Obesity in the United States
Graph of the Week
This week’s graph, courtesy of a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics, illustrates the prevalence of adult obesity in the United States (U.S.) between 2021 and 2023.
Obesity1
• Approximately 40% of the U.S. population is obese.
• Obesity levels are greatest among adults aged 40-59 years old (46%).
• Obesity levels are similar in men (39%) and women (41%).
Severe obesity2
• Approximately 9% of the U.S. population is severely obese.
• Severe obesity levels are greatest among adults aged 40-59 years old (12%).
• Severe obesity levels are greater in women (12%) than men (7%).
Education and obesity
• Obesity levels are greater among individuals who have not earned a university degree (45%) compared to individuals who have earned a university degree (32%). This is true for both men and women.
Source: Emmerich SD, Fryar CD, Stierman B, Ogden CL. Obesity and severe obesity prevalence in adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Data Brief, no 508. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024.
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Obesity, which refers to excessive body fat that increases health risk, is measured here by the body mass index (BMI). The body mass index is computed as one’s weight in kilograms divided by one’s height in meters squared. The body mass index is an imperfect measure of obesity because it does not measure body composition. Thus, BMI has limited clinical utility as a diagnostic tool for obesity in the individual patient. Nevertheless, at a population level, BMI correlates with body fat and numerous health outcomes. Thus, BMI has utility in epidemiological research.
Severe obesity is defined as a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2.