Soaring obesity rates make the US the fattest country in the OECD, with 36.5% of obese adults. Roughly 70% of US adults are overweight, which corresponds to the second highest rate in the OECD (just after Mexico, 71.3%).

The most effective policy tool kit to address high inequalities and to extend opportunities is one that combines education and job training measures, policies to boost job creation, and reforms to make the tax and benefit system and public services more efficient.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Washington on 12-13 June 2014 to present the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. While in Washington, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a seminar on Inclusive Growth hosted at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He will also have meetings with high level US officials.

The enduring idea that the rising tide of economic growth lifts all boats is no longer a universal truth. In the US, even before the Great Recession, the poorest were steadily losing ground. Between 2000 and 2012 the average disposable income of the bottom 10% in the US fell by 14%, underlined the OECD Secretary-General.

Economic recovery in the United States is stronger than in most OECD countries, but it will remain sluggish unless new reforms are launched to boost growth, according to OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Country notes highlight some key findings from TALIS 2013 for individual countries and economies

Gains made towards slowing health expenditure growth in the United States in recent years could be negated by price increases associated with the continuing economic recovery unless more efforts are made to contain spending, says a new OECD paper published in The Lancet.

The USA has exceptional levels of health-care expenditure, but growth slowed dramatically in recent years, amidst major efforts to close the coverage gap with other OECD countries.

PISA 2012 financial literacy results focusing on the performance of the United States among 17 other countries and economies who participated in the assessment: Australia, Belgium (Flemish Community), Shanghai-China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Spain

The ability to measure innovation is essential to an improvement strategy in education. This country note analyses how the practices are changing within classrooms and educational organisations and how teachers develop and use their pedagogical resources.

OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Catherine L. Mann as the new OECD Chief Economist. Her appointment will reinforce the OECD’s commitment to identifying and promoting better policies for better lives around the world.

Country notes with main key findings of the book and key fact tables: a customised snapshot of a country's educational environment, highlighting the most important issues in the educational landscape.

The proportion of adults in the U.S. population with a tertiary qualification is growing more slowly than in most OECD countries, while fewer Americans are achieving an educational level which is higher than that of their parents, a new OECD study finds.

A moderate expansion is underway in most major advanced and emerging economies, but growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

OECD Secretary-General was in New York from 22 to 25 to attend the United Nations Climate Summit, in which he moderated a panel discussion on “The Economic Case for Action”. He also held bilateral meetings with several world leaders attending the Summit and UN high level officials.

The UN Climate Summit took place on 23 September 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The OECD's Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, chaired the session on "The Economic Case for Climate Action," where global leaders discussed The New Climate Economy Report: Better Growth, Better Climate, by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.

U.S. employers are demanding skilled workforces, but are not always able to find a local supply, says a new OECD study looking at Job Creation and Local Economic Development.

This publication highlights new evidence on policies to support job creation, bringing together the latest research on labour market, entrepreneurship and local economic development policy to help governments support job creation in the recovery. It also includes a set of country pages featuring, among other things, new data on skills supply and demand at the level of smaller OECD regions (TL3).

On the occasion of the OECD High Level Policy Forum on Migration taking place on December 1 and 2 2014, Secretary General Angel Gurria congratulates President Obama on taking action to address the unsustainable situation of undocumented immigrants.

The tax burden in the United States of America increased by 1percentage point from 24.4% to 25.4% in 2013. The OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. The United States is the only OECD country that employs a retail sales tax rather than a value added tax (VAT) as the principal consumption tax.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for United States

Low oil prices and monetary easing are boosting growth in the world’s major economies, but the near-term pace of expansion remains modest, withabnormally low inflation and interest rates pointing to risks of financial instability, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

In his speech delivered at the Brookings Institute, OECD Secretary-General Gurría explains that OECD’s numbers tell a clear-cut story of how our traditional economic growth agenda has neglected inclusiveness. Yet to begin to tackle this problem, we have to understand that inequality is not just about money. It touches every area of people’s lives.

Mr. Gurría attended the Spring meetings of the World Bank Group, IMF and G20 Finance Ministers, and held meetings with high-level officials from the US and other countries. He delivered remarks at various events and also presented the report Pensions at a Glance: Latin America and Caribbean as well as the 2015 OECD SME Scoreboard.

