One in 10 South Korean adults has been prescribed or used an obesity treatment such as Wegovy or Mounjaro within the past year, according to a survey. Usage rates were higher among younger generations, and Gen Z respondents in particular cited appearance and body shape rather than health improvement as the main reason for taking the drugs. More than a third of all respondents said they intend to use such treatments in the future.
According to the 2026 Korea Wellness Report released by the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute on the 25th, 10.3% of respondents said they had been prescribed or used a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) obesity treatment within the past year. Wegovy and Mounjaro are among the best-known GLP-1 drugs.
By generation, Gen Z respondents, born between 1995 and 2004, recorded the highest usage rate at 16.5%. Millennials, born between 1980 and 1994, came in at 14.2%, followed by Generation X, born between 1965 and 1979, at 7.7% and baby boomers, born between 1955 and 1964, at 2.9%. The Gen Z rate was more than five times that of baby boomers.
By gender, 11.6% of men said they had used the drugs, higher than the 9.0% of women. Awareness of obesity treatments, however, was higher among women at 83.1% than among men at 73.0%.
A total of 33.9% of respondents said they intend to use obesity treatments in the future. Gen Z again led at 39.7%. Among those who had already been prescribed or used the drugs, 65.5% said they intend to use them again.
Reasons for considering the treatments differed by generation. Among respondents who rated their future intention as moderate or higher, health improvement was the most commonly cited reason at 40.4%, followed by appearance and body shape management at 31.9% and appetite control at 20.8%.
Gen Z respondents picked appearance and body shape management as the most important reason, at 48.2%. Baby boomers, by contrast, most often cited health improvement, at 55.3%. Younger respondents showed relatively greater interest in appearance and body shape, while older respondents focused more on health.
Concerns about side effects were widespread. Of all respondents, 57.3% said they worry about the side effects of obesity treatments.
The survey also found growing use of generative artificial intelligence for health management. Some 46.2% of respondents said they had asked generative AI services such as ChatGPT or Gemini about health or medical information. Among Gen Z respondents, the share rose to 55.5%, more than half.
Of the Gen Z respondents who had used AI for health or medical purposes, 37.1% said they had also turned to AI for emotional or psychological counseling. That was far higher than the 12.6% recorded among baby boomers.
The report was based on an online and mobile survey of 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 living in major cities nationwide, conducted by the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute from July 21 to Aug. 5. Respondents included adults who are economically independent, including retirees.