Around 1.6 million UK adults use weight-loss drugs, research finds
Almost one in ten British adults are taking weight-loss drugs or have plans to do so in the near future, research suggests.
Analysis of an ongoing survey tracking smoking habits suggested around 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used drugs such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) to aid weight loss between early 2024 and early 2025.
The findings suggest another 3.3 million people would be interested in using weight-loss drugs over the next year.
The report is based on responses collected as part of the Smoking Toolkit Study of more than 5,200 adults. Questions relating to weight-loss medications were added to the monthly questionnaire for January to March 2025.
It found that 2.9% had used GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP medications within the previous year to support weight loss.
Of those who had not recently used the injections, 6.5% were interested in doing so within the next year.
Writing in BMC Medicine, the researchers said the drugs were twice as common among women compared to men and more common among people in middle age (aged 45-55), and those who reported psychological distress in the past month.
A breakdown of the results also showed that levels of use were similar across social grades, but that interest in using drugs to support weight loss in future was greater among more typically disadvantaged groups.
It suggests there is a demand among groups with higher rates of obesity that is not currently met by private prescriptions, they concluded.
The survey asked about all weight-loss drugs. It found that four out of five respondents taking medication solely for weight loss were using tirzepatide.
Overall, 1.7% of respondents reported using them exclusively for weight loss without other indications such as type 2 diabetes.
It also highlighted that among those using medication for weight loss, 15% were using medication not licensed for this purpose, including Rybelsus, which the authors said was licensed in the UK for type 2 diabetes only.
Study lead Professor Sarah Jackson, from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: ‘Our findings show that an estimated 4.9 million adults in Great Britain – nearly one in 10 – have recently used a drug to support weight loss or were interested in using one in the near future.
‘This usage far exceeds NHS England’s initial goal of prescribing these drugs to 220,000 people over three years.’
She added that the study did not collect data on respondents’ BMI or health conditions, so it was not possible to tell whether the use reflected ‘a genuine medical need’ or how often the drugs are used unnecessarily by people of a healthy weight.
The team hope to capture more detailed data on the use of the drugs in the future, as well as monitoring how trends change over time.
Professor Jackson added: ‘Good data are important as large numbers of people are taking these drugs outside medical supervision and there is wide potential for misuse. NHS prescribing data only captures a small part of the picture.’
Co-author Professor Clare Llewellyn, professor of psychology and epidemiology at UCL, said the findings suggested many people were accessing weight loss jabs outside the NHS and off label use was also safety risk.
‘This raises concerns about equity given the costs of these drugs, as well as the adequacy of supervision of treatment,’ she said.
Jo Harby, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, who fund the ongoing survey, said the findings highlight growing public interest in weight loss medication.
But she added: ‘More research is needed on their long-term impact, how these drugs affect cancer risk, and how best to support people to maintain a healthy weight.
‘The world around us shapes our health, and the UK Government must do more to create healthier environments for all.’
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