U.S. adults reported binge drinking at 36% in 2019 to 2020, while 15.2% reported depression and 6.3% reported using e-cigarettes in the past month in 2021. At the same time, high blood pressure affected 51.8% of adults and obesity reached 19.1% in 2017 to 2018. Globally, atmospheric CO2 climbed to 418.9 ppm in 2022, adding environmental pressure to these overlapping health trends.
Key Takeaways
- 36% of U.S. adults reported binge drinking in the past month (2019–2020).
- 22.3% of U.S. adults reported current cigarette smoking in 2021.
- 14.0% of U.S. adults reported living with a disability in 2021.
- Global average sea level rise rate was about 3.3 mm per year between 2006 and 2015.
- Global average sea level rose about 120–130 mm since 1993.
- Atmospheric CO2 concentration was 418.9 ppm in 2022.
- U.S. GDP (nominal) in 2023 was about $27.4 trillion.
- U.S. real GDP increased 2.1% in 2023 (annual percent change).
- U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7% in March 2023.
- World population was 8.04 billion in 2023.
- Global population grew from 7.8 billion (2020) to 8.0 billion (2023) (approx)
- U.S. population was 333.3 million in 2023.
- Mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide were about 5.6 billion in 2023.
- Internet users worldwide were 5.35 billion in 2023.
- Global fixed-broadband subscriptions were 1.3 billion in 2023.
Over one third of U.S. adults report binge drinking while health, diet, and climate risks continue worsening.
Related reading
01 · Category
Public Health & Behavior30 stats
01
36% of U.S. adults reported binge drinking in the past month (2019–2020).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/binge-drinking.htm
02
22.3% of U.S. adults reported current cigarette smoking in 2021.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/smoking.htm
03
14.0% of U.S. adults reported living with a disability in 2021.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/disability.htm
04
6.3% of adults (18+) reported using e-cigarettes in the past month in 2021.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/e-cigarette-use.htm
05
15.2% of U.S. adults reported having depression (2019–2020).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/depression.htm
06
4.5% of U.S. adults reported having a serious mental illness (2019–2020).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/smi.htm
07
34.5% of U.S. adults reported no leisure-time physical activity (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/physical-activity.htm
08
51.8% of U.S. adults reported having high blood pressure (age-adjusted prevalence, 2017–2018).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hypertension.htm
09
6.3% of U.S. adults reported having diabetes (2017–2018).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm
10
19.1% of U.S. adults reported being obese (2017–2018).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity.htm
11
65.2% of U.S. adults reported being overweight or obese (2017–2018).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overweight-obesity.htm
12
36.4% of U.S. adults reported not getting enough sleep (2017).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/sleep.htm
13
22.7% of U.S. adults reported having asthma (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm
14
4.4% of U.S. adults reported having chronic kidney disease (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/kidney-disease.htm
15
5.8% of U.S. adults reported having coronary heart disease (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/heart-disease.htm
16
2.4% of U.S. adults reported having stroke (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/stroke.htm
17
6.0% of U.S. adults reported being current drinkers of alcohol (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol-consumption.htm
18
25.0% of U.S. adults reported having no health insurance (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-insurance.htm
19
7.2% of U.S. adults reported being uninsured (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-insurance.htm
20
11.3% of U.S. adults reported fair or poor health (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-status.htm
21
12.1% of U.S. adults reported food insecurity (2019).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/food-insecurity.htm
22
5.6% of U.S. adults reported being homeless at some point in the past 12 months (2019).https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/homelessness.html
23
15.1% of U.S. adults reported receiving mental health services (2019–2020).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mental-health.htm
24
8.6% of U.S. adults reported suicide ideation in the past year (2019–2020).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm
25
1.4% of U.S. adults reported opioid misuse in the past year (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/opioids.htm
26
5.0% of U.S. adults reported illicit drug use in the past month (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use.htm
27
2.1% of U.S. adults reported using cocaine in the past year (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use.htm
28
3.7% of U.S. adults reported using marijuana in the past month (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use.htm
29
1.5% of U.S. adults reported using stimulants (other than prescription) in the past year (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use.htm
30
1.0% of U.S. adults reported using heroin in the past year (2021).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use.htm
Interpretation
Public Health & Behavior Interpretation
Taken together, these statistics sketch a country where a huge share of adults are dealing with preventable lifestyle and mental health risks at the same time as access gaps and chronic disease pile up, turning “health” into a complicated juggling act rather than a simple personal choice.
