According to newly published numbers from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the passenger load factor for flights in the U.S. is 83.8%.

While lower than you may expect, that makes U.S. flights the most crowded in the world.

China isn't far behind with a load factor of 80.3%, Brazil climbed from 71.8% in 2012 to 76.% in 2013, and Japan reported by far the lowest figure, just 64.3%. The global rate for the domestic market is 79.9%.

That doesn't mean that 20% of seats on every flight are empty, naturally — so next time you fly home for Thanksgiving, don't expect to have any extra elbow room.