About Overdose Prevention

Overview

Drug overdose is an evolving public health crisis. In 2023, an estimated 54.2 million Americans aged 12 or older needed substance use disorder treatment in the past year, but only 12.8 million people with a substance use disorder in the past year received treatment.1Reducing the use of illegal drugs, the misuse of prescription opioids and other medications, and drug overdoses and deaths has been a longstanding challenge.

Drug overdoses dramatically increased over the last two decades, with deaths increasing approximately 520% from 1999 to 2023.2 In 2023, approximately 105,000 people died from a drug overdose and nearly 80,000, or about 76%, involved opioids.2 Additionally, deaths involving multiple drugs (i.e., polysubstance overdose deaths) have also increased.3 Research shows that people who have had at least one opioid overdose are more likely to have another.4

Drug overdose data show troubling and widening differences among population groups. From 2022 to 2023, overdose death rates (number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people):5

• Increased 39% for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander people (from 18.8 to 26.2 deaths per 100,000 people).
• Increased nearly 3% for non-Hispanic Black people (from 47.5 to 48.9 deaths per 100,000 people).
• Did not significantly change for American Indian and Alaska Native people (65.2 to 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people), Hispanic people (22.7 to 22.8 deaths per 100,000 people), and Asian people (5.3 to 5.1 deaths per 100,000 people).
• Decreased nearly 8% for non-Hispanic White people (from 35.6 to 33.1 deaths per 100,000 people).

Overdose statistics

General and Demographics

• In 2023, approximately 105,000 people died from drug overdose in the United States. This is equal to about 287 deaths each day.5
• In both 2022 and 2023, the rate of drug overdose deaths was highest for adults ages 35–44. In 2022, the rate was lowest for adults aged 65 and older, but in 2023 the rate was lowest for people ages 15–24.5
• In 2023, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths was higher for males (44.3 deaths per 100,000 people) than for females (18.3 deaths per 100,000 people).5
• In both 2022 and 2023, drug overdose death rates were highest for American Indian and Alaska Native people and lowest for Asian people.5
• From 2022 to 2023, rates of drug overdose deaths significantly decreased for non-Hispanic White people.5
• In 2023, among 37 states and DC, nearly 3 out of 5 drug overdose deaths had at least one potential opportunity to link the person to care before the fatal overdose or to implement life-saving actions when the fatal overdose occurred.6

Drug Type

• Among 2023 drug overdose deaths, nearly 76% involved an opioid (prescription or illegal), 69% involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily illegally made fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, or IMFs), 28% involved cocaine, and 33% involved psychostimulants with abuse potential, such as methamphetamine.2
• In 2023, nearly 73,000 drug overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily IMFs). This represents nearly 92% of opioid overdose deaths. The rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids decreased approximately 2% from 2022 to 2023.2
• In 2023, nearly 4,000 overdose deaths involved heroin. This is about 4% of all drug overdose deaths and 5% of all opioid overdose deaths in 2023. The rate of overdose deaths involving heroin decreased approximately 33% from 2022 to 2023.2
• In 2023, nearly 35,000 overdose deaths involved psychostimulants with abuse potential (primarily methamphetamine). This is about 33% of all overdose deaths in 2023.2
• In 2023, nearly 30,000 overdose deaths involved cocaine. This is about 28% of all overdose deaths in 2023.2
• Among 37 states and DC, 47% of drug overdose deaths in 2023 involved both opioids and stimulants.6

These statistics reflect the importance of action. CDC is addressing this crisis through evidence-based interventions that account for changes in the illegal drug supply, continued threats from illegally made fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and a rise in deaths involving stimulants and more than one drug.

CDC’s prevention work to address the drug overdose epidemic

One way CDC is working to address drug overdoses is to advance overdose prevention in communities across the country. There were two funding announcements made available in 2023 for city, county, state, and territorial health departments known as the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) cooperative agreements. These funding opportunities support innovation, expand prevention strategies, link people to life-saving care, and make the latest data available to help get ahead of the constantly evolving epidemic.

Additionally, we support the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program, which is the nation's leading effort to support communities working to prevent youth substance use. The DFC program has been a central component of our nation's youth substance use prevention strategy, and it provides funding and support to community coalitions to prevent and reduce youth substance use. DFC coalitions are uniquely situated to leverage historical knowledge and the unique needs and assets in their communities to address youth substance use by requiring comprehensive prevention planning with an emphasis on community level change.

Prevention efforts and evidence-based strategies

It is important that comprehensive, community-based prevention and response efforts incorporate evidence-based interventions to address differences in drug overdose deaths. Evidence-based prevention interventions are informed by research and practice. Dissemination can be strengthened by partnerships and can be tailored and scaled up to meet local circumstances.

Not all overdoses have to end in death. Everyone has a role to play. It is important that more is done to prevent overdoses and deaths. Prevention activities help educate and support individuals, families, and communities and are critical for maintaining both individual and community health.