In 2023, around 72,776 people in the United States died from a drug overdose that involved fentanyl. This was the second-highest number of fentanyl overdose deaths ever recorded in the United States, and a significant increase from the number of deaths reported in 2019. Fentanyl overdoses are now the driving force behind the opioid epidemic, accounting for the majority of overdose deaths in the United States. What is fentanyl? Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but more powerful. It is a prescription drug but is also manufactured illegally and is sometimes mixed with other illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine, often without the user’s knowledge. The potency of fentanyl makes it very addictive and puts users at a high risk for overdose. Illegally manufactured fentanyl has become more prevalent in the United States in recent years, leading to a huge increase in drug overdose deaths. In 2022, the rate of drug overdose death involving fentanyl was 22.7 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of just one per 100,000 population in the year 2013. Fentanyl overdoses by gender and race/ethnicity As of 2022, the rate of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the United States is over two times higher among men than women. Rates of overdose death involving fentanyl were low for both men and women until around the year 2014 when they began to quickly increase, especially for men. In 2022, there were around 19,880 drug overdose deaths among women that involved fentanyl compared to 53,958 such deaths among men. At that time, the rate of fentanyl overdose deaths was highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives and lowest among non-Hispanic Asians. However, from the years 2014 to 2018, non-Hispanic whites had the highest fentanyl overdose death rates.

The graph illustrates the number of deaths from fentanyl in the United States from 1999 to 2022. The x-axis represents the years, spanning from '99 to '22, while the y-axis displays the annual number of fentanyl-related fatalities. Over this 24-year period, deaths rise dramatically from 730 in 1999 to a peak of 73,838 in 2022. Notable milestones include an increase to 1,742 deaths in 2005, a significant jump to 9,580 in 2015, and a sharp escalation to 70,601 deaths by 2021. The data reveals a consistent and severe upward trend in fentanyl-related deaths, particularly accelerating in the mid-2010s. This information is presented in a line graph format, effectively highlighting the dramatic increase in fatalities due to fentanyl across the United States over the specified years.

In 2022, there were around ** overdose deaths involving fentanyl among non-Hispanic whites in the United States per 100,000 population. This statistic presents the rate of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the U.S. from 1999 to 2022, by race/ethnicity.

Data on drug overdose death rates, by drug type and selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, numerator data from annual public-use Mortality Files; denominator data from U.S. Census Bureau national population estimates; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Arias E, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. For more information on the National Vital Statistics System, see the corresponding Appendix entry at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-appendix-508.pdf.

West Virginia is currently the state with the highest drug overdose death rate in the United States, with ** deaths per 100,000 population in 2022. Although West Virginia had the highest drug overdose death rate at that time, California was the state where the most people died from drug overdose. In 2022, around ****** people in California died from a drug overdose. The main perpetrator Opioids account for the majority of all drug overdose deaths in the United States. Opioids include illegal drugs such as heroin, legal prescription drugs like oxycodone, and illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The abuse of opioids has increased in recent years, leading to an increased number of drug overdose deaths. The death rate from heroin overdose hit an all-time high of *** per 100,000 population in 2016 and 2017, but has decreased in recent years. Now, illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl account for the majority of opioid overdose deaths in the United States. Opioid epidemic The sharp rise in overdose deaths from opioids have led many to declare the United States is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic or opioid crisis. The causes of this epidemic are complicated but involve a combination of a rise in dispensed prescriptions, irresponsible marketing from pharmaceutical companies, a lack of physician-patient communication, increased social acceptance of prescription drugs, and an increased supply of cheap and potent heroin on the streets.

From 1999 to 2022, the number of drug overdose deaths among U.S. females increased from ***** in 1999 to ****** in 2022. Globally, drug use is a general problem. As of 2021, there were an estimated *** million global drug consumers and **** million drug addicts. Opioid use in the United States Among many demographics, drug overdose deaths continue to rise in the United States. Opioids are the most commonly reported substance in drug-related deaths. The number of drug-related deaths in the U.S. due to opioids has dramatically increased since the early 2000s. In 2017, then-President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the opioid crisis in the United States. Since then, there have been joint efforts among various governmental departments to address the opioid crisis through education and outreach. Substance use treatment Substance abuse treatment is vital in reducing the number of drug overdose deaths in the United States. As of 2020, the state of California had the largest number of substance abuse treatment facilities . However, many states in the U.S. have less than 100 substance abuse treatment facilities.

In 2022, those aged between 35 and 44 years had the highest number of drug overdose deaths in the United States, with 27,583 deaths. Opioids are the main driver of overdose deaths in the United States. This statistic presents the number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022, by age group.

In 2022, around ****** people died from opioid overdoses in the United States. This statistic presents the number of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. from 1999 to 2022.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

In 2022, an estimated ****** white, non-Hispanic persons in the United States died from a drug overdose. Opioids are the main driver of overdose deaths in the United States. This statistic presents the number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022, by race/ethnicity.

