United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time

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Fentanyl. 2 mg (white powder to the right) is a lethal dose in most people.[1][2] US penny is 19 mm (0.75 in) wide.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data on drug overdose death rates and totals. Around 1,106,900 US residents died from drug overdoses from 1968 to 2020, around 932,400 from 1999 through 2020 and around 91,800 in 2020. Of every 100,000 people in 2020 in the US, drugs killed 28. Opioids were involved in around 80,400 of the around 106,700 deaths in 2021. Synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) were involved with 70,601 deaths in 2021.[3][4][5]

Around 110,800 people died in 2022. Around 112,100 people died in the 12-month period ending August 31, 2023, at a rate of 307 deaths per day. That is 34 deaths per 100,000 US residents, using the population at the midpoint of that period.[6][7]

1968–2021[edit]

U.S. yearly overdose deaths from all drugs.[8]

The numbers at the source for the table below are continually updated. So the numbers in the table below may be slightly different.[3] 2021 was a turning point in US history with over 100,000 deaths.[9]

  • Rates below are per 100,000.
1968–2020 US drug overdose deaths. 1,106,859 total.[3]
Year Deaths Population
(July 1 residents) 		Crude rate Age adjusted rate
1968 5,033 199,533,564 2.5 2.8
1969 6,006 201,568,206 3.0 3.3
1970 7,101 203,458,035 3.5 3.8
1971 6,771 206,782,970 3.3 3.5
1972 6,622 209,237,411 3.2 3.4
1973 6,413 211,361,965 3.0 3.2
1974 6,449 213,436,958 3.0 3.2
1975 7,145 215,457,198 3.3 3.4
1976 6,765 217,615,788 3.1 3.2
1977 6,130 219,808,632 2.8 2.9
1978 5,506 222,102,279 2.5 2.6
1979 2,544 224,635,398 1.1 1.1
1980 2,492 226,624,371 1.1 1.1
1981 2,668 229,487,512 1.2 1.2
1982 2,862 231,701,425 1.2 1.2
1983 2,866 233,781,743 1.2 1.2
1984 3,266 235,922,142 1.4 1.3
1985 3,612 238,005,715 1.5 1.5
1986 4,187 240,189,882 1.7 1.7
1987 3,907 242,395,034 1.6 1.6
1988 4,865 244,651,961 2.0 2.0
1989 5,035 247,001,762 2.0 2.0
1990 4,506 248,922,111 1.8 1.8
1991 5,215 253,088,068 2.1 2.0
1992 5,951 256,606,463 2.3 2.3
1993 7,382 260,024,637 2.8 2.8
1994 7,828 263,241,475 3.0 3.0
1995 8,000 266,386,596 3.0 3.0
1996 8,431 269,540,779 3.1 3.1
1997 9,099 272,776,678 3.3 3.3
1998 9,838 276,032,848 3.6 3.6
1999 16,849 279,040,168 6.0 6.1
2000 17,415 281,421,906 6.2 6.2
2001 19,394 284,968,955 6.8 6.8
2002 23,518 287,625,193 8.2 8.2
2003 25,785 290,107,933 8.9 8.9
2004 27,424 292,805,298 9.4 9.4
2005 29,813 295,516,599 10.1 10.1
2006 34,425 298,379,912 11.5 11.5
2007 36,010 301,231,207 12.0 11.9
2008 36,450 304,093,966 12.0 11.9
2009 37,004 306,771,529 12.1 11.9
2010 38,329 308,745,538 12.4 12.3
2011 41,340 311,591,917 13.3 13.2
2012 41,502 313,914,040 13.2 13.1
2013 43,982 316,128,839 13.9 13.8
2014 47,055 318,857,056 14.8 14.7
2015 52,404 321,418,820 16.3 16.3
2016 63,632 323,127,513 19.7 19.8
2017 70,237 325,719,178 21.6 21.7
2018 67,367 327,167,434 20.6 20.7
2019 70,630 328,239,523 21.5 21.6
2020 91,799 329,484,123 27.9 28.3
Total 1,106,859

Rate map and timeline by state[edit]

Drug overdose deaths in the US per 100,000 people by state.[4][5]

Asterisks (*) indicate Health in STATE or Healthcare in STATE links in table below.