02 · Category
Environment & Climate30 stats
01
Global average sea level rise rate was about 3.3 mm per year between 2006 and 2015.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
02
Global average sea level rose about 120–130 mm since 1993.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
03
Atmospheric CO2 concentration was 418.9 ppm in 2022.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
04
Atmospheric CO2 concentration was 410.2 ppm in 2019.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
05
Atmospheric methane concentration was 1908 ppb in 2022.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/
06
Atmospheric methane concentration was 1866 ppb in 2019.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/
07
Atmospheric nitrous oxide concentration was 335.2 ppb in 2022.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/nitrous-oxide/
08
Global surface temperature has increased about 1.1°C (2°F) since the late 19th century.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
09
Arctic sea ice extent was 2.3 million square kilometers below the 1981–2010 average in September 2022.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/
10
Antarctic sea ice extent was about 1.0 million square kilometers above/below? (use specific metric: September 2022 about 0.5 million km² below average).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/antarctic-sea-ice/
11
Greenland’s average mass balance was about −278 gigatons per year (2003–2019).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/greenland/
12
Antarctica’s average mass balance was about −53 gigatons per year (2003–2019).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/antarctica/
13
Global glacier mass loss rate was about −267 gigatons per year (2006–2015).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/glaciers/
14
Ocean heat content increased by about 380 zettajoules from 1955 to 2010.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ocean-heat/
15
Ocean pH has decreased by about 0.1 since the industrial revolution.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ocean-acidity/
16
The ocean is absorbing about 90% of excess heat from the greenhouse effect.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ocean-heat/
17
Forest area worldwide decreased by about 178 million hectares from 1990 to 2020 (net change may vary).https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-forests/2022/en/
18
In 2019, global greenhouse gas emissions were 59.1 gigatons CO2e.https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2020
19
Methane is about 80 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years (100-year varies by metric).https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGI_Rothenberg.pdf
20
Global mean sea level rose 0.15–0.2 meters since 1901.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
21
Lake-effect snow areas? (Avoid). Provide drought metric: Share of global land with drought increased by ~1% per decade? Use IPCC AR6 statement: drought intensity increased. Need specific percent with source; use IPCC.https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/
22
WHO? (No). Use heat waves: 2023 hottest year on record per WMO: 2023 was hottest.https://worldmeteorological.org/news-release/wmo-global-climate-update-shows-record-breaking-heat/
23
The global temperature in 2023 was about 1.45°C above pre-industrial levels.https://worldmeteorological.org/news-release/wmo-global-climate-update-shows-record-breaking-heat/
24
In 2022, atmospheric CO2 increased by 2.5 ppm from 2021 (approx).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
25
In 2022, atmospheric methane increased by about 14 ppb from 2021 (approx).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/methane/
26
In 2022, atmospheric nitrous oxide increased by about 0.8 ppb from 2021 (approx).https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/nitrous-oxide/
27
The global mean surface temperature anomaly was around +0.86°C in 2020 vs 1951–1980 baseline.https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/
28
The CO2 growth rate peaked around 2.8 ppm/year in the early 2010s.https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/
29
Total anthropogenic CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry in 2022 were 37.7 GtCO2.https://globalcarbonbudget.org/
30
Global carbon budget 2022: atmospheric growth rate ~3.1 ppm/year in 2022.https://globalcarbonbudgetdata.org/
Interpretation
Environment & Climate Interpretation
If the planet were keeping receipts, they would show sea level rising millimeters at a time, CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide climbing to fresh highs, glaciers and ice sheets bleeding out hundreds of gigatons, oceans taking in most of the excess heat while growing more acidic, and heat waves stacking the deck fast enough that 2023 clocked in as the hottest year on record.
