Global Overview of Vitamin D Status
Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, Vol 46, Issue 4, Dec 2017, Pages 845–870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2017.07.002
Natasja van Schoor, PhDa, , , Paul Lips, MD, PhDb
Key points
- Vitamin D deficiency occurs all over the world, mainly in the Middle East, China, Mongolia, and India.
- Risk groups for vitamin D deficiency include older persons, pregnant women, and non-western immigrants.
- Prevention of vitamin D deficiency is feasible with moderate sunlight exposure, consumption of fatty fish and vitamin D-fortified foods, and the use of vitamin D supplements.
- The required dose in healthy older persons is about 400 to 800 IU per day, the higher dose with low sun exposure or pigmented skin.
- Patients with osteoporosis and older institutionalized persons require 800 IU per day.
- A vitamin D3 supplement of 400 IU per day can be recommended for adults who do not have sun exposure or have a pigmented skin.
- The goal of prevention should be to increase serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to more than 50 nmol/L in all countries all year long.
VitaminDWiki
This study considers 20 nanograms/mL of vitamin D to be adequate
It finds that roughly half of the world does not have adequate levels
It suggests, based on no data, than 400 or 800 IU is needed
No data on < 30 ng nor < 40 ng, and no maps
Nice world chart is at Vitamin D levels around the world - DSM review June 2014
Pages listed in BOTH of the categories Deficiency, Middle East
- Two thirds of South Asians have low Vitamin D (less than 20 ng) – meta-analysis Oct 2021
- Turkey needs to give Vitamin D to children too (infants get D for free) – June 2019
- Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D deficiency 4X more likely if illiterate or have bone pain – Lahore Pakistan – Oct 2015
- 84 percent had less than 30 ng of vitamin D (10,000 patients in Saudi Arabia) Sept 2014
- Why India's vitamin D deficiency is grim - 40 pages Feb 2014
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Vitamin D deficiency in Middle East and North Africa - June 2013
- Arabs have even lower levels of vitamin D than Jews in sunny Israel – Feb 2012
- Very poor knowledge of vitamin D deficiency, even after diagnosis in Kuwait - March 2012
- 76 percent of young adults in western India had less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Aug 2011
- Excessive clothes and being indoors results in very low vitamin D levels – Nov 2011
- Review of Vitamin D Deficiencies in developing countries - Oct 2011
- Military in hot climates and vitamin D deficiency - 2010
- Jordanian women vitamin D – 16 ng if Western clothing – 12 ng otherwise – Aug 2011
- Iranian vitamin D levels 13 ng summer, 12 ng winter – June 2011
- Red Alert – one in three pre-teens in Tehran had less than 5 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2011
- Concealing clothing resulted in only 8 ng vitamin D – Feb 2011
- Less than 4 ng is more common in Saudis than diabetic Saudis – July 2010
- Even in Sunny Areas, Vitamin D Intake Often Too Low - May 2010
Pages listed in BOTH of the categories Deficiency, Far From Equator
- 1 in 5 Canadians have inadequate Vitamin D (less than 16 ng), far more if dark skinned – Canada April 2023
- Arctic school children in Russia: only 1 in 11 has more than 30 ng of Vitamin D – April 2022
- Low Vitamin D in Nordic countries – supplementation, fortification, only 20 ng – Jan 2020
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Disadvantaged get less sun and have poor health in the North– Aug 2011
- Only 18 percent of Swedes got recommended amount of vitamin D – Feb 2011
- 75 percent of Canadians less than 30 ng vitamin D in winter – Aug 2010
- Sunlight robbery in the UK May 2010
Pages listed in BOTH fo the categories Deficiency, Europe
- Vitamin D as get older: more D and less deficiency (UK Health Care workers) - April 2024
- Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019
- Low Vitamin D in Southern Europe – 1 in 3 had less than 20 ng (630,000 Europeans) Sept 2018
- Vitamin D is low in Europe – 40 percent have less than 20 ng – ODEN Oct 2018
- Vitamin D recommendations by Italian Endocrinologists – 40 ng if pregnant, 30 ng if high risk – April 2018
- Vitamin D levels for UK seniors with health problems – Dec 2017
- Vast majority of Europeans have less than 30 ng of Vitamin D – Aug 2016
- 3X increase in UK children who are vitamin D deficient in just 5 years – Nov 2015
- 3X more kids were vitamin D deficient when entering UK hospitals than 4 years before – Oct 2014
