Share of men who are overweight or obese in United States

United States: Share of men who are overweight or obese was 73.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
73.0%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
15th
of 199 countries
All-time high
73.2%
in 2018
All-time low
46.9%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Share of men who are overweight or obese in United States, 1980–2024

0204060801980200220241980: 46.9 %1981: 47.7 %1982: 48.5 %1983: 49.4 %1984: 50.3 %1985: 51.2 %1986: 52.2 %1987: 53.1 %1988: 54.1 %1989: 55.1 %1990: 56.1 %1991: 57.2 %1992: 58.2 %1993: 59.2 %1994: 60.1 %1995: 61.1 %1996: 62 %1997: 62.9 %1998: 63.8 %1999: 64.7 %2000: 65.5 %2001: 66.4 %2002: 67.2 %2003: 67.9 %2004: 68.7 %2005: 69.4 %2006: 70.1 %2007: 70.7 %2008: 71.3 %2009: 71.7 %2010: 72.1 %2011: 72.4 %2012: 72.6 %2013: 72.7 %2014: 72.9 %2015: 73 %2016: 73.1 %2017: 73.2 %2018: 73.2 %2019: 73.2 %2020: 73.2 %2021: 73.1 %2022: 73.1 %2023: 73 %2024: 73 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of men who are overweight or obese in United States is 73.0%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men who are overweight or obese in United States peaked at 73.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 46.9%, in 1980.

United States ranks 15th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 50.9% 46.9% 55.1% 10
1990s 60.5% 56.1% 64.7% 10
2000s 68.9% 65.5% 71.7% 10
2010s 72.8% 72.1% 73.2% 10
2020s 73.1% 73.0% 73.2% 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 12 French Polynesia 75.1% compare
  2. 13 Romania 73.7% compare
  3. 14 Argentina 73.1% compare
  4. 16 Brunei 72.4% compare
  5. 17 Kiribati 72.4% compare
  6. 18 Croatia 72.2% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men who are overweight or obese in United States?
Share of men who are overweight or obese in United States was 73.0% 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 overweight or obese recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 73.2% in 2018.
What is the lowest share of men who are overweight or obese recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 46.9% in 1980.
How does United States rank for share of men who are overweight or obese?
United States ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of men who are overweight or obese rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. 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 overweight or 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

Indicator
Share of men who are overweight or obese
Unit
%
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
199 places, 8,955 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in metres squared.