults ages 20 and over, there are no significant differences in prevalence of obesity by sex or age group

Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among adults ages 20 and over, by sex, race, and Hispanic origin: United States, 20172018⁷

¹Significantly different from all other race and Hispanic-origin groups.²Significantly different from men for same race and Hispanic-origin group.NOTES: Estimates were age adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 U.S. Census population using the age groups 2039, 4059, and 60 and over. Access data table for Figure 2 (PDF, 97.2 KB) .SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 20172018.

As shown in the above bar graph

More than 2 in 5 non-Hispanic white adults (42.2%) have obesity.
Nearly 1 in 2 non-Hispanic Black adults (49.6%) have obesity.
More than 1 in 6 non-Hispanic Asian adults (17.4%) have obesity.
Nearly 1 in 2 Hispanic adults (44.8%) have obesity.
Obesity affects more than 2 in 5 non-Hispanic white men (44.7%), more than 2 in 5 non-Hispanic Black men (41.1%), more than 1 in 6 non-Hispanic Asian men (17.5%), and more than 2 in 5 Hispanic men (45.7%).
Nearly 2 in 5 non-Hispanic white women (39.8%), more than half of non-Hispanic Black women (56.9%), more than 1 in 6 non-Hispanic Asian women (17.2%), and more than 2 in 5 Hispanic women (43.7%), have obesity.

Age-adjusted prevalence of severe obesity among adults ages 20 and over, by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin: United States, 20172018⁷

¹Significantly different from men.²Significantly different from adults ages 2039.³Significantly different from adults ages 4059.⁴Significantly different from all other race and Hispanic-origin groups.NOTES: Estimates for adults ages 20 and over were age adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 U.S. Census population using the age groups 2039, 4059, and 60 and over. Crude estimates are 9.0% for total, 6.8% for men, and 11.1% for women. Access data table for Figure 3 (PDF, 97.2 KB) .SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 20172018.As shown in the above bar graph, men and women differ in their rates of obesity and severe obesity.

More women (11.5%) than men (6.9%) have severe obesity.
Severe obesity was highest among people ages 40 to 59 (11.5%), followed by people ages 20 to 39 (9.1%) and people ages 60 and older (5.8%).
About 1 in 11 non-Hispanic white adults (9.3%) have severe obesity.
More than 1 in 8 non-Hispanic Black adults (13.8%) have severe obesity.
About 1 in 50 non-Hispanic Asian adults (2.0%) have severe obesity.
About 1 in 13 Hispanic adults (7.9%) have severe obesity.
Severe obesity was highest among non-Hispanic Black adults (13.8%), followed by non-Hispanic white adults (9.3%), Hispanic adults (7.9%), and non-Hispanic Asian adults (2.0%).

Youth

Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years: United States, 20172018 NHANES data³

NOTE: Excludes pregnant females. Overweight is body mass index (BMI) at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile from the sex-specific BMI-for-age 2000 CDC Growth Charts. Obesity is BMI at or above the 95th percentile. Severe obesity is BMI at or above 120% of the 95th percentile.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Graphic representation created by the NIDDK.According to the 20172018 NHANES data

Among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19, about 1 in 6 (16.1%) are overweight, more than 1 in 6 (19.3%) have obesity, and about 1 in 18 (6.1%) have severe obesity.

Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years: United States, 20172018 NHANES data³

NOTE: Excludes pregnant females. Overweight is body mass index (BMI) at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile from the sex-specific BMI-for-age 2000 CDC Growth Charts.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Graphic representation created by the NIDDK.According to the 20172018 NHANES data

Among children ages 2 to 5, more than 1 in 8 (13.4%) have obesity.
Among children and youth ages 6 to 11, more than 1 in 5 (20.3%) have obesity.
Among adolescents ages 12 to 19, more than 1 in 5 (21.2%) have obesity.

Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years, by sex and race and Hispanic origin: United States, 20172018 NHANES data³

NOTE: Excludes pregnant females. Obesity is body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile from the sex-specific BMI-for-age 2000 CDC Growth Charts.* Estimate has a confidence interval width between 5 and 30 and a relative confidence interval width greater than 130%, and it does not meet National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards of reliability; see Series Report 2, Number 175 (PDF, 1.6 MB) .SOURCE: NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 19881994 and 19992018.Graphic representation created by the NIDDK.According to the 20172018 NHANES data

More than 1 in 6 non-Hispanic white boys (17.4%) have obesity and more than 1 in 7 non-Hispanic white girls (14.8%) have obesity.
Nearly 1 in 5 non-Hispanic Black boys (19.4%) and more than 2 in 7 non-Hispanic Black girls (29.1%) have obesity.
About 1 in 8 non-Hispanic Asian boys (12.4%) and about 1 in 20 non-Hispanic Asian girls (5.1%*) have obesity.
About 2 in 7 Hispanic boys (28.1%) and nearly 1 in 4 Hispanic girls (23.0%) have obesity.
More than 2 in 7 Mexican American boys (29.2%) and 1 in 4 of Mexican American girls (24.9%) have obesity.

* See asterisked note in the figure above.

Trends in Obesity among Adults and Youth in the United States

Adults

Trends in age-adjusted (PDF, 97.2 KB) obesity and severe obesity prevalence among adults ages 20 and over: United States, 19992000 through 20172018⁷

¹Significant linear trend.NOTES: Estimates were age adjusted by the direct method to the 2000 U.S. Census population using the age groups 2039, 4059, and 60 and over. Access data table for Figure 4 (PDF, 97.2 KB) .SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 19992018.As shown in the figure above

The prevalence of obesity and severe obesity increased significantly among adult men and women between 19992000 and 20172018.

Youth

Trends in obesity among children and adolescents ages 219 years, by age: United States, 19631965 through 20172018³

NOTE: Obesity is defined as body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile from the sex-specific BMI-for-age 2000 CDC Growth Charts.SOURCES: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Examination Surveys II (ages 611) and III (ages 1217); and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) IIII, and NHANES 19992000, 20012002, 20032004, 20052006, 20072008, 20092010, 20112012, 20132014, 20152016, and 20172018.

As shown in the above line graph

The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years roughly doubled between 19881994 and 20172018.
Among children ages 2 to 5, the prevalence of obesity increased between 19881994 and 20032004, decreased between 20032004 and 20112012, and then increased again.
Among children ages 6 to 11, the prevalence of obesity increased between 19881994 and 20032004, fluctuated over the next several years, and most recently (20132014 to 20172018) increased.
Among adolescents, ages 12 to 19, the prevalence of obesity has increased between 19881994 and 20172018.

References

[1] Defining adult obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated June 7, 2021. Accessed January 29, 2021. www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/adult-defining.html

[2] Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Afful J. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 19601962 through 20172018. NCHS Health E-Stats, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. Updated February 8, 2021. Accessed January 29, 2021. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-adult-17-18/obesity-adult.htm

[3] Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Afful J. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents aged 219 years: United States, 19631965 through 20172018. NCHS Health E-Stats, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated January 29, 2021. Accessed April 22, 2021. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-child-17-18/overweight-obesity-child-H.pdf (PDF, 352 KB)

[4] What causes obesity and overweight? National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health. Updated July 28, 2021. Accessed January 29, 2021. www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/obesity/conditioninfo/cause

[5] Adult overweight causes and consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated March 22, 2021. Accessed January 29, 2021. www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/causes.html

[6] Cotter TG, Rinella M. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease 2020: the state of the disease. Gastroenterology. 2020;158(7):18511864. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.01.052

[7] Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity among adults: United States, 20172018. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief 360. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated February 27, 2020. Accessed January 29, 2021. www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db360.htm