Weight Loss Drugs Soar While Global Obesity Rates Climb, To Hit 50% Of Adults By 2050 Says New Report

Chris Katje

March 6, 2025

Benzinga

Weight loss drugs have taken the world by storm and saw strong demand for the companies selling them.

A new study shows that despite the increase usage of weight loss drugs, obesity is still on the rise and could hit staggering numbers in the next 25 years.

What Happened: The public support of weight loss drugs by celebrities and the likes of billionaires like Elon Musk may have contributed to their rising use in the U.S. and worldwide.

A new study from 204 countries shows global obesity rates are climbing even with increased attention for weight loss drugs.

The study, which was funded by the Gates Foundation, found there might not be enough being done to tackle global obesity.

"The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental social failure," research author Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington said, as reported by Reuters.

The study found that if current trends continue, more than half of global adults will be obese and around one-third of children will be obese by the year 2050. This represents totals of more than 3.8 billion adults and 746 million children according to the research.

The new research comes as obesity and overweight rates have more than doubled in the past 30 years.

Obesity can put people more at risk for diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Why It's Important: The results of the study will likely need to be taken with some potential irregularities as the study did not take into account the rising demand for weight loss drugs in countries that have them readily available. The study also used body mass index as a key indicator for obesity.

Among the most impacted regions and areas that could see the fastest growth of obesity are developing countries, especially in Africa, where weight loss drugs may not be available.

In September 2024, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested the U.S.'s obesity rating was no longer growing, with around 40% of adults considered obese. This marked the first time in more than 10 years the obesity rate had not gone up.

The CDC findings came as interest and demand for weight loss drugs and diabetes drugs surged.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) with Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY) with Mounjaro and Zepbound were among the companies benefitting from weight loss drug treatments and both stocks soared.

Studies of U.S. versus global populations could show how the availability of weight loss drug treatments is changing the statistics of current and future predictions on obesity.

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