Adult health is shaped by a mixture of chronic disease, metabolic conditions, physical activity, and access to prevention and treatment. Worldwide, noncommunicable diseases caused at least 43 million deaths in 2021. In the United States, recent measurements show high levels of obesity, hypertension, and chronic conditions across adult life stages. These statistics describe different populations and periods, so each measurement date and geography matters.
Contents
- Global burden of noncommunicable disease
- Diabetes and metabolic health worldwide
- Physical activity and inactivity
- Obesity among U.S. adults
- Hypertension prevalence and control
- Chronic conditions across U.S. life stages
- Health conditions among adults age 85 and older
Global burden of noncommunicable disease
The World Health Organization reports that noncommunicable diseases accounted for 75% of deaths not related to pandemics worldwide in 2021. They caused at least 43 million deaths that year, including 18 million deaths before age 70. An estimated 82% of premature noncommunicable-disease deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
Two disease groups account for a substantial share of this burden. Cardiovascular diseases caused at least 19 million deaths worldwide in 2021, while cancer caused about 10 million. These are global counts, not measures of the risk faced by every adult, and they include deaths across age groups.
The figures also show why adult health statistics should be read alongside geography and age. A global total can describe the scale of a public-health problem, but it cannot substitute for a country-specific prevalence estimate or an individual diagnosis. The WHO’s Noncommunicable diseases fact sheet provides the source and scope for these 2021 figures.
Diabetes and metabolic health worldwide
The number of people living with diabetes increased from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022, according to the WHO. This is a change in the estimated number of people living with the condition over the stated period; it is not a forecast of future prevalence. More than half of people living with diabetes did not take diabetes medication in 2022.
Diabetes also appears in mortality and cardiovascular measures. Diabetes and diabetes-related kidney disease caused more than 2 million deaths worldwide in 2021. High blood glucose was responsible for about 11% of cardiovascular deaths in that year.
The broader trend is not uniformly negative. From 2000 to 2019, the global probability of dying between ages 30 and 70 from one of the four major noncommunicable diseases fell by 20%. That measure covers a defined group of diseases and age range, so it should not be read as a 20% reduction in every adult health risk.
Weight-related measures add further context. About 2.5 billion adults worldwide were overweight in 2022. This global estimate and the diabetes figures come from the WHO Diabetes fact sheet, which presents the measurement periods and definitions used by the organization.
Physical activity and inactivity
Nearly 31% of adults worldwide, or about 1.8 billion people, did not meet recommended physical-activity levels in 2022. This statistic describes activity levels against recommended thresholds; it does not mean that 31% of adults had no physical activity.
The global policy target is a 10% relative reduction in adult physical inactivity by 2025 compared with the 2010 baseline. The target is therefore a change from a specified baseline, not a claim that inactivity would fall to 10%.
The WHO estimated that the global public-health-care cost of physical inactivity would be about US$300 billion for 2020–2030 if inactivity levels were not reduced. Because this is a conditional estimate, it is best understood as a forecast based on inactivity remaining at the stated levels rather than as money already spent. These figures are reported in the WHO Physical activity fact sheet.
Obesity among U.S. adults
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimates from August 2021–August 2023 found that 40.3% of U.S. adults age 20 and older had obesity. The prevalence was 39.2% among men and 41.3% among women in the same age group and period. Severe obesity affected 9.4% of U.S. adults age 20 and older.
Prevalence varied by age. Among U.S. adults, obesity affected 35.5% of those ages 20–39, 46.4% of those ages 40–59, and 38.9% of those age 60 and older during August 2021–August 2023.
Education-level estimates also differed:
| U.S. adult group | Obesity prevalence, August 2021–August 2023 |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or less | 44.6% |
| Some college education | 45.0% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more | 31.6% |
These values describe population groups and do not establish that education level itself caused the difference. The estimates, age groupings, and definition of severe obesity are reported in the CDC National Center for Health Statistics brief, Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023.
Hypertension prevalence and control
Hypertension affected 47.7% of U.S. adults age 18 and older during August 2021–August 2023. Prevalence was 50.8% among men and 44.6% among women. By age, hypertension affected 23.4% of adults ages 18–39, 52.5% of adults ages 40–59, and 71.6% of adults age 60 and older.
Among U.S. adults with hypertension, 59.2% were aware of their condition during the same period, 51.2% reported taking medication, and 20.7% had blood pressure controlled below 130/80 mm Hg. Awareness also varied by age: it was 27.2% among adults ages 18–39, 56.7% among ages 40–59, and 73.7% among adults age 60 and older who had hypertension.
The recent figures can be compared with the earlier 2017–March 2020 period:
| Measure among U.S. adults with hypertension | 2017–March 2020 | August 2021–August 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Aware of condition | 60.2% | 59.2% |
| Taking treatment | 50.3% | 51.2% |
| Controlled below 130/80 mm Hg | 22.2% | 20.7% |
The table compares reported estimates across survey periods; it does not explain why the values differed. The CDC source defines the population and measures in Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among adults age 18 and older: United States, August 2021–August 2023.
Chronic conditions across U.S. life stages
In 2023, 76.4% of U.S. adults reported at least one of 12 selected chronic conditions. Multiple chronic conditions, defined as at least two of those 12 conditions, affected 51.4% of U.S. adults.
The percentage reporting at least one selected condition rose across the life-stage groups measured by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. It was 59.5% among adults ages 18–34, 78.4% among adults ages 35–64, and 93.0% among adults age 65 and older in 2023.
Multiple conditions showed a similar pattern:
- Among adults ages 18–34, 27.1% reported multiple chronic conditions.
- Among adults ages 35–64, 52.7% reported multiple chronic conditions.
- Among adults age 65 and older, 78.8% reported multiple chronic conditions.
Selected conditions were also common among younger and middle-aged adults. Obesity was reported by 27.3% of adults ages 18–34 and by 37.1% of adults ages 35–64 in 2023. Depression was reported by 25.0% of adults ages 18–34.
These are self-reported measures of selected conditions and should not be treated as a complete inventory of every health condition. The life-stage analysis appears in the CDC publication Trends in Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, By Life Stage, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2013–2023.
Health conditions among adults age 85 and older
Among U.S. adults age 85 and older, the 2022–2023 estimates show a concentration of several chronic conditions. Hypertension was reported by 66.9%, arthritis by 55.9%, and high cholesterol by 46.5%.
Other reported conditions included cancer at 32.9%, heart disease at 28.3%, and diabetes at 16.3%. Stroke was reported by 13.3%, depression by 13.2%, and dementia by 12.1%.
| Condition | U.S. adults age 85 and older, 2022–2023 |
|---|---|
| Hypertension | 66.9% |
| Arthritis | 55.9% |
| High cholesterol | 46.5% |
| Cancer | 32.9% |
| Heart disease | 28.3% |
| Diabetes | 16.3% |
| Stroke | 13.3% |
| Depression | 13.2% |
| Dementia | 12.1% |
The figures are condition-specific reported percentages within this older U.S. population. They should not be added together, because one person may report more than one condition. The measurement period and population are described by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics in Chronic Conditions in Adults Age 85 and Older: United States, 2022–2023.