People are going into debt to pay for private weight loss jabs

A concerning 17 per cent have even tapped into emergency funds to pay for their treatment

Weight-loss jabs have risen in popularity (Alamy/PA) (Alamy/PA)

Nearly two-fifths (39 per cent) of people using private weight loss injections have fallen into debt due to the associated costs, a new survey has found. The average debt stands at £1,616, with many resorting to credit cards and overdrafts to cover these expenses.

The financial strain extends beyond debt, as almost half (49 per cent) of users are drawing from their savings pots. A concerning 17 per cent have even tapped into emergency funds to pay for their treatment.

Alarmingly, nearly one in 10 (8 per cent) respondents indicated they would miss a scheduled payment to afford an injection. Furthermore, 6 per cent have already missed or delayed a payment. These findings come from research commissioned by banking app thinkmoney, which surveyed over 1,000 people using weight loss jabs.

Those who were surveyed said they are spending £210 a month on average on weight loss injections.

Around a fifth (21%) said that if their costs were to increase, they would have to stop using the injections.

A pharmacy owner shows an Ozempic antidiabetic medicine at a pharmacy in Pristina on March 27, 2025 (AFP/Getty)

Vix Leyton, a consumer expert at thinkmoney, said: “For people who have spent years trying every diet and programme going, the fear of regaining weight is a real spectre.”

She added: “If people are forced to stop because they can no longer afford it, there can be physical and emotional consequences.

“That makes it even more important that anyone starting these jabs thinks about whether they can afford the journey, not just the first few months.”

Here are the percentages of weight loss injection users who said they had gone into debt and the average debt owed, according to the survey for thinkmoney (Northern Ireland was not included in the breakdown due to a low sample size):

Scotland, 39.5%, £1,799.06

North West, 33.1%, £1,861.74

North East, 50.0%, £1,396.19

Yorkshire and the Humber, 42.3%, £1,901.07

Wales, 44.9%, £1,466.05

West Midlands, 38.3%, £1,326.34

East Midlands, 45.8%, £1,365.47

South West, 36.9%, £1,758.79

South East, 36.8%, £1,501.95

East of England, 42.2%, £2,463.41

London, 37.6%, £1,386.74

The survey was carried out by Savanta in January, among 1,040 people across the UK who are using weight loss injections.

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