Drug overdose death rates per 100,000 population by state.[4]
State 1999 2005 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
 Alabama * 3.9 6.3 15.2 15.7 16.2 18 16.6 16.3 22.3 30.1
 Alaska * 7.5 11.4 16.8 16 16.8 20.2 14.6 17.8 22 35.6
 Arizona 10.6 14.1 12.6 19 20.3 22.2 23.8 26.8 35.8 38.7
 Arkansas * 4.4 10.1 18.2 13.8 14 15.5 15.7 13.5 19.1 22.3
 California * 8.1 9 11.1 11.3 11.2 11.7 12.8 15 21.8 26.6
 Colorado * 8 12.7 16.3 15.4 16.6 17.6 16.8 18 24.9 31.4
 Connecticut 9 8.5 17.6 22.1 27.4 30.9 30.7 34.7 39.1 42.3
 Delaware 6.4 7.5 20.9 22 30.8 37 43.8 48 47.3 54
 Florida * 6.4 13.5 13.2 16.2 23.7 25.1 22.8 25.5 35 37.5
 Georgia * 3.5 8.2 11.9 12.7 13.3 14.7 13.2 13.1 18 23.5
 Hawaii * 6.5 9.4 10.9 11.3 12.8 13.8 14.3 15.9 18.3 17.3
 Idaho * 5.3 8.1 13.7 14.2 15.2 14.4 14.6 15.1 15.9 19
 Illinois 6.7 8.4 13.1 14.1 18.9 21.6 21.3 21.9 28.1 29
 Indiana 3.2 9.8 18.2 19.5 24 29.4 25.6 26.6 36.7 43
 Iowa 1.9 4.8 8.8 10.3 10.6 11.5 9.6 11.5 14.3 15.3
 Kansas 3.4 9.1 11.7 11.8 11.1 11.8 12.4 14.3 17.4 24.3
 Kentucky 4.9 15.3 24.7 29.9 33.5 37.2 30.9 32.5 49.2 55.6
 Louisiana 4.3 14.7 16.9 19 21.8 24.5 25.4 28.3 42.7 55.9
 Maine 5.3 12.4 16.8 21.2 28.7 34.4 27.9 29.9 39.7 47.1
 Maryland * 11.4 11.4 17.4 20.9 33.2 36.3 37.2 38.2 44.6 42.8
 Massachusetts * 7.5 12 19 25.7 33 31.8 32.8 32.1 33.9 36.8
 Michigan 4.6 9.8 18 20.4 24.4 27.8 26.6 24.4 28.6 31.5
 Minnesota * 2.8 5.4 9.6 10.6 12.5 13.3 11.5 14.2 19 24.5
 Mississippi * 3.2 8.8 11.6 12.3 12.1 12.2 10.8 13.6 21.1 28.4
 Missouri 5 10.7 18.2 17.9 23.6 23.4 27.5 26.9 32.1 36.5
 Montana * 4.6 10.1 12.4 13.8 11.7 11.7 12.2 14.1 15.6 19.5
 Nebraska 2.3 5 7.2 6.9 6.4 8.1 7.4 8.7 11.3 11.4
 Nevada 11.5 18.7 18.4 20.4 21.7 21.6 21.2 20.1 26 29.2
 New Hampshire 4.3 10.7 26.2 34.3 39 37 35.8 32 30.3 32.3
 New Jersey 6.5 9.4 14 16.3 23.2 30 33.1 31.7 32.1 32.4
 New Mexico 15 20.1 27.3 25.3 25.2 24.8 26.7 30.2 39 51.6
 New York * 5 4.8 11.3 13.6 18 19.4 18.4 18.2 25.4 28.7
 North Carolina * 4.6 11.4 13.8 15.8 19.7 24.1 22.4 22.3 30.9 39.2
 North Dakota * 0 0 6.3 8.6 10.6 9.2 10.2 11.4 15.6 17.2
 Ohio * 4.2 10.9 24.6 29.9 39.1 46.3 35.9 38.3 47.2 48.1
 Oklahoma * 5.4 13.8 20.3 19 21.5 20.1 18.4 16.7 19.4 24.4
 Oregon * 6.1 10.4 12.8 12 11.9 12.4 12.6 14 18.7 26.8
 Pennsylvania 8.1 13.2 21.9 26.3 37.9 44.3 36.1 35.6 42.4 43.2
 Rhode Island 5.5 14.3 23.4 28.2 30.8 31 30.1 29.5 38.2 41.7
 South Carolina * 3.7 9.9 14.4 15.7 18.1 20.5 22.6 22.7 34.9 42.8
 South Dakota 0 5.5 7.8 8.4 8.4 8.5 6.9 10.5 10.3 12.6
 Tennessee 6.1 14.5 19.5 22.2 24.5 26.6 27.5 31.2 45.6 56.6
 Texas * 5.4 8.5 9.7 9.4 10.1 10.5 10.4 10.8 14.1 16.8
 Utah * 10.6 19.3 22.4 23.4 22.4 22.3 21.2 18.9 20.5 21.1
 Vermont * 4.7 8.5 13.9 16.7 22.2 23.2 26.6 23.8 32.9 42.3
 Virginia * 5 7.5 11.7 12.4 16.7 17.9 17.1 18.3 26.6 30.5
 Washington * 9.3 13 13.3 14.7 14.5 15.2 14.8 15.8 22 28.1
 West Virginia * 4.1 10.5 35.5 41.5 52 57.8 51.5 52.8 81.4 90.9
 Wisconsin 4 9.3 15.1 15.5 19.3 21.2 19.2 21.1 27.7 31.6
 Wyoming 4.1 4.9 19.4 16.4 17.6 12.2 11.1 14.1 17.4 18.9

