Mounjaro has become one of the most talked-about weight loss treatments in the UK. Since getting approval for weight management in 2023, it’s estimated that 500,000 people in the UK have started using this GLP-1 medication privately to lose weight.
At Click2Pharmacy, we’ve analysed our own data to break down the real usage patterns, weight loss results, and demographics of Mounjaro users in 2025.
Mounjaro became available for weight management in the UK on 8 November 2023, when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave it official approval.
This approval was specifically for weight management in adults with obesity or those who are overweight with weight-related health conditions. Before this date, Mounjaro was only available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes under its drug name tirzepatide.
The numbers show a clear preference for private prescriptions. Around 10 people in the UK are buying Mounjaro through private pharmacies for every 1 person prescribed it through the NHS.
This huge difference in private vs NHS usage comes down to eligibility requirements and cost concerns. The NHS has much stricter criteria than private providers because treating all eligible patients at once would cost the NHS an estimated £15 billion over five years.
Mounjaro became available on the NHS in December 2024, after NICE recommended it for weight loss as part of a specialist hospital-based programme. At first, GPs couldn’t prescribe it directly. That changed on 23 June 2025, when GPs were allowed to offer Mounjaro to patients who met their criteria.
Despite this, only four of the 42 local health systems in the UK have prescribed weight loss injections in an NHS care setting: NHS Suffolk and North East Essex, NHS South West London, NHS West Yorkshire and NHS Sussex. This highlights how uneven access to NHS weight loss treatments remains across the UK, with most areas still lacking availability, pushing many people to seek private options instead.
The NHS requirements are so strict because Mounjaro must be prescribed by a healthcare professional alongside a support programme that helps patients with diet, exercise, and behavioural change. This specialised support is usually delivered through Tier 3 specialist weight management services, where a team of professionals with different expertise provides tailored care. However, these services are often stretched and aren’t available in all areas.
Even with NHS availability, only up to 220,000 people in England are expected to receive Mounjaro on the NHS over the first three years of implementation. This limited rollout means most people seeking Mounjaro turn to private options.
Clinical trials paint an impressive picture – participants in the SURMOUNT-1 study lost an average of 15-22.5% of their body weight over 72 weeks, depending on the dose. That’s roughly 50 pounds for someone starting at 230 pounds. But actual user experiences reveal a more varied reality.
Our analysis of Mounjaro reviews from real users shows that the average person loses 15.3 pounds over just over 6 weeks of treatment. That works out to roughly 3.6 pounds per week – a rate that’s considered rapid but sustainable by most medical standards.
Several factors influence how well Mounjaro works, including starting weight, diet, exercise habits, body composition, adherence to the prescribed programme, and individual metabolic rates. While half of users lose around 3 pounds per week, a quarter don’t lose more than 2.4 pounds weekly.
The people who see the fastest results typically combine Mounjaro with significant lifestyle changes like following a strict calorie-controlled diet, increasing physical activity, and maintaining good sleep habits.
Those who struggle with slower weight reduction often haven’t reached their optimal dose yet, aren’t following dietary guidelines, or may have underlying conditions like type 2 diabetes that can affect results.
Mounjaro isn’t popular equally across all age groups. The average user age is 50.2 years, but the median is 44 years old, showing clear patterns about which generations are taking Mounjaro for weight loss.
People in their 40s and 50s make up over half of all users. The 40-49 age group is the largest at 29.6% of users, with the 50-59 group close behind at 23.9%. Together, these two decades account for 53.5% of all Mounjaro users.
People in their 30s are the next biggest group at 27.1% of users. This means that people aged 30-59 represent about 80% of all users.
Young adults and older people are far less likely to use Mounjaro. People in their 20s make up just 8.8% of users, while those in their 60s account for 8.5%. Teenagers barely register at 0.17%, and people over 70 represent just 1.48% of users.
There are a few reasons why people in their 40s and 50s might be the most likely to use Mounjaro. Weight gain often becomes harder to manage with age, and health issues linked to weight can start to show up around this time. People in this age group may also be more focused on their long-term health and, in some cases, have more disposable income to spend on private treatments.
Are women more likely to use Mounjaro than men?
The gender split for Mounjaro users is striking. Women make up 77.6% of users, while men account for just 22.4% – meaning roughly 3 out of 4 Mounjaro users are female.
Women are historically more likely to seek weight loss treatments, whether that’s dieting programs, fitness classes, or medical interventions. The disparity could also reflect different attitudes toward body image, health-seeking behaviour, and willingness to try new medical treatments.
