Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States
United States: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male was 9.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States, 1991–2022
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
United States recorded 9.6% for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 68.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States peaked at 12.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2012.
That places United States 15th out of 85 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.4% | — |
| 2000 | 9.3% | +45.3% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | -11.8% |
| 2004 | 8.1% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 8.0% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +54.9% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | -48.2% |
| 2014 | 7.8% | +36.8% |
| 2016 | 10.6% | +35.9% |
| 2018 | 12.8% | +20.8% |
| 2022 | 9.6% | -25.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 9.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.7%, 1.2× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 8.1% | 7.1% | 9.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 9.6% | 5.7% | 12.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More health data for United States
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,069 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,015 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.056 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0261 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male in United States was 9.6% in 2022, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2012.
- How does United States rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male?
- United States ranks 15th out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight, male, is the percentage of boys under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.