By state over time[edit]

Overall US totals by year, followed by breakdown by state by year.[4]

States 1999 2005 2014 2015 2016
Deaths 16,801 29,736 46,959 52,279 63,363
States 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Deaths 69,927 67,113 70,319 91,375 106,249

State links below are "Category:Health in STATE" links. See overall category.

Drug overdose deaths by state over time[4]
State 1999 2005 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
 Alabama 169 283 723 736 756 835 775 768 1,029 1,408
 Alaska 46 79 124 122 128 147 110 132 160 260
 Arizona 511 794 356 1,274 1,382 1,532 1,670 1,907 2,550 2,730
 Arkansas 113 269 1,211 392 401 446 444 388 546 637
 California 2,662 3,214 4,521 4,659 4,654 4,868 5,348 6,198 8,908 10,901
 Colorado 349 608 899 869 942 1,015 995 1,079 1,492 1,887
 Connecticut 310 295 623 800 971 1,072 1,069 1,214 1,371 1,552
 Delaware 50 62 189 198 282 338 401 435 444 513
 Florida 997 2,371 2,634 3,228 4,728 5,088 4,698 5,268 7,231 7,827
 Georgia 283 738 1,206 1,302 1,394 1,537 1,404 1,408 1,916 2,500
 Hawaii 80 126 157 169 191 203 213 242 274 269
 Idaho 64 109 212 218 243 236 250 265 287 354
 Illinois 825 1,067 1,705 1,835 2,411 2,778 2,722 2,790 3,549 3,762
 Indiana 191 610 1,172 1,245 1,526 1,852 1,629 1,699 2,321 2,811
 Iowa 53 141 264 309 314 341 287 352 432 475
 Kansas 89 241 332 329 313 333 345 403 490 680
 Kentucky 197 638 1,077 1,273 1,419 1,566 1,315 1,380 2,083 2,381
 Louisiana 188 661 777 861 996 1,108 1,140 1,267 1,896 2,463
 Maine 67 163 216 269 353 424 345 371 496 611
 Maryland 629 656 1,070 1,285 2,044 2,247 2,324 2,369 2,771 2,737
 Massachusetts 488 780 1,289 1,724 2,227 2,168 2,241 2,210 2,302 2,585
 Michigan 460 985 1,762 1,980 2,347 2,694 2,591 2,385 2,759 3,089
 Minnesota 136 282 517 581 672 733 636 792 1,050 1,356
 Mississippi 87 248 336 351 352 354 310 394 586 787
 Missouri 276 608 1,067 1,066 1,371 1,367 1,610 1,583 1,875 2,155
 Montana 41 96 125 138 119 119 125 143 162 199
 Nebraska 39 86 125 126 120 152 138 161 214 214
 Nevada 227 457 545 619 665 676 688 647 832 949
 New Hampshire 54 142 334 422 481 467 452 407 393 441
 New Jersey 557 823 1,253 1,454 2,056 2,685 2,900 2,805 2,840 3,056
 New Mexico 266 373 547 501 500 493 537 599 784 1,052
 New York 959 944 2,300 2,754 3,638 3,921 3,697 3,617 4,965 5,842
 North Carolina 366 1,000 1,358 1,567 1,956 2,414 2,259 2,266 3,146 3,981
 North Dakota 12 12 43 61 77 68 70 82 114 124
 Ohio 467 1,243 2,744 3,310 4,329 5,111 3,980 4,251 5,204 5,397
 Oklahoma 178 478 777 725 813 775 716 645 762 960
 Oregon 210 386 522 505 506 530 547 615 803 1,171
 Pennsylvania 990 1,613 2,732 3,264 4,627 5,388 4,415 4,377 5,168 5,449
 Rhode Island 58 156 247 310 326 320 317 307 397 455
 South Carolina 147 427 701 761 879 1,008 1,125 1,127 1,739 2,138
 South Dakota 17 40 63 65 69 73 57 86 83 105
 Tennessee 344 872 1,269 1,457 1,630 1,776 1,823 2,089 3,034 3,813
 Texas 1,087 1,910 2,601 2,588 2,831 2,989 3,005 3,136 4,172 4,984
 Utah 205 438 603 646 635 650 624 571 622 662
 Vermont 29 53 83 99 125 134 153 133 190 252
 Virginia 366 581 980 1,039 1,405 1,507 1,448 1,547 2,240 2,626
 Washington 555 850 979 1,094 1,102 1,169 1,164 1,259 1,733 2,264
 West Virginia 75 184 627 725 884 974 856 870 1,330 1,501
 Wisconsin 212 518 853 878 1,074 1,177 1,079 1,201 1,531 1,775
 Wyoming 20 26 109 96 99 69 66 79 99 109

