An estimated 331 million people used drugs in 2024, making up 6.2% of the global population aged 15 to 64. That's up from 5.2% just a decade ago. [1]
The results come from the annual United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, released this June 2026. And behind these sobering statistics is a much bigger story about how the global drug supply is evolving.
Here's exactly what the report found, and what it means for the people and communities navigating substance addiction and recovery.
Key statistics from the World Drug Report 2026
Cannabis remains the world's most widely used drug by a significant margin, with 256 million users in 2024. That's followed by opioids (63 million), amphetamines (32 million), cocaine (25 million), and ecstasy (21 million). [2] And overall drug use has grown roughly 34% over the past decade. [3]
The report also points to a growing health concern. There were nearly half a million deaths linked to drug use in 2023, two-thirds of which were related to infectious diseases. As such, the report highlights disparities in access to essential treatment and pain medication, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where regulatory gaps and weak distribution systems leave many people without sufficient care. [3]
Likewise, people are increasingly choosing to use synthetic substances instead of plant-based drugs, while new psychoactive substances are appearing faster than regulators can track them. And the people affected span all regions and demographics. [4]
This year's report also introduces a new thematic chapter shining a light on how drug use, violence, and crime intersect and reinforce one another. [2] To learn more about the recent growth of synthetic substances, have a look at our related coverage of synthetic drugs and the global drug trade.
The synthetic drug revolution: Fentanyl, nitazenes, and orphines
Today, synthetic drugs are cheaper to produce, easier to transport, and harder for the law to catch than plant-based substances, and drug traffickers are leaning into these advantages. Authorities identified 755 new psychoactive substances circulating in 2024 alone. 118 were discovered for the first time, and the number of distinct drug types found in seizures is now five times higher than before 2000. [4]
Nowhere is this change clearer than in the opioid market. Restrictions on opium production in Afghanistan’s 2022 opium ban cut its production by 95% the following year, and production increases in countries including Myanmar, Laos, and Mexico haven't come close to replacing it. [4]
To fill the gap, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, nitazenes, and orphines are being produced, with some even stronger than anything before. [4]
Researchers involved in the report describe the resulting drug market as more diverse, yet also far more dangerous. Emergency responders often can't tell exactly what substance they're dealing with and how to treat it. [1] That's a huge reason why today's synthetic drugs are treated as a distinct, higher-risk category.
Regional trends: Where the crisis is hitting hardest
The synthetic drug surge looks different depending on regions and countries. In North America, opioid use remains high, although fentanyl-related overdose deaths decreased in 2024. [3]
Cocaine tells a different story: production in 2024 was nearly five times higher than a decade ago, driven by both expanded cultivation area and higher productivity. Nearly two-thirds of global cocaine seizures are reported from South America, while organized crime groups spread into markets across Africa and Asia. [4]
Methamphetamine has become a global market, with new trafficking routes expanding into the Near and Middle East, Africa, and parts of Europe. Methamphetamine seizures have grown an average of 13% a year. Supply has expanded well beyond Myanmar to include North America, West and Southern Africa, and Southwest Asia. [4]
Cannabis trafficking has also become more international. Between 2015 and 2024, 57 countries or territories outside North America identified North America as the source of cannabis they seized, up from 11 in the previous decade. [4] Cocaine trafficking growth rates in certain countries in Africa and Asia are today among the highest worldwide, even though seizure rates on these continents are relatively low. [4]
How many people in the world are in treatment?
Of the estimated 63 million people worldwide suffering from drug use disorders, only about 8%, roughly 1 in 12, received any form of treatment. [3] And among the 14 million people who inject drugs globally, nearly seven million live with hepatitis C and 1.7 million with HIV. [5]
The treatment gap is still wider for women experiencing addiction or substance abuse, who become dependent on drugs more quickly, yet face bigger barriers to care. Globally, only one in 23 women with a drug use disorder receives treatment, compared with one in nine men. [1]
Policy and public health implications
The report suggests the path forward includes deterring people from using drugs, sharing more information around them, and greater investment in prevention and treatment. [4] But some public health researchers have pushed back on this, arguing it doesn't address harm reduction tools like naloxone (Narcan) distribution and drug-checking services, especially as the boom in synthetic drugs makes overdoses harder to predict and deal with. [1]
The report also contains an overview of cannabis regulation models used in jurisdictions including Canada, Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, South Africa, Czechia, and 28 US states. Today, an estimated 380 million people live in areas that have adopted some form of cannabis legalization. [5]
There are many debates, and many experts disagree on the right balance between enforcement, prevention, and harm reduction. However, as the report shows, the current state of policy and treatment capacity clearly isn't meeting demand or slowing down global drug use rates.
What this means for communities & individuals
While many people and families working their way through drug addiction may feel removed or unsure what to think about the global drug use figures, they do point to something important. That is, the drugs available today are likely to be riskier and less predictable than what people were using even a few years ago. A pill or powder purchased today may not contain what it's advertised as, raising the risks for anyone using substances recreationally or managing an existing drug addiction or dependence.
Communities that focus on providing early intervention, up-to-date, accurate information about circulating substances, and access to treatment are best positioned to protect their members. And those with limited treatment infrastructure are likely to feel the gap the most.
When supply moves faster than care
The 2026 World Drug Report paints a picture of a global drug supply growing faster than today’s treatment systems can keep up with. The surge of synthetic drugs is making an already difficult problem more unpredictable and harder to contain, while millions across the world with substance use disorders still can't access treatment for drug addiction.
The good news is that the report also points to solutions within reach: closing treatment gaps that affect women and people in low-resource regions, increasing efficient harm reduction tools, and building faster, more coordinated responses as the drug landscape continues to change.
This article summarizes the findings from the 2026 World Drug Report, but doesn't replace professional medical advice. If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, please reach out to a licensed treatment provider so you can find the right support.