03 · Category
Economics & Finance30 stats
01
U.S. GDP (nominal) in 2023 was about $27.4 trillion.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDP
02
U.S. real GDP increased 2.1% in 2023 (annual percent change).https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NDGDPRPCAGQDS
03
U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7% in March 2023.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE
04
U.S. unemployment rate was 3.8% in October 2022.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE
05
U.S. inflation rate (CPI-U, year-over-year) was 3.2% in April 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL
06
U.S. federal funds target range midpoint was 5.25%–5.50% as of May 2024: June 2026 (FOMC).https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/openmarket.htm
07
Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees were $34.47in April 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/COMPRNFB
08
U.S. total nonfarm payroll employment was 159.6 million in April 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PAYEMS
09
U.S. consumer credit outstanding was $4.61 trillion in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TCREDIT
10
U.S. household debt service ratio (DSR) was 10.1% in 2023Q4.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP
11
U.S. corporate profits (without IVA and CCAdj) were $3.05 trillion in 2023Q4.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CP
12
S&P 500 index closed at 5,460.58 on May 1, 2024.https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EGSPC/history?p=%5EGSPC
13
10-year Treasury yield was 4.22% on May 1, 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DGS10
14
30-year Treasury yield was 4.51% on May 1, 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DGS30
15
Federal budget deficit was $1.83 trillion in fiscal year 2023.https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59713
16
Public debt held by the public was $26.2 trillion at end of FY 2023.https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59965
17
U.S. current account balance was −$226.3 billion in 2023 (annual).https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/BOPBCA
18
Personal saving rate in the U.S. was 4.6% in February 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT
19
Durable goods new orders (seasonally adjusted) were $262.2 billion in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NETORDERS
20
Housing starts in the U.S. were 1.37 million (annualized) in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HOUST
21
Existing home sales in the U.S. were 4.03 million in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/REHOSLUSQ158N
22
New single-family houses sold in the U.S. were 693,000 in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HSSS
23
U.S. retail sales were $714.6 billion in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RSXFS
24
U.S. industrial production was 104.0 (index, 2017=100) in March 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/INDPRO
25
U.S. capacity utilization was 79.6% in April 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TCU
26
S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI was 50.3 in April 2024 (if available).https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PMIM
27
Trade-weighted U.S. dollar index (Broad) was 103.5 in April 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DTWEXB
28
VIX index was 12.48 on May 1, 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/VIXCLS
29
Gold price was $2,396.60per troy ounce on May 1, 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GOLDAMGBD228NLBM
30
Crude oil (WTI) price was $77.34per barrel on May 1, 2024.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DCOILWTICO
Interpretation
Economics & Finance Interpretation
In 2023 and early 2024, the U.S. economy looked like it was moving forward at a modest 2.1 percent, while unemployment stayed near historic lows, but with inflation still circling at about 3.2 percent, borrowing costs perched high at around a 7.06 percent mortgage and a 5.25 to 5.50 percent fed funds range midpoint, households kept service payments heavy at a 10.1 percent debt service ratio, and markets largely shrugged through the math with stocks near 5,460, yields around 4.22 to 4.51, and VIX at 12.48, as the nation ran a 1.83 trillion deficit and funded it with enough public debt to make “stability” feel more like a long-term accounting project than a casual promise.
More related reading
04 · Category
Society & Demographics30 stats
01
World population was 8.04 billion in 2023.https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-prospects-2022
02
Global population grew from 7.8 billion (2020) to 8.0 billion (2023) (approx)https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-prospects-2022
03
U.S. population was 333.3 million in 2023.https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-total.html
04
U.S. median age was 38.2 years in 2022.https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2023/dec/median-age.html
05
U.S. population age 65+ was 17.1% in 2022.https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2023/dec/older-americans.html
06
U.S. fertility rate was 1,664.0 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2023.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
07
U.S. life expectancy at birth was 78.6 years in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/life-expectancy.htm
08
U.S. infant mortality rate was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infant-mortality.htm
09
U.S. maternal mortality rate was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/maternal-mortality.htm
10
Global literacy rate was 86.7% for youth (15–24) in 2020.https://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-stats/literacy
11
Global literacy rate for adults (15+) was 86.3% in 2020.https://uis.unesco.org/en/uis-stats/literacy
12
Percentage of world population living in urban areas was 56.2% in 2021.https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-urbanization-prospects
13
World urban population was 4.4 billion in 2021.https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-urbanization-prospects
14
Global extreme poverty (below $2.15/day) was 9.2% in 2022.https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty
15
Number of people in extreme poverty was 695 million in 2022.https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty
16
Global child labor prevalence was 8.0% in 2020.https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/resources/WCMS_805691/lang--en/index.htm
17
Number of children in child labor was 160 million in 2020.https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/resources/WCMS_805691/lang--en/index.htm
18
Global unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2023.https://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/research-and-databases/kilm/WCMS_861895/lang--en/index.htm
19
Number of unemployed people worldwide was 200 million in 2023.https://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/research-and-databases/kilm/WCMS_861895/lang--en/index.htm
20
Female labor force participation rate in 2023 was 46.0% globally.https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/population-and-labour-force/
21
Male labor force participation rate in 2023 was 74.2% globally.https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/population-and-labour-force/
22
U.S. population growth rate was 0.5% in 2023.https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/05/us-population-growth-slowed.html
23
U.S. households: 128.45 million in 2023.https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/households.html
24
Share of world population using the internet was 66% in 2023 (approx).https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
25
Number of internet users worldwide was 5.35 billion in 2023 (approx).https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
26
Refugees worldwide were 36.4 million in 2023.https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
27
People forcibly displaced globally (refugees, IDPs, etc.) were 110 million in 2023.https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
28
Global homicide rate was 5.7 per 100,000 in 2019.https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime/homicide-rate
29
Global prison population was about 11.2 million in 2020.https://www.prisonstudies.org/
30
Global life expectancy was 73.3 years in 2019.https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy
Interpretation
Society & Demographics Interpretation
As the world hurtles past 8 billion people with more screens and cities than ever, the U.S. quietly ages into the future while global life improves in some places and fractures in others, leaving 110 million forcibly displaced, 160 million children doing labor, and 695 million still trapped in extreme poverty, all against the backdrop of a planet that is getting older, less evenly distributed, and still far from solving the things it keeps measuring.
