Body Mass Index Trends
Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used screening measure to categorize weight status in adults and children. Population-level BMI distributions have shifted substantially over recent decades. The goal of this tracker is to provide insight into how the distribution of BMI categories across the population continues to change.
Trends Over Time
Obese BMI Distributions
Q1 2026
Distribution of patients across Body Mass Index (BMI) categories of all obese adults measured each quarter.
Obese Female BMI Distributions
Q1 2026
Distribution of patients across Body Mass Index (BMI) categories of all obese female adults measured each quarter.
Obese Male BMI Quarterly Trends
Q1 2026
Distribution of patients across Body Mass Index (BMI) categories of all obese male adults measured each quarter.
Obese Adults Given GLP-1s BMI Distributions
Q1 2026
Distribution of patients across Body Mass Index (BMI) categories of all obese adults measured each quarter.
Metric Definitions
- BMI Classification
- Patients are classified by their lowest BMI documented each quarter. BMI readings under 10 or over 200 are not considered. Patients must be 18 or older and not pregnant at the encounter. Patients with a documented amputation during the quarter or prior are excluded.
- Underweight BMI under 18.5
- Healthy BMI is at least 18.5 and under 25
- Overweight BMI is at least 25 and under 30
- Obese Class 1 BMI at least 30 and under 35
- Obese Class 2 BMI at least 35 and under 40
- Obese Class 3 BMI at least 40 and under 35
- Amputation
- A diagnosis with ICD-10-CM codes Z89.41* - Z89.44*, Z89.51*, or Z89.61*. A procedure with ICD-10-PCS codes 0Y6* or ICD-9-CM Volume 3 codes 84.10 or 84.12 - 84.19.
- Type 2 Diabetes
- A diagnosis with ICD-10-CM codes E11*.
- GLP-1
- Medications with a simple generic name of "semaglutide", "liraglutide", "tirzepatide", "dulaglutide", "exenatide", "exenatide microspheres", or "insulin degludec/liraglutide" and at least one of:
- A pharmaceutical class of "ANTI-OBESITY GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEP AGONIST" or "ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC - INCRETIN MIMETICS COMBINATION"
- A pharmaceutical class that contains "GLP-1"
- A pharmaceutical subclass that contains the text "GLP-1"
Related Articles
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The rate of obesity in U.S. adults increased by 13.6% between 2010 and 2024, though the rate has remained largely unchanged since 2020. The rate of severe obesity in U.S. adults increased through 2021 then began trending downward through 2024.
ExpandReduction in Mother’s BMI After Pregnancy Linked to Lower Likelihood of Obesity for Her Child
Children born to mothers who were obese or overweight before pregnancy and who maintain that BMI category after pregnancy have a significantly higher likelihood of being obese compared with children born to mothers who were not overweight both before and after pregnancy.
ExpandPandemic Pound Theories Don’t Hold Weight
While a survey and a study have reported an increase in patient weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not widely known whether this trend was seen across the population. We evaluated weight change for adults during the pandemic compared to weight change for adults in the year prior to the pandemic. A weight loss or gain of 2.5 pounds, which we define as a normal fluctuation or “no change,” was most common, both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Nearly as many patients lost weight (35%) as gained weight (39%) during the pandemic.
