Average HDL cholesterol levels in United States

United States: Average HDL cholesterol levels was 1.4 in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
1.4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 191 countries
All-time high
1.4
in 1980
All-time low
1.3
in 1985
Years of data
39
1980–2018

Average HDL cholesterol levels in United States, 1980–2018

00.511.51980199920181980: 1.41981: 1.41982: 1.41983: 1.41984: 1.41985: 1.31986: 1.31987: 1.31988: 1.31989: 1.31990: 1.31991: 1.31992: 1.31993: 1.31994: 1.31995: 1.31996: 1.31997: 1.31998: 1.31999: 1.32000: 1.32001: 1.32002: 1.32003: 1.32004: 1.32005: 1.32006: 1.32007: 1.32008: 1.42009: 1.42010: 1.42011: 1.42012: 1.42013: 1.42014: 1.42015: 1.42016: 1.42017: 1.42018: 1.4

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

United States recorded 1.4 for average hdl cholesterol levels in 2018. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hdl cholesterol levels in United States peaked at 1.4 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 1.3, in 1985.

United States ranks 16th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.35 1.3 1.4 10
1990s 1.3 1.3 1.3 10
2000s 1.32 1.3 1.4 10
2010s 1.4 1.4 1.4 9

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 16 Albania 1.4 compare
  2. 16 Andorra 1.4 compare
  3. 16 Belarus 1.4 compare
  4. 16 Bulgaria 1.4 compare
  5. 16 Canada 1.4 compare
  6. 16 Croatia 1.4 compare
  7. 16 Cyprus 1.4 compare
  8. 16 Denmark 1.4 compare
  9. 16 Estonia 1.4 compare
  10. 16 Greece 1.4 compare
  11. 16 Hungary 1.4 compare
  12. 16 Italy 1.4 compare
  13. 16 Lithuania 1.4 compare
  14. 16 Mongolia 1.4 compare
  15. 16 Montenegro 1.4 compare
  16. 16 Netherlands 1.4 compare
  17. 16 New Zealand 1.4 compare
  18. 16 North Macedonia 1.4 compare
  19. 16 Norway 1.4 compare
  20. 16 Poland 1.4 compare
  21. 16 Portugal 1.4 compare
  22. 16 Romania 1.4 compare
  23. 16 Russia 1.4 compare
  24. 16 Serbia 1.4 compare
  25. 16 Singapore 1.4 compare
  26. 16 Slovakia 1.4 compare
  27. 16 Slovenia 1.4 compare
  28. 16 South Korea 1.4 compare
  29. 16 Spain 1.4 compare
  30. 16 Ukraine 1.4 compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hdl cholesterol levels in United States?
Average hdl cholesterol levels in United States was 1.4 in 2018, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average hdl cholesterol levels recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 1.4 in 1980.
What is the lowest average hdl cholesterol levels recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 1.3 in 1985.
How does United States rank for average hdl cholesterol levels?
United States ranks 16th out of 191 countries with data for 2018.
Is average hdl cholesterol levels rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average HDL cholesterol levels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Average HDL cholesterol levels
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
191 places, 7,449 data points, 1980–2018
Last refreshed

The estimated average level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "good cholesterol". Healthy levels are considered to be 1mmol/L or above for men or 1.2mmol/L or above for women.