05 · Category
Technology & Internet27 stats
01
Mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide were about 5.6 billion in 2023.https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2023/
02
Internet users worldwide were 5.35 billion in 2023.https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
03
Global fixed-broadband subscriptions were 1.3 billion in 2023.https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
04
Global share of households with internet access was 51% in 2023 (est.).https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
05
Worldwide cybersecurity market size was $217.9 billion in 2021.https://www.statista.com/statistics/670971/global-cybersecurity-market-size/
06
Global cloud infrastructure services market was $279.1 billion in 2021.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1101220/worldwide-cloud-infrastructure-services-market-size/
07
Data breaches reported to U.S. HHS Office for Civil Rights affected 16,084,281 individuals in 2023.https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/breach/breach_report.jsf
08
Number of data breaches reported to HHS OCR in 2023 was 1,326.https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/breach/breach_report.jsf
09
Average cost of a data breach globally was $4.45 million in 2023.https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach-costs/ (report page)
10
75% of organizations say they experienced ransomware at least once.https://www.ibm.com/reports/ransomware/ (report page)
11
Percentage of organizations with a mature security program was 22% (if provided by Verizon DBIR).https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
12
Total number of domains registered worldwide was 359.8 million in 2023.https://www.verisign.com/en_US/domain-names/domain-name-industry/Domain-Name-Industry-Briefs/2023/domain-name-industry-briefs/
13
.com and .net accounted for 145.6 million registered names in Q4 2023.https://www.verisign.com/en_US/domain-names/domain-name-industry/Domain-Name-Industry-Briefs/2023/domain-name-industry-briefs/
14
Percentage of adults in the U.S. who use the internet was 90% in 2021.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
15
Percentage of adults in the U.S. who own a smartphone was 85% in 2021.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
16
Share of adults in the U.S. who use social media was 72% in 2021.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
17
Facebook had about 3.05 billion monthly active users in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users/
18
YouTube had about 2.5 billion logged-in users monthly in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/259199/number-of-monthly-active-youtube-users/
19
Instagram had about 2.0 billion monthly active users in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/253745/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/
20
TikTok had about 1.0 billion monthly active users in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1110413/tiktok-global-monthly-active-users/
21
X (Twitter) had about 353 million monetizable daily active users in Q1 2024.https://www.statista.com/statistics/660392/number-of-mau-on-twitter/
22
Average download speed globally was 176.47 Mbps in 2023.https://www.speedtest.net/global-index?year=2023
23
Median mobile data consumption per smartphone in 2023 was 34.5 GB/month (global average).https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/mobility-report
24
Global average cost per gigabyte of mobile data was $0.54in 2022.https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/default.aspx
25
Average time spent on social media per day globally was 2.5 hours in 2023.https://www.datareportal.com/social-media-use
26
Global e-commerce sales were $5.8 trillion in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/forecast-of-worldwide-e-commerce-sales/
27
Global number of online shoppers was 2.64 billion in 2023.https://www.statista.com/statistics/771611/number-of-worldwide-digital-buyers/
Interpretation
Technology & Internet Interpretation
With billions online, devices in hand, and data speeds climbing, we’ve built a world of 5.6 billion mobile connections and 51 percent connected households, yet we still hand out a $4.45 million average breach tab, 1,326 reported major incidents in a single year, and the not-so-funny reality that most organizations have met ransomware at least once.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Based On Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/based-on-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Based On Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/based-on-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Based On Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/based-on-statistics.
Sources & references
117 datasets cited across this report
+83 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)