Share of men who are obese in United States
United States: Share of men who are obese was 39.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men who are obese in United States, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 39.6% for share of men who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in United States peaked at 39.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 1980.
That places United States 10th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of men who are obese in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.5% | — |
| 1981 | 11.0% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 11.5% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 12.1% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 12.6% | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 13.2% | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 13.8% | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 14.4% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 15.1% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 15.8% | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 16.5% | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 17.3% | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 18.1% | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 19.8% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 20.8% | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 21.7% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 22.7% | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 23.7% | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 24.7% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 25.8% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 26.9% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 29.1% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 30.1% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 31.1% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 32.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 33.0% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 33.8% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 34.5% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 35.1% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 35.7% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 36.1% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 36.6% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 37.0% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 37.7% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 38.1% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 38.4% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 38.6% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 38.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 39.0% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 39.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 39.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 39.6% | +0.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 39.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 25.6%, 1.5× the median. (66 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.0% | 10.5% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.4% | 16.5% | 24.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.4% | 25.8% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 35.1% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.2% | 38.8% | 39.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in United States?
- Share of men who are obese in United States was 39.6% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of men who are obese recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 39.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 1980.
- How does United States rank for share of men who are obese?
- United States ranks 10th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of men who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Obesity is defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.