What is the average BMI in United States?

29.0 for men and 29.1 for women, with standard deviations of 6.2 and 7.1. Averaged across the sexes that is 29.1, against a global figure of 24.6.

What share of adults in United States are overweight or obese?

Our estimate from the mean and SD: 74% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 44% are at 30 or more. For women it is 72% and 45%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.

Is a BMI of 25 high in United States?

A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In United States it is higher than about 26% of men and 28% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.

How does United States compare with Palestine?

Men in Palestine average 28.3 against 29.0 in United States; women 30.0 against 29.1. Palestine ranks 12th, United States 13th.

Average BMI in United States

Men in United States have an average BMI of 29.0, women 29.1. Both means fall in the WHO overweight band for men and overweight for women. That puts United States 13th of 186 countries in our data, ranked from highest BMI to lowest.

Key numbers

Men

29.0

Overweight

Women

29.1

Overweight

SD, men / women

6.2 / 7.1

vs global mean

+4.5

women +4.3

Rank

13 of 186

1 = highest BMI

Est. obese

44% / 45%

men / women, BMI 30+

Estimated share in each WHO category

Estimated from mean and SD with a normal curve, not surveyed shares
Category	BMI	Men	Women
Underweight	under 18.5	5%	7%
Healthy weight	18.5 to 25	21%	21%
Overweight	25 to 30	30%	27%
Obese	30 and over	44%	45%

Columns may not sum to 100 because of rounding. Real BMI distributions have a longer right tail than a normal curve, so the obese share here is probably a few points low.

United States among its neighbours

Ranking neighbours (three above and below) plus every Americas country in our data
#	Country	Men	Women	Both	Region
4	Saint Lucia	29.8	30.6	30.2	Americas
10	Jordan	28.5	30.1	29.3	Asia
11	Belize	27.6	30.8	29.2	Americas
12	Palestine	28.3	30.0	29.1	Asia
13	United States	29.0	29.1	29.1	Americas
14	Iraq	28.0	29.9	28.9	Asia
15	United Arab Emirates	28.2	29.6	28.9	Asia
16	Saudi Arabia	28.1	29.5	28.8	Asia
17	Puerto Rico	28.5	28.7	28.6	Americas
20	Bahamas	27.3	29.1	28.2	Americas
22	Chile	28.0	28.3	28.1	Americas
23	Mexico	27.6	28.6	28.1	Americas
25	Barbados	26.5	29.4	27.9	Americas
26	Jamaica	26.0	29.9	27.9	Americas
27	Argentina	28.0	27.8	27.9	Americas
30	Trinidad and Tobago	26.8	28.9	27.9	Americas
32	El Salvador	27.0	28.5	27.8	Americas
35	Uruguay	27.5	27.6	27.6	Americas
37	Costa Rica	26.9	28.1	27.5	Americas
38	Ecuador	26.8	28.1	27.5	Americas
40	Nicaragua	26.7	28.1	27.4	Americas
41	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	26.4	28.4	27.4	Americas
51	Canada	27.5	26.8	27.1	Americas
52	Grenada	25.3	29.0	27.1	Americas
55	Panama	26.3	27.8	27.1	Americas
57	Honduras	26.0	27.9	26.9	Americas
61	Paraguay	26.7	27.1	26.9	Americas
66	Peru	26.4	27.3	26.9	Americas
67	Venezuela	26.7	26.9	26.8	Americas
68	Brazil	26.5	27.0	26.8	Americas
76	Suriname	25.5	27.9	26.7	Americas
77	Bolivia	25.4	27.9	26.6	Americas
78	Dominican Republic	25.7	27.6	26.6	Americas
79	Guatemala	25.8	27.5	26.6	Americas
82	Guyana	25.2	28.0	26.6	Americas
92	Colombia	26.0	26.8	26.4	Americas
107	Cuba	25.4	26.2	25.8	Americas
115	Haiti	26.6	24.3	25.5	Americas

What a given BMI means in United States

Share of adults with a lower BMI than each value, estimated from mean and SD
BMI	WHO band	Lower, men	Lower, women
20.0	Healthy weight	7%	10%
22.5	Healthy weight	15%	18%
25.0	Overweight	26%	28%
27.5	Overweight	40%	41%
30.0	Obese	56%	55%
32.5	Obese	71%	68%
35.0	Obese	83%	80%

Read it as: a man with BMI 30 in United States has a higher BMI than 56% of men. Values under 1% or over 99% are shown as <1 and >99.

In plain language

The standard deviation for men in United States is 6.2. About two thirds of men have a BMI between 22.8 and 35.2; for women the middle two thirds run from 22.0 to 36.2. Compared with the global mean, men here are 4.5 points higher and women 4.3 points higher.

BMI does not distinguish muscle from fat, and the WHO bands were set on European populations. For South and East Asian populations the same BMI carries more health risk, which is why several countries there use 23 and 27.5 as their own cut-offs.

Questions

What is the average BMI in United States?: 29.0 for men and 29.1 for women, with standard deviations of 6.2 and 7.1. Averaged across the sexes that is 29.1, against a global figure of 24.6.
What share of adults in United States are overweight or obese?: Our estimate from the mean and SD: 74% of men have a BMI of 25 or more, and 44% are at 30 or more. For women it is 72% and 45%. These assume a normal curve, so the true obesity shares are likely a few points higher.
Is a BMI of 25 high in United States?: A BMI of 25 is the WHO line between healthy weight and overweight. In United States it is higher than about 26% of men and 28% of women. So for men here it is below the middle of the pack.
How does United States compare with Palestine?: Men in Palestine average 28.3 against 29.0 in United States; women 30.0 against 29.1. Palestine ranks 12th, United States 13th.

Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, Lancet 2017, age-standardised mean BMI for 2016. Percentiles on this page are our estimate from a normal distribution with the stated mean and SD.

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🇺🇸Average BMI in United States