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US Obesity Statistics


US obesity statistics are startling. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2009 2.4 million adults 20 or older were considered obese having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. This translates into 34% of all adults.

Childhood obesity

US obesity statistics for kids are also staggering. The CDC estimates that 18% of people aged 12 to 19, 20% of people aged 6 to 11, and 10% of people aged 2 to 5 are obese. According to the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) the percentages are 17.6%, 17%, and 12.4% respectively for the three age groups.

The picture of US obesity statistics has changed dramatically from 1960 to 2005. Forty years ago only 13.4% of the population was obese whereas nowadays the percentage is 35.1.

Cardiovascular disease

It is estimated that there are 112,000 excess deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people who are obese as compared to those that are normal weight. There are 15,000 excess deaths due to cancer, and 35,000 excess deaths that are not related to CVD in obese individuals.

Not only are US obesity statistics representative of an increase in the number of obese people, but also of healthcare costs. The cost of obesity has been estimated to be $147 billion. People who are obese pay on average $1429 more (42%) in healthcare costs as compared to normal weight individuals.

Finally, US obesity statistics indicate that 5.7% of adults are considered extremely obese with a BMI greater or equal to 40.

Sadly there has been a stead increase of US obesity statistics across all genders, racial and ethnic groups, education levels, and smoking status.

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