6 facts about obesity and weight loss drugs in the U.S.

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In recent months, the Trump administration struck a deal with pharmaceutical companies to lower the price many Americans pay for popular drugs used for weight loss, such as Ozempic and Wegovy.

As a result, these types of medications – formally known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s – could become more broadly available in the United States, where obesity affects around four-in-ten adults ages 20 and older.

Here are six facts about obesity and weight loss in the U.S. and Americans’ views of drugs used for weight loss, drawn from Pew Research Center surveys and other sources.

About this research

This Pew Research Center analysis explores obesity in the United States and Americans’ views of weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists).

Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center conducts high-quality research and analysis to inform the public, journalists and leaders. This analysis builds on a larger body of work that explores Americans’ health and U.S. health care.

Learn more about Pew Research Center and our research on medicine and health.

How did we do this?

This analysis uses data from several sources, including two Center surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025. Details about those surveys, including their field dates, questions and methodologies, can be found at the links in the text.

Age-adjusted obesity rates come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC began consistently tracking obesity rates for adults ages 20 and older in 1988. 

To determine the share of people who are considered overweight, obese or severely obese, the CDC uses body mass index (BMI) calculated from survey respondents’ self-reported weight and height. A BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 is classified as “overweight,” 30.0 to 39.9 is “obese” and 40.0 or more is “severely obese.”

BMI can give clinicians and researchers a broad look at a population’s health and is sometimes used as an individual screening tool. But many medical professionals advise that BMI alone is not enough to measure a person’s health risks because it doesn’t account for factors like body composition and genetics.

We accessed financial statements from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly using the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database of corporate filings. We analyzed sales of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus together because all three are based on the active ingredient semaglutide; Mounjaro and Zepbound belong to a similar class of drugs with the active ingredient tirzepatide.

Novo Nordisk is a Danish company and reports its financials in Danish kroner. We converted its reported revenues to U.S. dollars at the rate of 1 krone = $0.154, the prevailing exchange rate at the time of analysis.

Information on state Medicaid coverage of GLP-1s for obesity comes from a January 2026 report from KFF, a nonpartisan research organization focused on health policy.

Around 40% of Americans ages 20 and older are considered obese, and nearly 10% are severely obese. These rates are based on body mass index data from 2021-23, the most recent age-adjusted estimates from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC).

The nation’s obesity rate has climbed in recent decades. In the 1988-94 survey period, 22.9% of adults ages 20 and older were classified as obese, and 2.8% were severely obese.

From 2017-18 to 2021-23, the share of adults considered obese declined by around 2 percentage points. This is the first time the rate has declined by more than 1 point between survey periods.

About two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) said in a February 2024 Pew Research Center survey that willpower alone is usually not enough for most people to lose weight and keep it off. Another 34% said willpower alone is usually enough.

Women were significantly more likely than men to say willpower is not enough (71% vs. 59%). And older adults were more likely than younger adults to say this is the case, though the prevailing view across all age groups is that willpower is not enough.

The same survey asked Americans about environmental and lifestyle factors that might impact a person’s weight. The largest shares said diet (57%) and exercise habits (43%) impact weight a great deal, though one-fifth or more said the same about stress, genetics and access to grocery stores.

Related: Americans on Healthy Food and Eating

About half (53%) of Americans say they hear or read about Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs extremely or very often, as of early 2025. Another 27% say they hear or read about them sometimes, while 19% say they rarely or never do.

Women are more likely than men to say they hear or read about weight loss drugs extremely or very often (59% vs. 47%), with women ages 50 and older particularly likely to say this.

Americans tend to see these drugs as good weight loss options for people with certain health conditions, but not for other people who just want to lose weight. Among those who had heard of Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs in February 2024, 53% said they are good weight loss options for people with obesity or a weight-related health condition.

A much smaller share (12%) saw these drugs as good options for people who want to lose weight but don’t have a weight-related health condition. Another 62% said they are not good options, and 26% were unsure.

Sales of GLP-1s have exploded in recent years. Novo Nordisk – the Danish maker of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus – reported $31.1 billion in revenue from these three drugs in 2024, up from $11.9 billion in 2022. They accounted for 70% of Novo Nordisk’s entire 2024 revenue.

Similar medications – such as Mounjaro and Zepbound, produced by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly – have also seen a steep rise in sales over the past few years.

After receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in mid-2022, Mounjaro generated $5.2 billion in sales worldwide in 2023, and that jumped to $11.5 billion in 2024. Zepbound, approved in late 2023, made $4.9 billion in 2024. Together, Mounjaro and Zepbound accounted for around 37% of Eli Lilly’s 2024 revenue.

The largest market for weight loss drugs by far is North America. In 2024, nearly 70% of combined Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus sales were in the U.S. alone, as were 84% of Mounjaro and Zepbound sales.

Thirteen states cover GLP-1s for obesity treatment under Medicaid, according to a January 2026 report from KFF, a nonpartisan research organization focused on health policy. Another seven states cover one or more weight loss drugs but not any GLP-1s.

The rising costs of weight loss drugs have caused some states to restrict who qualifies for them or end coverage altogether. For instance, California, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and South Carolina stopped covering GLP-1s for weight loss as of Jan. 1. And North Carolina briefly suspended coverage last fall, citing shortfalls in funding.

KFF found that the number of Medicaid prescriptions for GLP-1s increased from 1.3 million in 2019 to 8.4 million in 2024. Likewise, Medicaid gross spending on GLP-1s increased from nearly $1 billion in 2019 to $8.6 billion 2024.