Childhood Obesity in America
Every measured CDC number on children’s weight in one place: how many kids have obesity, how that changed since the 1960s, and how it differs by age, sex and race. All of it comes from kids who were actually weighed and measured, not from parents’ estimates.
21.1% of US children and teens ages 2–19 had obesity in August 2021–August 2023, the latest measured CDC data — about 1 in 5 kids, or roughly 15.8 million. That includes 7.0% with severe obesity, and another 15.1% were overweight. Teens 12–19 (22.9%) and children 6–11 (22.1%) had higher rates than ages 2–5 (14.9%).
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Health E-Stat 112 (February 2026). Millions: our calculation using the NHANES population total for ages 2–19.
Childhood obesity rate by year, 1963–2023
Obesity among US children and teens has roughly quadrupled since the early 1970s, from 5.2% in 1971–1974 to 21.1% in 2021–2023. Severe obesity rose even faster, from 1.0% to 7.0%. Tap the buttons to add or remove groups; tap a point for its value and margin of error.
Measured heights and weights, NHANES. Shaded bands: about ±1.96 standard errors (our calculation from CDC’s standard errors). The gray strip marks the 2020–2021 pause, when CDC stopped the survey and later restarted it with a new design. Source: NCHS Health E-Stat 112, Tables 1–2.
| Survey period | Obesity | Severe obesity | Overweight | Obesity, boys | Obesity, girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–1974 | 5.2% | 1.0% | 10.2% | 5.3% | 5.1% |
| 1976–1980 | 5.5% | 1.3% | 9.2% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 1988–1994 | 10.0% | 2.6% | 13.0% | 10.2% | 9.8% |
| 1999–2000 | 13.9% | 3.6% | 14.2% | 14.0% | 13.8% |
| 2001–2002 | 15.4% | 5.2% | 14.6% | 16.4% | 14.3% |
| 2003–2004 | 17.1% | 5.1% | 16.5% | 18.2% | 16.0% |
| 2005–2006 | 15.4% | 4.7% | 14.6% | 15.9% | 14.9% |
| 2007–2008 | 16.8% | 4.9% | 14.8% | 17.7% | 15.9% |
| 2009–2010 | 16.9% | 5.6% | 14.9% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| 2011–2012 | 16.9% | 5.6% | 14.9% | 16.7% | 17.2% |
| 2013–2014 | 17.2% | 6.0% | 16.2% | 17.2% | 17.1% |
| 2015–2016 | 18.5% | 5.6% | 16.6% | 19.1% | 17.8% |
| 2017–2018 | 19.3% | 6.1% | 16.1% | 20.5% | 18.0% |
| Aug 2021–Aug 2023 | 21.1% | 7.0% | 15.1% | 23.0% | 19.1% |
Childhood obesity by age: preschoolers, kids and teens
Obesity climbs once children reach school age. In 2021–2023 it was 14.9% among ages 2–5, 22.1% among ages 6–11 and 22.9% among teens 12–19. The teen figure is the closest thing to a “teenage obesity rate”: roughly 2 in 9 teens. Teen boys stood out at 26.0%, against 19.6% for teen girls.
| Survey period | Ages 2–5 | Ages 6–11 | Ages 12–19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–1965 | – | 4.2% | – |
| 1966–1970 | – | – | 4.6% |
| 1971–1974 | 5.0% | 4.0% | 6.1% |
| 1976–1980 | 5.0% | 6.5% | 5.0% |
| 1988–1994 | 7.2% | 11.3% | 10.5% |
| 1999–2000 | 10.3% | 15.1% | 14.8% |
| 2001–2002 | 10.6% | 16.2% | 16.7% |
| 2003–2004 | 13.9% | 18.8% | 17.4% |
| 2005–2006 | 10.7% | 15.1% | 17.8% |
| 2007–2008 | 10.1% | 19.6% | 18.1% |
| 2009–2010 | 12.1% | 18.0% | 18.4% |
| 2011–2012 | 8.4% | 17.7% | 20.5% |
| 2013–2014 | 9.4% | 17.4% | 20.6% |
| 2015–2016 | 13.9% | 18.4% | 20.6% |
| 2017–2018 | 13.4% | 20.3% | 21.2% |
| Aug 2021–Aug 2023 | 14.9% | 22.1% | 22.9% |
– not measured in that survey. 1966–1970 covered ages 12–17. Source: NCHS Health E-Stat 112, Table 2.
Boys vs girls
Boys are more likely to have obesity; girls are more likely to be overweight. In 2021–2023, 23.0% of boys and 19.1% of girls ages 2–19 had obesity, while 17.5% of girls and 13.0% of boys were overweight. Severe obesity: 7.8% of boys, 6.3% of girls. Those are survey estimates with margins of error of a few points, so treat small gaps with care.