Levels of alcohol consumption in the United States are close to the OECD average and have remained relatively stable in the last 20 years, but with a progressive shift from beer to spirit consumption. In 2011, an average of 8.6 litres of pure alcohol per capita was consumed in the United States, compared with an estimate of 9.5 litres in the OECD.

This country note provides information on latest trends in income inequalities as well as key findings from the 2015 OECD report "In it Together: Why less inequality benefits all".

The United States has been successful at reducing the mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) but the burden of CVD and diabetes is increasing rapidly.

Specific country notes have been prepared using data from the database OECD Health Statistics 2015, July 2015 version. The notes are available in PDF format.

It is often said that the United States is a nation of immigrants. Is the US still the best place to settle in?

The Secretary-General attended the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 agenda and the UN 2015 general assembly. He delivered remarks on strengthening global partnership for the post-2015 development agenda, participated in high-level events in the margins of the summit, and met with leaders and officials also in attendance.

Life expectancy in the United States is lower than in most other OECD countries for several reasons, including poorer health-related behaviours and the highly fragmented nature of the US health system. The proportion of adults who smoke in the United States is among the lowest in OECD countries, but alcohol consumption is rising and obesity rate is the highest.

The 2015 edition introduces more detailed analysis of participation in early childhood and tertiary levels of education. The report also examines first generation tertiary-educated adults’ educational and social mobility, labour market outcomes for recent graduates, and participation in employer-sponsored formal and/or non-formal education.

This 4-page online document presents the key findings from OECD Pensions at a Glance 2015 and why it is important for the United States. It also identifies two key pension policy measures which would help improve the performance of pension systems in the United States.

President Barack Obama held a press conference at the OECD with international media on COP21 and Syria as his trip to Paris draws to a close. See photos of the event.

Drought in California has been in the headlines frequently these last three years, with startling pictures of empty reservoirs, rivers and canals, wildfires, disappearing snowpack and dry earth. Yet these dramatic effects have not stopped the agricultural sector from growing.

In 2012, 26% of students in the United States (U.S.) were low performers in mathematics (OECD average: 23%), 17% were low performers in reading (OECD average: 18%), 18% were low performers in science (OECD average: 18%), and 12% were low performers in all three of these subjects (OECD average: 12%)

Achieving strong growth in the global economy remains elusive, with only a modest recovery in advanced economies and slower activity in emerging markets, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Outlook.

The Secretary-General launched the OECD/Ford Foundation Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign along with more than 20 mayors from around the world. He also held bilateral meetings with several mayors attending the event and met with UN ambassadors.

Mayors from cities across the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America gathered in New York to launch a global campaign to address rising inequalities and foster inclusive growth in their cities, in their countries and worldwide.

The Secretary-General attended the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FM&CBG) Meeting and the International Monetary Fund/World Bank (IMF/WB) Spring Meetings. He also presented the OECD Scoreboard on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs and attended a series of meetings and other events.

The global economy is stuck in a low-growth trap that will require more coordinated and comprehensive use of fiscal, monetary and structural policies to move to a higher growth path and ensure that promises are kept to both young and old, according to the OECD’s latest Global Economic Outlook.

The Secretary-General was in Washington to present the 2016 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. He also delivered a keynote speech on inclusive cities, delivered remarks on improving opportunities for women in the United States, and attended the Bretton Woods II At Sea Event.

The US economy is making one of the strongest comebacks in the OECD, but there are risks on the horizon, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Improving opportunities for women in the United States

This OECD report was developed in collaboration with the United States, Mexico and Canada, for consideration by the three Leaders in the context of the 2016 North American Leaders Summit.

The OECD has welcomed the release by China and the US of peer reviews of their fossil fuel subsidies.

Education at a Glance 2016 - Country Notes

The Secretary-General participated in a number of events including the UN General Assembly and the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants. He also presented the OECD International Migration Outlook 2016 as well as the OECD African Economic Outlook and the publication "States of Fragility 2016".

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for the United States. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

The number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) remains elevated in many countries since the crisis. This country note examines the characteristics of those at risk of being NEET in the United States with policies to help meet the challenge. It also includes many new youth-specific indicators on family formation, self-sufficiency, income and poverty, health and social cohesion.