1 in 10 Korean adults used obesity drugs in 2025: report
A box containing Wegovy tablets moves along a line at Novo Nordisk's facility in Malov, west of Copenhagen, Denmark, July 31. Reuters-Yonhap
Gen Z rate hits 16.5%, nearly 40% willing to use
One in 10 adults in Korea used or was prescribed obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the past year, with younger generations reporting higher usage and one-third of respondents saying they would use such drugs in the future.
According to the “2026 Korea Wellness Report” released Sunday by KB Financial Group, 10.3 percent of the 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 who were surveyed in July and August said they used or were prescribed GLP-1 obesity drugs in the past year. The drugs mimic hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar to aid weight loss.
By generation, Generation Z, born after 1995, had the highest usage rate at 16.5 percent, followed by millennials at 14.2 percent, Generation X at 7.7 percent and baby boomers at 2.9 percent. Usage was higher among men at 11.6 percent than women at 9 percent, but women were more aware of the drugs at 83.1 percent than men at 73 percent.
Asked about future use, 33.9 percent of respondents said they would use obesity drugs if circumstances allowed, with the share rising to 39.7 percent among Gen Z, who cited “appearance and body shape management” as the top reason at 48.2 percent.
By contrast, baby boomers cited “health improvement” as the top reason at 55.3 percent, showing a generational gap in motivation. Concerns over misuse and side effects were shared by 57.3 percent of all respondents.
The report also looked at broader health trends, including digital health care, sleep and mental health. Among respondents, 46.2 percent said they have used generative artificial intelligence to get health and medical information, with the share rising to 55.5 percent among Gen Z.
Average daily sleep time among adults fell from 6.5 hours in 2024 to 6.3 hours this year, while the share of those getting seven hours or more dropped from 50.4 percent to 41.6 percent over the same period. Nearly half of respondents, or 49.9 percent, said they had suffered chronic fatigue over the past month that persisted even after sufficient rest.