Drug Use Disorders
Global mortality data, country rankings, and trends for Drug Use Disorders from 1990 to 2021.
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Drug Use Disorders is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. This page presents data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study, showing mortality trends, country rankings, and regional patterns. Understanding the epidemiology of drug use disorders helps inform public health interventions and resource allocation.
This data is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed via Our World in Data. Values represent each cause's share of total deaths (%) unless otherwise noted. Explore related mortality data using the links below.
Drug use disorders — encompassing opioid, stimulant, cannabis, and other substance use disorders — directly cause approximately 170,000 deaths per year, with opioid overdose accounting for roughly three-quarters of drug death mortality. The opioid crisis in North America has been particularly devastating, with synthetic opioids (fentanyl and its analogues) driving record overdose deaths exceeding 100,000 per year in the United States alone. Globally, an estimated 296 million people used drugs in 2021. Injecting drug use is a major driver of HIV and hepatitis C transmission. While North America and Europe bear the highest absolute burden of drug overdose deaths, methamphetamine use is a growing concern in East and Southeast Asia, and tramadol misuse is rising in West Africa. Drug use disorders are chronic relapsing conditions influenced by genetic vulnerability, childhood adversity, mental health comorbidities, social environment, and drug availability. Criminalisation and stigma impede access to treatment and harm reduction in many settings.
Across 203 countries, drug use disorders accounts for an average of 0.2% of total deaths. Regional disparities are substantial: North America has the highest regional average at 1.7%, while Sub-Saharan Africa records the lowest at 0.1% — a 22.0-fold difference that underscores the geographic inequality in drug use disorders mortality burden.
Harm reduction — needle and syringe programmes, opioid agonist therapy (methadone, buprenorphine), naloxone distribution for overdose reversal, and supervised consumption facilities — saves lives and reduces HIV and hepatitis transmission. Evidence-based addiction treatment includes medication-assisted treatment, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and contingency management. Prescription drug monitoring programmes and opioid prescribing guidelines aim to prevent iatrogenic addiction. Addressing social determinants — housing, employment, mental health services — is essential for sustained recovery.