It is projected that if the opioid overdose crisis stabilizes by the year 2020 there will be around ******* overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids from 2016 to 2025. If the crisis does not stabilize until the year 2025 it is predicted that overdose deaths due to illicit opioids will reach a total of over ****million from 2016 to 2025.

In the past few years the number of deaths from cocaine overdose has risen in the United States, with almost ****** such deaths in 2022. Deaths involving cocaine are more common among males than females, with deaths among males more than double that of females in 2022. It is important to note that many overdose deaths involving cocaine also involve the use of other drugs, in particular opioids, which may contribute to death. Cocaine use Cocaine is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs in the United States. As of 2022, over ** million people had used cocaine in their lifetime, an increase from **** million in 2009. Furthermore, almost *** million people in the U.S. used cocaine in the past year as of 2022. Cocaine use among teens The lifetime prevalence of cocaine use among high school students in the U.S. has decreased in recent years. As of 2022, around *** percent of high school students stated they had used cocaine in their lifetime. Nevertheless, around **** percent of high school students state that cocaine is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain.

Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States, with over 61 million people using this drug in 2023. The second most used drug at that time was cocaine, followed by methamphetamine and ecstasy. The United States has had a complicated history with drugs, from fighting a “War on Drugs” starting in the 1970s, to seeing the legalisation of marijuana in many states, and experiencing an ongoing nationwide opioid overdose epidemic. Recreational marijuana Although marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 21 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This legalization has opened a new and thriving market in these states. It is estimated that sales of legal cannabis will reach around 25 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2025. Although support for the legalization of marijuana has not always been strong, now around 68 percent of U.S. adults believe it should be made legal. The opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic describes a rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescription opioids, heroin, and illegally manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The epidemic stems from misleading information from pharmaceutical companies concerning the dangers of opioids such as oxycontin, overprescribing of opioids from physicians, and an influx of easily accessible heroin and highly potent synthetic opioids. In 2022, there were around 81,806 deaths from opioid overdose in the United States.

Unintentional injuries claimed the lives of ******* Americans in 2023, marking a slight decrease from the previous year. This figure represents a significant public health concern. While heart disease and cancer typically top the list of mortality causes, unintentional injuries were the ***** leading cause of death in 2023. Poisoning emerges as a major contributor Among the various types of unintentional injuries, poisoning stands out as a particularly deadly threat. In 2023, approximately ******* deaths were attributed to unintentional poisoning, accounting for nearly half of all accident-related fatalities. That year, the death rate due to poisoning reached **** per 100,000 population. Unintentional drug overdose deaths account for a majority of poisoning deaths in the United States, with opioids, and in particular fentanyl, currently fueling these high numbers. Home safety remains a critical concern The home environment, often considered a safe haven, continues to be a significant site for unintentional injury-related deaths. In 2021 and 2022, the rate of such fatalities occurring at home peaked at **** per 100,000 population. Most unintentional injury deaths at home occur among elderly people, with falls accounting for the majority of such deaths among this age group.

In 2023, it was estimated that around 507 thousand people in the United States used crack in the past month. Crack cocaine is the solid form of cocaine, and it is typically smoked to give an instant but short euphoric high. Crack is highly addictive and a rise in its use in the 1980s and early 1990s was associated with an increase in crime and violence in parts of the United States as well as stricter drug policies and an increase in incarceration rates. How many people have used crack? It is estimated that as of 2023, around 9.9 million people in the United States had used crack in their lifetime. However, the use of cocaine, the powder form of crack that is usually snorted but can also be injected, is much more common than crack. It is estimated that over 42 million people have used cocaine in their lifetime, making it the second most-used illicit drug in the United States. Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States. Opioids: The newest drug epidemic Although the United States experienced a crack epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s, crack is no longer the most feared drug in the country. Opioids now account for the vast majority of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. with the country currently experiencing what has been called an opioid epidemic. In 2021, there were just over 80,400 deaths due to opioid overdose in the United States, the highest number ever recorded. Although the origins of the opioid epidemic lie in misrepresentation and over prescription of opioids by pharmaceutical companies and physicians, illegally manufactured fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid, now accounts for most opioid overdose deaths.

Die Statistik zeigt die Entwicklung der Todesfälle aufgrund verschreibungspflichtiger Opioide in den USA in den Jahren 1999 bis 2023. Im Jahr 2023 wurden in den USA 13.026 Todesfälle infolge einer Überdosierung mit verschreibungspflichtigen Opioiden registriert.

Laut Daten der Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (OECD) belief sich im Jahr 2019 die Anzahl von Todesfällen aufgrund von Opioiden in den Vereinigten Staaten auf rund 223 Tote je eine Millionen Einwohner. Damit wiesen die USA den mit Abstand den höchsten Wert im OECD-Vergleich auf.