This article is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing GLP-1 medication.
One in nine American adults is now taking a GLP-1 medication for weight loss. That's the headline finding from a new Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index survey released July 7, 2026, and it represents a nearly fourfold jump from just two years earlier (Gallup, July 7, 2026). The survey was picked up widely — Forbes, The Washington Post, and The Epoch Times all ran coverage within days — and it offers the clearest national snapshot yet of exactly how fast GLP-1 adoption is moving, who's using brand-name versus compounded versions, and what's actually happening to the US obesity rate as a result.
Here's the full data breakdown, straight from the source survey.
The Headline Numbers
Gallup's analysis, based on a web survey of 5,065 US adults conducted May 28–June 5, 2026 through its probability-based Gallup Panel, found:
| Metric | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Currently using a GLP-1 for weight loss | 3% | 11% |
| Ever used a GLP-1 for weight loss | 6% | 15% |
| Aware GLP-1 drugs exist for weight loss | 80% | 91% |
This growth trajectory wasn't linear — Gallup's tracking shows current use climbing from 3% (2024) to 8% (2025) before reaching 11% in the most recent 2026 reading, according to reporting on the same dataset (The Epoch Times, July 7, 2026).
The Obesity Rate Is Moving in the Opposite Direction
Gallup's companion analysis, drawn from a larger sample of 10,091 respondents surveyed in February–March and May–June 2026, found the US adult obesity rate (defined as BMI ≥30) has fallen to 36.4% in 2026 — down from a record high of 39.9% in 2022, the year after Wegovy was first approved for weight loss (Forbes, July 7, 2026). The rate has ticked down gradually year over year: 38.4% (2023), 37.5% (2024), 37% (2025), and now 36.4%.
Correlation, Not Necessarily Sole Cause
Gallup's own framing treats this as an inverse tracking relationship rather than definitive proof of direct causation — other factors (diet trends, telehealth access, public health messaging) are moving simultaneously. But the timing and magnitude of the shift, arriving alongside the steepest GLP-1 adoption curve on record, is hard to ignore.
Brand-Name vs. Compounded: The Usage Split
Among current GLP-1 users surveyed:
- 68% use a brand-name medication (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, etc.)
- 19% use a compounded or custom-mixed version
- 12% are unsure which type they're using
Effectiveness: Compounded Users Report Slightly Higher Satisfaction
This is one of the survey's more counterintuitive findings. Among compounded/custom-mixed users, 39% rated their medication "extremely effective," compared to 32% of brand-name users. Looking at "effective" or "extremely effective" combined, the two groups were nearly identical — 77% for compounded users versus 74% for brand-name users (Gallup).
Switching Patterns Favor Compounded — Mostly Over Cost
Current compounded/custom-mixed users are far more likely to have switched from a brand-name drug than the reverse: 35% of compounded users switched from brand-name, versus only 10% of brand-name users who switched from compounded. Among those who switched from brand to compounded, 66% cited cost or insurance coverage as their primary reason — versus 34% of those who made the opposite switch (compounded to brand) citing cost as their reason (Gallup).
For context on where compounded GLP-1s currently stand from a legal and regulatory standpoint, see our 2026 compounded GLP-1 legal status guide.
Why the Growth Curve Is Accelerating Now
A few converging factors likely explain why 2026's adoption jump is steeper than prior years:
Broader Public Awareness
91% of Americans are now aware GLP-1 drugs exist for weight loss, up from 80% in 2024 — meaning the pool of people who even know this is an option has grown substantially.
New Access Pathways
Programs like the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, which opened a $50/month copay pathway for eligible Medicare beneficiaries starting July 1, 2026, are actively expanding the population that can realistically access these drugs.
Lower-Cost Entry Points
Manufacturer self-pay price cuts and the arrival of lower-cost oral pill options have both narrowed the affordability gap that previously kept many interested patients on the sidelines. See our GLP-1 cost guide for a full 2026 pricing breakdown across every access route.
