Apparently the average American gets ~17% of their calories a day from sugar. This varies by population segment:
The intake of added sugars was higher among men than women and inversely related to age, educational status, and family income. Asian Americans had the lowest intake and Hispanics the next lowest intake. Among men, African Americans had the highest intake, although whites and American Indians/Alaskan Natives also had high intakes. Among women, African Americans and American Indians/Alaskan Natives had the highest intakes. Intake of added sugars was inversely related to educational attainment in whites, African Americans, Hispanic men, and American Indians/Alaskan Native men, but was unrelated in Asian Americans. These findings were generally consistent with relationships in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004 (using one or two 24-hour dietary recalls).
I suspect the sugar intake varies among Asian American groups. In Discover Your Inner Economist Tyler Cowen points out that in Asian cuisine the usage of sugar is relatively new, and so generally the 'desserts' are far less rich than might be found in European fare. The exception to this: Indian cuisine (sugar cane is indigenous to South Asia). No wonder brownz tend toward fat & diabetes.