Timeline by drug[edit]

Concerning the data in the charts below (in this section and the following sections) deaths from the various drugs add up to more than the yearly overdose death total because multiple drugs are involved in many of the deaths.[8]

US yearly overdose deaths, and the drugs involved.[8]

Opioid charts[edit]

Further information: Opioid overdose and Opioid epidemic in the United States
A two milligram dose of fentanyl powder (on pencil tip) is a lethal amount for most people.[10]

Opioids were involved in around 80,400 of the around 106,700 deaths in 2021.[8] See map higher up for states with the highest overdose death rates.

Three waves of opioid overdose deaths.[11]
U.S. overdose deaths involving all opioids. Deaths per 100,000 population.[12]
US yearly deaths from all opioid drugs. Included in this number are opioid analgesics, along with heroin and illicit synthetic opioids.[8]
US yearly deaths involving other synthetic opioids, predominately Fentanyl.[8]
US yearly deaths involving prescription opioids. Non-methadone synthetics is a category dominated by illegally acquired fentanyl, and has been excluded.[8]
US overdose deaths involving heroin, by other opioid involvement.[8]
Timeline of US overdose deaths involving stimulants (cocaine and psychostimulants), by opioid involvement.[8]
US overdose deaths involving psychostimulants with abuse potential (primarily methamphetamine), by opioid involvement.
Opioid involvement in cocaine overdose deaths.[8]
The top line represents the yearly number of benzodiazepine deaths that involved opioids in the US. The bottom line represents benzodiazepine deaths that did not involve opioids.[8]
Drug overdose deaths involving antidepressants, by opioid involvement.[8]

Rate timeline by race and ethnicity[edit]

Timeline of US drug overdose death rates by race and ethnicity.[13] Rate per 100,000 population.

Rate timeline by sex[edit]

Timeline of US drug overdose death rates by sex,[14] Rate per 100,000 population.

Comparisons to other countries in Europe[edit]

There were around 68,700 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2018. That is a rate of 210 deaths per million residents.[6][7] Compare that rate to the 2018 rates of the European countries in the first chart below.

