Analysis
Vitamin D amounts on supplement labels, by year
The median vitamin D amount per serving on labels entered in 2025 is 25 mcg (1,000 IU), against 10 mcg (400 IU) in 2011 (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). The share of products listing 50 mcg (2,000 IU) or more went from 7% to 29%.
Published by PlainVitamins on ; written with AI tools under the editorial policy, every figure computed from the label database.
How has the typical vitamin D amount moved?
Median vitamin D per serving, by the year the label entered DSLD
In mcg; 1 mcg is 40 IU.
| Entry year | Products | Median per serving | 2,000 IU or more | Above the adult UL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 248 | 10 mcg (400 IU) | 7% | 2% |
| 2012 | 872 | 10 mcg (400 IU) | 7% | 3% |
| 2013 | 977 | 10 mcg (400 IU) | 8% | 2% |
| 2014 | 622 | 10 mcg (400 IU) | 11% | 4% |
| 2015 | 571 | 10 mcg (400 IU) | 12% | 4% |
| 2016 | 698 | 12.5 mcg (500 IU) | 17% | 7% |
| 2017 | 707 | 15 mcg (600 IU) | 18% | 7% |
| 2018 | 621 | 15 mcg (600 IU) | 16% | 6% |
| 2019 | 724 | 12.5 mcg (500 IU) | 13% | 6% |
| 2020 | 1,306 | 20 mcg (800 IU) | 17% | 8% |
| 2021 | 1,258 | 20 mcg (800 IU) | 21% | 9% |
| 2022 | 1,485 | 20 mcg (800 IU) | 23% | 10% |
| 2023 | 1,265 | 20 mcg (800 IU) | 24% | 10% |
| 2024 | 1,457 | 25 mcg (1,000 IU) | 29% | 13% |
| 2025 | 1,191 | 25 mcg (1,000 IU) | 29% | 15% |
The adult upper limit for vitamin D is 100 mcg (4,000 IU) a day; the Daily Value is 20 mcg (800 IU).
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0, current labels; upper limits Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes (2011). Download the data (CSV).
How this was measured
Products are grouped by the year their current label entered DSLD. Amounts in IU are converted at 40 IU per mcg (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Years with fewer than 30 products giving a vitamin D amount are left out.
Limits
Entry year is when DSLD recorded the label, not when the product launched; DSLD began in 2011 and its coverage has grown. Per serving as printed; the share above the UL uses the most servings a day the label allows.
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplement Label Database, version 9.4.0.
- Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (2011), the adult Tolerable Upper Intake Levels.
The data
One row per entry year: products, median mcg per serving, share at 2,000 IU or more, share above the adult UL. Download the CSV. How the labels are grouped and read: methodology.
Other analyses
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- How supplement amounts compare with the Daily ValueFor each nutrient with an FDA Daily Value: the amount the typical product lists per serving, and how many products give five times the DV or more.
- Proprietary blends: how many supplement labels do not disclose their amountsHow many products list a proprietary blend whose ingredient amounts are not disclosed, by product type and by brand.
- Which forms of magnesium, B12, folate and other nutrients supplements useOxide or glycinate, cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin: how many products list each form of twelve nutrients, and at what amounts.
- Gummies, tablets, capsules: how amounts differ by physical formThe median amount per serving of ten common nutrients in gummies, tablets, capsules, softgels, liquids and powders.
- One formula, many brand names: identical supplement labelsFormulas that appear with the same ingredients in the same amounts under several brand names in the label database: identical label formulas, which do not by themselves show a common maker.