What This Means for the Next Few Years
If current-use rates have roughly quadrupled in two years (3% → 11%), even a continued moderate growth curve would put GLP-1 use among a meaningfully larger share of US adults well before the decade is out. Gallup's obesity-rate data suggests real, measurable population-level effects may already be underway — not just anecdotal individual results.
Diabetes Rates: The Flat Line Worth Noticing
While obesity rates have been declining, diagnosed diabetes rates have stayed essentially flat over the same period, after roughly 15 years of slow, steady increases before leveling off. Gallup's diabetes measure captures anyone ever told by a doctor or nurse that they have diabetes (type 1 or type 2 combined). The fact that diabetes rates plateaued right around the same period that GLP-1 use began climbing sharply is notable, though Gallup's own reporting treats this as a pattern worth watching rather than a proven causal outcome.
Margin of Error and What the Numbers Really Support
It's worth understanding the survey's precision limits before treating every sub-group number as exact. The overall national findings carry a margin of sampling error of ±1.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. But once you slice the data into smaller groups — like comparing compounded users to brand-name users specifically — the margin of error widens considerably: up to ±10 percentage points for the compounded/custom-mixed user subgroup, and up to ±5.4 percentage points when comparing GLP-1 user types among all adults (Gallup). That means the directional findings (compounded users report high satisfaction, most switching flows from brand to compounded rather than the reverse) are meaningful, but the exact percentage-point gaps between subgroups should be read as approximate rather than precise.
How Gallup Actually Asked the Questions
Gallup's survey used carefully worded questions to separate lifetime use from current use. To measure lifetime use, respondents were asked: "Have you ever taken weight loss medications such as semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy), liraglutide (brand name Saxenda) or tirzepatide (brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound)?" Those who answered yes were then asked a follow-up: "Are you currently taking weight loss medications such as semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy), liraglutide (brand name Saxenda) or tirzepatide (brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound)?" (Gallup). This two-step structure is why Gallup can report both a lifetime-use figure (15%) and a distinct current-use figure (11%) rather than conflating the two.
Results were weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, and region to match recent Current Population Survey demographic targets for the US adult population, helping ensure the panel-based sample reflects the country as a whole rather than skewing toward any particular demographic that might be more likely to respond to a web survey.
Educational content only. Not medical advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Americans currently use GLP-1 drugs in 2026?
11%, according to Gallup's July 2026 National Health and Well-Being Index survey, up from 3% in 2024.
How many Americans have ever tried a GLP-1 medication?
15% report having used one at some point, a 9-percentage-point increase in lifetime use since 2024.
Has the US obesity rate actually gone down?
Yes. Gallup's data shows the adult obesity rate fell to 36.4% in 2026, down from a record 39.9% peak in 2022, tracking inversely with rising GLP-1 use over the same period.
Do more people use brand-name or compounded GLP-1 drugs?
Brand-name drugs remain more common — 68% of current users take a brand-name medication like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound, compared to 19% using a compounded or custom-mixed version.
Is compounded GLP-1 medication less effective than brand-name?
Not according to self-reported effectiveness in this survey — compounded/custom-mixed users actually reported slightly higher "extremely effective" ratings (39%) than brand-name users (32%), though overall "effective or extremely effective" ratings were similar between the two groups (77% vs. 74%).
Why do people switch from brand-name to compounded GLP-1s?
Primarily cost — 66% of people who switched from a brand-name drug to a compounded version cited cost or insurance coverage as their main reason, according to Gallup.
How was this survey conducted?
Gallup surveyed 5,065 US adults via its probability-based Gallup Panel from May 28 to June 5, 2026, with a margin of sampling error of ±1.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The obesity and diabetes findings drew on a larger combined sample of 10,091 respondents.
Sources
- Gallup — In U.S., GLP-1 Usage Reaches New High:news.gallup.com (July 7, 2026)
- Forbes — 11% Of Americans Now Take GLP-1 Drugs—As Obesity Rate Declines, Poll Finds:forbes.com (July 7, 2026)
- The Epoch Times — Use of GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs in US Hits Record High:theepochtimes.com (July 7, 2026)
- The Washington Post — Americans are taking GLP-1 drugs in record numbers:washingtonpost.com (July 7, 2026)