yes they are, 90% of blocks are over 900k of data.. the 2mb rule is not something that forces miners to make blocks over 1mb.. its to a a safety buffer to allow blocks room to grow, even if it takes months or years. having a buffer is about allowing growth naturally and at their own pace, not forcing growth.

there is no single bit of code that pushes miners to make 1.999mb so by pretending that bitcoin doesnt need 2mb buffer because there is no need for every block to be 1.999mb is because bitcoin doesnt need to make 1.99mb right now.. it just needs the buffer space to naturally grow without hindrance.

in short the community can now have 2mb rule in place and miners can still make <1mb blocks and nothing will change. the buffer itself is not an issue. just like 1mb buffer was not an issue when miners were making blocks 0.000250mb-0.5mb from 2009-2013

that 1mb buffer allowed natural growth over years without argument or debate.
if you think that block limit buffer should only be expanded to 1.1mb to allow a 10% buffer is just going to cause endless debates and chasing our own tail always trying to get the developers to keep adding more and getting the community to upgrade. which is a headach every couple of months

a 2mb allows 100% extra buffer for growth that atleast gives a few years unhindered growth before the debate has to raise its head again