Gallup: 11 percent of U.S. adults now take a GLP-1 for weight loss, up from 3 percent in 2024

About 11 percent of U.S. adults say they currently take a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, up from 3 percent in 2024, according to a Gallup survey released July 7, 2026 ^[1][3]. Fifteen percent say they have used one at some point, an increase of nine percentage points ^[1][3].

The findings come from a web survey of 5,065 U.S. adults conducted May 28 to June 5, 2026, using the Gallup Panel, which covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia ^[1]. Gallup asked about semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy), liraglutide (brand name Saxenda) and tirzepatide (brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound) ^[1]. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points for the national sample, but Gallup says the margin is much larger for subgroups, running as high as plus or minus 10 points for users of compounded or custom-mixed medicine ^[1]. Awareness of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss reached 90 percent, up from 80 percent in 2024 ^[1].

Obesity and diabetes trends

Gallup put the U.S. adult obesity rate at 36.8 percent so far in 2026, down from a record 39.9 percent in 2022 ^[1]. The Hill reported the 2026 figure as 36.4 percent ^[3]; Gallup's own article says 36.8 percent ^[1]. The share of adults who report ever being diagnosed with diabetes was 12.8 percent, the first time it has been below 13 percent since 2022 ^[1]. Gallup says the diabetes rate has been mostly steady since 2018, while The Hill describes it as steady after rising slowly for 15 years ^[1][3]. Gallup's obesity numbers rely on self-reported height and weight, which Gallup says may explain why its estimates run somewhat lower than studies that measure people directly ^[1]. The obesity and diabetes results are based on 10,091 respondents from two surveys in 2026 ^[1].

Gallup says the obesity decline "continues to inversely track" with rising GLP-1 use, but the poll does not show that the drugs caused the change, and The Hill reported that researchers say other factors are likely as well ^[1][3].

Brand names and compounded versions

Brand-name products such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound accounted for 66 percent of current use, while 18 percent said they take a compounded or custom-mixed version and 13 percent were unsure ^[1]. The Hill reported that 19 percent of current users said they took a compounded or customized version ^[3]. Among current compounded users, 36 percent had switched from a brand-name product, compared with 11 percent who moved the other way ^[1]. People who switched from a brand name to a compounded version were more likely to cite cost or insurance coverage as their main reason, 53 percent versus 38 percent ^[1].

Users of compounded versions were slightly more likely to call their medicine "extremely effective" — 38 percent, compared with 33 percent of brand-name users ^[1]. Overall, 80 percent of compounded users and 74 percent of brand-name users rated their medicine effective or extremely effective ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Roughly one in nine adults now says they take a GLP-1 for weight loss, so these medicines are far more common in ordinary households and clinic visits than they were two years ago ^[1].

Cost and coverage remain the leading reason people move between brand-name and compounded products, Gallup found ^[1]. The Hill reported that many commercial plans still do not cover GLP-1s for weight loss, that some Medicare beneficiaries can get the drugs for $50 under a temporary Bridge program, and that the FDA ordered compounding of nonbranded versions to stop last year ^[3]. The survey suggests compounded versions remain part of the market despite that order ^[1][3].

Population-level averages do not predict any one person's result. Gallup's obesity measure is self-reported, and its effectiveness figures are users' own ratings rather than clinical measurements ^[1]. Gallup also notes that past research has shown GLP-1 use and falling obesity rates line up across age groups except those 65 and older, where reported effectiveness is lower ^[1].