36.2%
of US children and teens were overweight or had obesity in 2021–2023 (15.1% + 21.1%). Calculated from NCHS Health E-Stat 112.
Childhood obesity by race and Hispanic origin
Rates differ widely by race and Hispanic origin, but the newest survey can’t pin every group down. CDC’s 2021–2023 sample no longer oversampled Hispanic and Asian children, so several estimates miss its reliability standard. Among the reliable 2021–2023 figures, Hispanic boys were at 29.8% and white boys at 18.7%; Black girls were at 29.9%, Hispanic girls 23.1% and white girls 15.7%. The 2017–2018 column, from a survey with full oversampling, shows the same broad pattern.
| Boys 2017–2018 | Boys 2021–2023 | Girls 2017–2018 | Girls 2021–2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 12.4% | Not reliable* | 5.1% | Not reliable* |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 19.4% | See note† | 29.1% | 29.9% |
| Hispanic | 28.1% | 29.8% | 23.0% | 23.1% |
| Mexican American | 29.2% | Not reliable* | 24.9% | 23.1% |
| White, non-Hispanic | 17.4% | 18.7% | 14.8% | 15.7% |
* Does not meet NCHS reliability standards. † CDC refers readers to a separate discussion of this estimate (Ogden et al., Pediatric Obesity 2025), so we don’t show it. CDC also notes that at a given BMI, body fat can differ by race and Hispanic origin. Source: NCHS Health E-Stat 112, Table 3.
Is childhood obesity increasing?
Over decades, clearly yes; over the last few years, the survey can’t say for sure. The rate rose from 5.2% in 1971–1974 to 13.9% in 1999–2000 and 19.3% in 2017–2018, then 21.1% in 2021–2023. The last step is within the margins of error: our approximate 95% ranges are 17.3–21.3% for 2017–2018 and 18.9–23.3% for 2021–2023, and they overlap. The survey also changed design after its pandemic pause, which makes close comparisons harder.
For adults, the same pattern shows up in our US obesity statistics: a long climb, and recent figures that are high but not clearly still rising.
How obesity is defined for children
Children aren’t judged by the adult BMI cutoffs. Their BMI is compared with other children of the same age and sex using CDC growth charts: obesity is a BMI at or above the 95th percentile, severe obesity is at or above 120% of the 95th percentile, and overweight is the 85th to just under the 95th percentile (CDC child and teen BMI categories). CDC also cites research suggesting that, at a given BMI, BMI overstates body fat among Black children and teens.
Checking one child? A national rate says nothing about any single child. Our calculator gives the BMI-for-age percentile and category using CDC’s method.
Kids BMI calculatorChildhood obesity by state
State-level figures for children come from a different survey, the parent-reported National Survey of Children’s Health, which we haven’t verified for this page yet, so we don’t show state numbers here. For adults, see every state from 2011 to 2025 on our obesity rate by state map.
FAQ
What percentage of children in America have obesity?
21.1% of children and teens ages 2–19 had obesity in August 2021–August 2023, including 7.0% with severe obesity (CDC, measured).
How many kids in the US have obesity?
About 15.8 million children and teens ages 2–19, our calculation from CDC’s 21.1% and the survey’s population total of about 74.9 million kids.
What is the teenage obesity rate?
22.9% of teens ages 12–19 had obesity in 2021–2023: 26.0% of boys and 19.6% of girls.
Is childhood obesity going up?
It has risen about 4.1-fold since 1971–1974. The rise from 19.3% (2017–2018) to 21.1% (2021–2023) is within the survey’s margins of error.
Is there childhood obesity data by state?
Not on this page yet: state child data come from a different, parent-reported survey that we haven’t verified. Adult state rates are on our obesity rate by state page.
Methodology and sources
Every percentage on this page is transcribed from NCHS Health E-Stat 112 (February 2026), which reports measured heights and weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and its predecessors since 1963–1965, and was checked against the published tables. Pregnant girls are excluded by CDC. Underweight (4.4%) comes from Health E-Stat 119. Values labelled “calculated” are ours: counts of children (rate × the NHANES population total for ages 2–19, 74,908,988), the healthy-weight share in the figure, combined overweight-or-obesity, and approximate 95% ranges (estimate ± 1.96 standard errors).
- Noiman A, Fryar CD, Saif NT, Afful J. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents ages 2–19 years: United States, 1963–1965 through August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Health E-Stat 112. February 2026.
- Prevalence of underweight among children, adolescents and adults, 1960–1962 through August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Health E-Stat 119.
- National Center for Health Statistics. NHANES population totals, August 2021–August 2023.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Child and Teen BMI Categories.
Download: childhood obesity by survey period, age, sex and race (CSV). Free to reuse with credit to CDC/NCHS and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0 for our compilation).
This page describes populations, not individual children. It is not medical advice.