Prevalence of obesity, female in United States
United States: Prevalence of obesity, female was 42.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in United States, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of obesity, female in United States stood at 42.4%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in United States peaked at 42.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.5%, in 1980.
United States ranks 35th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in United States, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 13.5% | — |
| 1981 | 14.2% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 14.8% | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 15.5% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 16.2% | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 17.0% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 17.7% | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 18.4% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 19.2% | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 19.9% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 20.7% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 21.5% | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 22.3% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 23.1% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 23.9% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 24.8% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 25.6% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 26.5% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 27.4% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 28.2% | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 29.1% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 29.9% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 30.8% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 31.6% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 32.4% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 33.1% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 33.9% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 34.6% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 35.3% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 35.9% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 37.1% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 37.6% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 38.1% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 39.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 39.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 39.9% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 40.3% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 40.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 41.1% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 41.4% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 42.1% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 42.4% | +0.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 42.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 1.6× the median. (66 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.6% | 13.5% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.4% | 20.7% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.7% | 29.1% | 35.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.8% | 36.5% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.7% | 41.1% | 42.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More gender data for United States
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 57,835 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.4626 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 297,814 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 297,814 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.6312 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 1.79 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 1.88 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 1.80 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 1.89 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 1.83 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of obesity, female in United States?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in United States was 42.4% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.5% in 1980.
- How does United States rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- United States ranks 35th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. 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 (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, female (% of female population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Prevalence of obesity adult is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 kg/m² or higher. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.