At a glance
- overall vitamin D use
- 28%
- 20-39
- 6.7%
- 40-59
- 17.4%
2016
2018
2018
| Group | Value |
|---|---|
| All individuals aged 2+ (any vitamin D supplement) | 28% |
| Adults aged 20-39 (20-39) | 6.7% |
| Adults aged 40-59 (40-59) | 17.4% |
| Adults aged 60+ (60+) | 36.9% |
| Women aged 60+ using vitamin D (Women 60+) | 59% |
| Men aged 60+ using vitamin D (Men 60+) | 49% |
Key takeaways
- 28% of all US individuals aged 2 and older used a supplement containing vitamin D, based on 2015-2016 NHANES data cited by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Vitamin D supplement use rises steeply with age: from 6.7% among adults aged 20-39 to 36.9% among those aged 60 and older in 2017-2018 NHANES data.
- Among adults aged 60 and older, approximately 59% of women and 49% of men used vitamin D supplements, based on 2015-2016 NHANES data cited by NIH ODS.
- Vitamin D showed the sharpest age gradient of the three most common supplement types tracked by NCHS, with more than a five-fold difference between the youngest and oldest adult age groups.
Vitamin D is one of the most widely used individual dietary supplements among US adults, and its use is strongly patterned by age. Two overlapping data sources from NHANES tell this story.
In 2015-2016 NHANES data cited by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 28% of all US individuals aged 2 and older used a supplement containing vitamin D. Among adults aged 60 and older, approximately 59% of women and 49% of men used vitamin D supplements. These figures cover the broader population across all ages.
The 2017-2018 NHANES cycle, reported in NCHS Data Brief No. 399, provides adult-only age group breakdowns. Vitamin D supplement use was 6.7% among adults aged 20-39, 17.4% among those aged 40-59, and 36.9% among those aged 60 and older. This is the steepest age gradient of the three most common supplement categories tracked in the brief.
By comparison, multivitamin-mineral use ranged from 24.0% to 39.4% across the same age groups, a more gradual climb. Omega-3 supplement use ran from 5.4% to 21.8%. Vitamin D's pattern stands out: the difference between the youngest and oldest adult age groups is more than five-fold.
Vitamin D supplement use in the US increased substantially over the decade from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018, consistent with a period of growing public and clinical attention to vitamin D status. The data brief documents the 2017-2018 snapshot as part of a longer trend of rising use across all supplement categories.
We present these figures as a factual summary of population-level supplement use patterns drawn from nationally representative surveys. These data describe how many people use vitamin D supplements, not whether they should or what effects supplementation has.
Methodology & sources
Age-group figures (6.7%, 17.4%, 36.9%) are from NCHS Data Brief No. 399, based on 2017-2018 NHANES data. The overall 28% figure and sex-stratified figures for adults aged 60+ are from 2015-2016 NHANES data, as cited in the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin D Health Professional Fact Sheet (ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional). Both NHANES cycles use the same survey methodology: stratified multistage probability cluster sampling, with supplement use verified by product container review during household interviews. Data years differ between figures and are noted inline.
Sources
- Dietary Supplement Use Among Adults: United States, 2017-2018. NCHS Data Brief No. 399., CDC National Center for Health Statistics
- Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements., NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Frequently asked questions
Why do older adults use vitamin D supplements at such high rates?
NHANES data document the prevalence pattern but do not establish reasons. Healthcare providers often recommend vitamin D supplementation for older adults. The data brief and NIH ODS fact sheet describe how many people use vitamin D but do not attribute cause to the age gradient.
Does high supplement use mean most older adults are deficient in vitamin D?
Supplement use rates and deficiency rates are separate measures. The NIH ODS fact sheet notes that most people in the US have adequate blood levels of vitamin D, while also noting that nearly one in four people have levels considered too low for bone and overall health. Supplement use and deficiency status do not have a one-to-one relationship.
Cite this page
Found this useful? Copy the citation below.
Supplements Unpacked. "Vitamin D Supplement Use in the US: Prevalence by Age." https://supplementsunpacked.com/statistics/vitamin-d-supplement-use (accessed 2026).