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Perhaps Italians have air conditioning too: lower latitudes have less vitamin D – July 2013
- Vitamin D is the only vitamin which is low in Europe – Jan 2013
- 90 percent of Swiss men have less than 30 ng of vitamin D in the winter – Nov 2012
- Low vitamin D associated with poor regions in the UK, median was 10 ng – Nov 2012
- Why are so many Victorian killer illnesses making a comeback - Nov 2012
- Death of Babies in UK due to vitamin D deficiency – Jan 2012
- German seniors 10 pct less than 7ng, 92 pct less than 30 ng vitamin D – Jan 2012
- Scotts having extremely low vitamin D got no, or only minimal treatment – Feb 2012
- Problems with low UV and vitamin D in Scotland - Jan 2012
- Immigrant vitamin D deficiency in Europe – May 2011
- 80 percent of teens in Europe had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Aug 2011
- Let the Sun shine on you - Gillie Aug 2011
- Vitamin D insufficiency in UK youths – 37X more likely if dark skin – July 2011
- WHO to map vitamin D deficiency in Europe - Oct 2010
- 28 ng summer and 18 ng winter UK vitamin D levels – Aug 2010
- Scotland and Vitamin D - many studies
Pages listed in BOTH fo the categories Deficiency, Canada
- 1 in 5 Canadians have inadequate Vitamin D (less than 16 ng), far more if dark skinned – Canada April 2023
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- 90 percent of Canadians do not have optimal levels of vitamin D – Nov 2013
- Lower vitamin D if born outside of Canada or lower education - April 2013
- Vitamin D levels continue to fall: Canada 6 percent drop from 2009 to 2011 – Feb 2013
- Canadian Vitamin D deficiency – May 2011
- Half of Quebec kids had less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Milk and movement did not help – Mar 2011
- 90 percent of Canadian youth less than 30 ng vitamin D – Oct 2010
- Many vitamin D articles and videos by Schwalfenberg in Canada
Pages listed in BOTH fo the categories Deficiency, Orient
- 82% of Chinese hospital staff had less than 12 ng of Vitamin D (65% of patients)– May 2024
- Low vitamin D in Malaysia (85 percent less than 30 ng) – meta-analysis Nov 2022
- Vitamin D Deficiency in children in SE Asia – Oct 2022
- Vitamin D levels in new borns are so low that they are considering supplementing to prevent Rickets (Japan) – July 2022
- Majority of South Asian children and youths have low vitamin D (85 pcnt of neonates) – March 2022
- Half of Mongolian schoolchildren have less than 10 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2021
- Most Chinese have less than 20 ng level of Vitamin D - meta-analysis Aug 2021
- Less COVID-19 infection, mortality in countries with higher Vitamin D (Asia in this case) – May 2021
- Chinese COVID-19 study – 80 pct of severe cases had low Vitamin D, all asymptomatic cases had OK Vit D – Oct 13, 2020
- Half of Chinese adolescents have less than 20 ng of VItamin D - Oct 2020
- Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Infants reduced 5.9 X by daily 600 IU of vitamin D (China) - March 2020
- Higher Vitamin D in US seniors if older, female, not smoke, but LOWER for each in China – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D levels continue to fall in Korea– June 2018
- Beijing women have low vitamin D - 89 percent have less than 20 ng - June 2015
- Vitamin D deficiency in China – only 1 in 18 have even 30 ng, fewer if young or female – Feb 2015
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Chinese have very low vitamin D - July 2013
- Vitamin D in Japanese women: 91 percent have less than 30 ng– 2012
- Beijing extremely vitamin D deficient even in the fall: 10 ng – April 2013
- Virtually all Chinese teens at 30 degree N have less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2012
- Low levels of vitamin D in Japanese office workers – July 2011
- Hypothesis – China air conditioning disease is the result of less vitamin D – March 2011
- Low D in developing countries – less than 5 ng in some children in China – Oct 2010
Pages listed in BOTH fo the categories Deficiency, World
- Vitamin D levels from lowest to highest: Middle East, China. India, S EU. N EU – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D levels are lower than 20 ng in half of the world – Dec 2017
- Vitamin D levels around the world - DSM review June 2014
- Vitamin D deficiency is a major global public health problem – Maps Nov 2013
- Vitamin D levels in healthy populations around the globe – Aug 2012
- Percent of population with less than 20 ng of vitamin D
- Global Vitamin D levels - Aug 2011
PDF is behind a $31.50 paywall
A tiny view of the information in the PDF
Middle East
Europe 1
Scandanavia
China
Asia - not China
Canada
US
South America