Drug overdose death rates for European countries.[15][16]
  • Row numbers below are static. Other columns are sortable. This allows ranking of any column.
  • Location links below are "Healthcare in LOCATION" links.
Drug overdose deaths per year.[16]
Location 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
 Austria 235 191 196 184 154
 Belgium 168 152 148
 Bulgaria 20 24 11 24 18
 Croatia 77 99 97 85 65
 Cyprus 10 6 5 12 16
 Czech Republic 64 58 42 39 42
 Denmark 197 202 183 239
 Estonia 39 33 27 39 110
 Finland 287 258 234 261 200
 France 417
 Germany 1,826 1,581 1,398 1,276 1,272
 Greece 230 274 255
 Hungary 42 48 43 33 33
 Ireland 235
 Italy 293 309 374 336 297
 Latvia 17 21 12 20 22
 Lithuania 62 47 52 59 83
 Luxembourg 5 6 8 4 8
 Malta 5 3 5
 Netherlands 298 295 252 224 262
 Norway 241 324 275 286 247
 Poland 229 212 199 202
 Portugal 63 72 55 51
 Romania 30 33 45 26 32
 Slovakia 28 37 34 32 19
 Slovenia 65 70 74 59 47
 Spain 774 546 450 437
 Sweden 450 524 555 583 643
 Turkey 314 342 657 941
 United Kingdom 3,284

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fentanyl. Image 4 of 17. US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration). See archive with caption: "photo illustration of 2 milligrams of fentanyl, a lethal dose in most people".
  2. ^ Facts About Fentanyl. From US Drug Enforcement Administration.
  3. ^ a b c Data is from these saved tables from CDC Wonder at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. The tables have totals, rates, and US populations per year. The numbers are continually updated: "This dataset has been updated since this request was saved, which could lead to differences in results." So the numbers in the table at the source may be slightly different.
  4. ^ a b c d e Drug Overdose Mortality by State. Pick year from menu below map. From National Center for Health Statistics for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers are in the data table below the map, and by running your cursor over the map at the source. CSV data link below table.
  5. ^ a b Death Rate Maps & Graphs | Drug Overdose. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Click on a map year. The data table is below the map. Number of deaths for each state, and the age-adjusted rates of death for each state. Also, place cursor on map states to get data.
  6. ^ a b Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph in Figure 1A to get the latest number. Scroll down the page and click on the dropdown data table called "Data Table for Figure 1a. 12 Month-ending Provisional Counts of Drug Overdose Deaths". The number used is the "predicted value" for the 12 month period that is ending at the end of that month. That number changes as more info comes in. If there are problems use a different browser.
  7. ^ a b US Population by Month. US resident population. Source: US Census Bureau. Population from the middle of the 12-month period is used to calculate the death rate. See WP:CALC.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Drug Overdose Death Rates. By National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). See "Download Links" section near the bottom of the page for the latest data link, and a PowerPoint link.
  9. ^ Yousif, Nadine (September 17, 2023). "How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US". BBC News.
  10. ^ "One Pill Can Kill". US Drug Enforcement Administration. Archived from the original on 15 Nov 2023. Retrieved 15 Nov 2023.
  11. ^ Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic. See large image. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  12. ^ Opioid Data Analysis and Resources. Drug Overdose. CDC Injury Center. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Click on "Rising Rates" tab for a graph. See the data table below the graph.
  13. ^ NCHS Data Visualization Gallery - Drug Poisoning Mortality. From National Center for Health Statistics. Open the dashboard dropdown menu and pick "U.S. Trends". From the menus on the right pick all races, all ages, and both sexes. Run your cursor over the graph to see the data.
  14. ^ Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief No. 457, December 2022.. From National Center for Health Statistics. Scroll down to Figure 1. Right-click the image, and then click "Open link in new tab" to get the larger PNG image. 2001-2021 chart.
  15. ^ Lowther, Ed; Brocklehurst, Steven. (15 December 2020). Scotland's drug death crisis in six charts. BBC News. Data sources listed are EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) and National Records of Scotland.
  16. ^ a b Statistical Bulletin 2023 — drug-induced deaths. See table of yearly drug deaths by country there. From European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Further reading[edit]

Look up overdose in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drug-related death statistics in the United States.
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