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Overweight and obesity are found worldwide, and the
prevalence of these conditions in the United States ranks high along with other
developed nations.
Below are some frequently asked questions and
answers about overweight and obesity statistics. Data are based on NHANES 2001
to 2004. Unless otherwise specified, the figures given represent age-adjusted
estimates. Age-adjusted estimates are used in order to account for the age
variations among the groups being compared. Population numbers are based on
estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.
Q: How many adults age 20
and older are overweight or obese (BMI > 25)?
A: About two-thirds of U.S.
adults are overweight or obese.[6]
All adults: 133.6 million (66 percent)
Women: 65 million (61.6 percent)
Men: 68.3 million (70.5 percent)
* The statistics presented here are
based on the following definitions unless otherwise specified: healthy weight =
BMI > 18.5 to < 25; overweight = BMI > 25 to < 30; obesity = BMI
> 30; and extreme obesity = BMI > 40.
Q: How many adults age 20
and older are obese (BMI > 30)?
A: Nearly one-third of U.S.
adults are obese.[6]
All adults: 63.6 million (31.4 percent)
Women: 35 million (33.2 percent)
Men: 28.6 million (29.5 percent)
Q: How many adults age 20
and older are at a healthy weight (BMI > 18.5 through 24.9)?
A: Less than one-third of U.S.
adults are at a healthy weight.[6]
All adults: 65.4 million (32.3 percent)
Women: 38.1 million (36.1 percent)
Men: 27.4 million (28.3 percent)
Q: How has the prevalence
of overweight and obesity in adults changed over the years?
A: The prevalence has steadily
increased over the years among both genders, all ages, all racial and ethnic
groups, all educational levels, and all smoking levels.[7] From 1960 to 2004,
the prevalence of overweight increased from 44.8 to 66 percent in U.S. adults
age 20 to 74.[6] The prevalence of obesity during this same time period more
than doubled among adults age 20 to 74 from 13.3 to 32.1 percent, with most of
this rise occurring since 1980.[6]
Q: What is the prevalence
of overweight or obesity in minorities?
A: Among women, the
age-adjusted prevalence of overweight or obesity (BMI > 25) in racial and
ethnic minorities is higher among non-Hispanic Black and Mexican-American women
than among non-Hispanic White women. Among men, there is little difference in
prevalence among these three groups [6]. Sufficient data for other racial and
ethnic minorities has not yet been collected.
Non-Hispanic Black Women: 79.6 percent
Mexican-American Women: 73 percent
Non-Hispanic White Women: 57.6 percent
Non-Hispanic Black Men: 67 percent
Mexican-American Men: 74.6 percent
Non-Hispanic White Men: 71 percent
(Statistics are for populations age 20 and older.)
Studies using this definition of overweight and
obesity provide ethnicity-specific data only for these three racial and ethnic
groups. Studies using different BMI cutoff points derived from NHANES II data to
define overweight and obesity have reported a high prevalence of overweight and
obesity among Hispanics and American Indians. The prevalence of overweight and
obesity in Asian Americans is lower than in the population as a whole.[1]
Q: What is the prevalence
of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents?
A: While there is no generally
accepted definition for obesity as distinct from overweight in
children and adolescents, the prevalence of overweight* is increasing for
children and adolescents in the United States. Approximately 17.5 percent of
children (age 6 to 11) and 17 percent of adolescents (age 12 to 19) were
overweight in 2001 to 2004.[6] |
