More Than Half of Americans Take Prescribed Meds Daily

More than half of adults were regularly taking prescribed drugs in the United States in 2021, according to data from a Statista Consumer Insights survey. Out of the 2,000 people surveyed between July and August 2021, more than a third of respondents were taking prescribed medicine daily and one in five were taking prescribed medicine several times a day.

While the figure is higher for people ages 70+, with 83 percent of this group taking medication at least once per day, younger Americans were also taking medicine regularly. The survey found that 38 percent of adults aged 20-29 were taking prescribed medication at least once per day in 2021, while the figure climbed to 51 percent of 30-39 year olds and 58 percent for 40-49 years olds. There was a fairly similar split across genders, with 20 percent of females reporting taking prescribed medication several times versus 21 percent of males, and 36 percent of females taking the medication daily versus 35 percent of males.