Prevalence of overweight, female in North America
North America: Prevalence of overweight, female was 68.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, female in North America, 1990–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/). Measured in % of female adults.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, female in North America is 68.4%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, female in North America peaked at 68.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 45.2%, in 1990.
North America ranks 3rd of 43 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, female in North America, year by year
| Year | % of female adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 45.2% | — |
| 1991 | 46.2% | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 47.2% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 48.2% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 49.2% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 50.2% | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 51.2% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 52.2% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 53.2% | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 54.1% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 55.1% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 55.9% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 56.8% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 57.6% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 58.3% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 59.0% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 59.7% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 60.4% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 61.0% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 61.6% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 62.2% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 62.8% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 63.3% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 63.8% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 64.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 64.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 65.4% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 66.0% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 66.5% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 67.0% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 67.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 68.0% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 68.4% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 45.2% | 54.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.6% | 55.1% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.6% | 62.2% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.9% | 67.5% | 68.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near North America
More health data for North America
- Population ages 55-59, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate -0.5946 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.0314 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate -0.6806 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 0.3175 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, per capita 0.0301 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, female in North America?
- Prevalence of overweight, female in North America was 68.4% in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, female recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, female recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.2% in 1990.
- How does North America rank for prevalence of overweight, female?
- North America ranks 3rd out of 43 groups with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, female rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/), published as part of Prevalence of overweight, female (% of female adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of overweight female adults is the percentage of females ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is more than 25 kg/m2. 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.