United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time
CDC data on U.S. drug overdose deaths from 1968 to 2025.
From 1968 to 2022, the rate of drug overdose fatalities in the United States climbed from 2.5 per 100,000 individuals to a high of 33.2 per 100,000.[1] In the year concluding on December 31, 2025, roughly 70,000 individuals lost their lives, which equates to 192 fatalities each day.[2]
Quick Facts
- Peak annual deaths
- 110,900 (2022)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Of the roughly 110,700 drug overdose deaths in 2021, opioids were involved in about 80,400, or nearly 73% of cases.[3] Synthetic opioids other than methadone, primarily fentanyl, were involved in around 70,600, or nearly 64%, of all 2021 deaths.[3] Deaths from various drugs add up to more than the yearly overdose death total because multiple drugs are involved in many deaths.[4] The highest recorded number of drug overdose deaths was approximately 110,900, occurring in 2022.[1]
For recent years, the CDC relies on a "predicted value" to report numbers in the introductory section.[5] According to the CDC, "predicted provisional counts represent estimates of the number of deaths adjusted for incomplete reporting."[5] The CDC source for the table below receives ongoing updates, meaning the figures can shift slightly; the year 2021 marked a significant milestone in US history, with fatalities exceeding 100,000.[6]
What the cited sources add
The CDC Wonder database provides the underlying totals for the overdose death rates and counts over time.[7] The US Census Bureau supplies the monthly resident population estimates used to calculate death rates.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 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; Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph i (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 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.; Population Clock. United States Census Bureau. Scroll down to "Select a date" and enter date for US resident population.; Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph i (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph i; 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.; 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; Drug Overdo en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures", National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), August 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Products - Vital Statistics Rapid Release - Provisional Drug Overdose Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hover cursor over the end of the graph i; 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. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 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; "Products - Data Briefs - Number 522 - December 2024. Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2003–2023.", National Center for Health Statistics, December 2024; Yousif, "How the fentanyl crisis' fourth wave has hit every corner of the US", September 17, 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- 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. facts only, no text reused. wonder.cdc.gov
- 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.. facts only, no text reused. multpl.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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