Healthy BMI: Statistics

Less than half of US adults have a healthy BMI. This is equivalent to about 68 million adults. About 37 million women between the ages of 20 and 74 have a healthy BMI. About 31 million men between the ages of 20 and 74 have a healthy BMI.

 

Contrast those statistics to these: Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight (defined as having a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25). This means that about 130 million American adults are overweight. Nearly 61 million adults are obese (defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30). Even more alarming is that approximately 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight, and another 15 percent are at risk to become overweight (BMI for age between the 85th and 95th percentile).