Obesity Statistics: 3 in 4 Americans Battling Obesity or Overweight

Obesity statistics reveal that nearly 3 in every 4 Americans are overweight or battling obesity. Check out these obesity statistics for the United States.
Obesity Statistics: 3 in 4 Americans Battling Obesity or Overweight
A women walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)
12/31/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/72224458.jpg" alt="A women walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)" title="A women walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1810273"/></a>
A women walks down the street on Michigan Avenue 19 October, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)
Overeating, consuming high-caloric and unhealthy foods, and the lack of exercise and other physical activity are contributing to a dire obesity epidemic in the United States.

According to the CDC, in the past 20 years, instances of obesity have skyrocketed, triggering a wave of debilitating conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many forms of cancer.

Consider these obesity statistics:

-Nearly 3 in 4 Americans are either overweight or obese.

-More than a quarter (25.6 percent) of all Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.

-More men (26.4 percent) than women (24.8 percent) are obese.

-Only two states or territories had obesity rates of less than 20 percent: Colorado and Washington, DC.

-The Deep South had the highest obesity rates: More than 3 in 10 residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia are obese.

-Louisiana (33 percent, or 1 in every 3 people) and Tennessee (32.3 percent) are the states with the highest obesity rates.

-Colorado (18.6 percent) has the lowest obesity rate of all states.

*Sources

Forbes.com, citing World Health Organization data

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Obesity Society, citing CDC data