Women are also more likely to have long-term health conditions that can make weight loss more difficult, like diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic conditions. These same conditions often increase their likelihood of qualifying for weight loss injections like Mounjaro, as they meet the criteria for weight-related health problems.
Hormonal changes during menopause can make weight management more challenging for women in their 40s and 50s, which aligns with the age data showing these groups as the most frequent users.
However, the male minority represents a growing trend. Men are increasingly open to medical weight loss solutions, particularly as awareness grows about the health risks of obesity and the effectiveness of GLP-1 medications.
Based on our sales of GLP-1 weight loss treatments, we can share insights into where they are most popular. These patterns reflect the areas our customers are ordering from, though many people will also access treatment through other online providers and local private clinics.
Glasgow has by far the highest number of people using weight loss injections, which reflects Scotland’s obesity profile. Scotland has consistently higher obesity rates than England – 67% of Scottish adults are overweight or obese compared to England’s 64%. Glasgow combines this high obesity baseline with Scotland’s largest urban population.
Birmingham and Manchester follow as the highest English areas, reflecting their large populations and significant obesity challenges. 63.5% of Birmingham’s adult population is classified as obese, well above the European average of 17%. These post-industrial cities have substantial populations alongside higher-than-average obesity rates, creating a bigger market of people looking for weight loss treatments.
London shows surprisingly low usage across all its areas. The capital’s low weight loss injection usage likely reflects the abundance of local private healthcare options, with Londoners preferring face-to-face consultations at the city’s numerous private clinics rather than using online services.
Cardiff significantly outperforms other Welsh areas. With 62% of adults in Wales overweight or obese, Cardiff, as the capital and largest city, may have a higher awareness of new medical treatments compared to rural Welsh areas, making residents more likely to seek out weight loss solutions when needed.
More remote areas like Shetland and rural Wales barely register because they combine lower baseline obesity rates with older, more traditional populations less likely to seek private medical treatments.
Mounjaro dominates the GLP-1 market among UK users. Our data shows Mounjaro accounts for 78.4% of users compared to Wegovy’s 20.5%, with Saxenda representing just 1% of the market.
Wegovy, which contains semaglutide, was the first major GLP-1 medication that most people heard about for weight loss. But more people are now choosing Mounjaro.
Mounjaro targets both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, while semaglutide-based medications like Wegovy only target GLP-1 receptors. This dual action often means more weight loss – clinical trials show Mounjaro users losing 15-22.5% of body weight compared to Wegovy’s 15-17% over 68 weeks.
Mounjaro also launched later, so it benefited from the awareness that Wegovy created about GLP-1 agonists. By the time Mounjaro became available, more people knew about weight loss drugs and were looking for them.
Supply problems with Wegovy throughout 2023 and early 2024 pushed some people toward Mounjaro as well. When patients couldn’t get their preferred medication, many switched and found Mounjaro worked better.
Google Trends shows that “Mounjaro side effects” is a popular search topic, and SEMrush data puts it at around 110,000 monthly searches in the UK, which shows what people worry about when they’re thinking about starting this medication.
People want to know about common side effects like nausea, stomach problems, and how long the side effects last before they start treatment. It’s a good sign that people are researching properly before committing to a long-term weight loss treatment.
Search trends from AlsoAsked also highlight other common questions people have about Mounjaro:
These trends suggest that people are approaching Mounjaro with caution and curiosity. Rather than looking for a quick fix, many are taking time to understand how the treatment works, whether it’s suitable for them, and how it might affect their everyday lives.
There’s a clear focus on safety, long-term effectiveness, and what to expect before, during, and after starting treatment. It shows a considered approach to weight loss driven by real questions and personal priorities.
The data shows a clear divide between NHS capacity and patient demand. Private usage runs 10 times higher than NHS prescriptions, with people choosing to pay privately as they may not meet the NHS’s strict eligibility requirements. This gap reflects the reality that the health service can only treat a fraction of those who could benefit from Mounjaro.
Women in their 40s and 50s make up the majority of users, particularly in cities with higher obesity rates like Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester. This demographic concentration makes sense – these are the years when weight management becomes more difficult and health risks increase, often coinciding with greater financial resources to pursue private treatment.
People are thoroughly investigating side effects, costs and long-term outcomes before starting treatment. This suggests Mounjaro is being approached as a serious medical intervention rather than an impulse purchase, which should lead to better adherence and results.
Mounjaro is the most used weight loss injection in the UK. Its dual-receptor mechanism and more significant weight loss results have made it the preferred choice when people are investing their own money in treatment.
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