Drug Abuse Statistics (2023)
The problems with drug abuse in modern society have been around for decades. As of 2023, the issue of drugs has once again taken center stage in the social and political discourse.
Drug Abuse Around the World
The COVID lock downs, anxiety about survival, fears of job security and recession has meant that more people have turned towards drugs as an easy escape from their lives.
People who use drugs often notice reduced ability to face and overcome challenges in their lives. As these problems pile on, it is not uncommon to find addicts who are homeless, and hopeless for their future.
It is not just the individuals but the society as a whole can be harmed by a drug epidemic. In long run, businesses and people shift away, in search for safer and healthier social life.
In this collection of statistics, you will find out about Drug Abuse in:
- United States of America
- Canada
- Mexico
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Eastern Europe
- India
- China
- South East Asia
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Nigeria
- South Africa
Drug Abuse in North America
With the War on Drugs campaign going on since the 1970s, the drugs issue has been at the political focal point for over 5 decades.
In recent times however, there has also been an uptick in popularity of drugs such as fentanyl, low cost and easy availability of which is letting people switch from "safer" things such as marijuana.
United States
Synthetic drugs have become a major issue for the society, leading to over 106,000 people losing their lives from drug overdose.
Some action has been taken by the US government to curb flow of these drugs into US from bordering countries, but the problem still persists.
Different states within the US have their own ways of dealing with the problems of drugs and homelessness.
| Drug | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Synthetic Opioids (fentanyl) | 71,238 |
| Psycho-stimulants (meth) | 32,856 |
| Cocaine | 24,538 |
| Natural/semi-synthetic (prescription) | 13,503 |
Canada
Along with a fentanyl problem like its neighbour in the south, Canada also faces a growing challenge over use of tranquilizers among its population.
Drugs such as xylazine, which are used for animal anesthesia, are being used to cut (adulterate) synthetic drugs sold in Canada.
In the political sphere, lawmakers of Canada have decriminalized possession of hard drugs like fentanyl, morphine, heroin and cocaine when in small amounts (2.5grams).
Mexico
Mexico has a long history of being affected by crime syndicates and drug cartels that are interested in movement of drugs into the US.
The sheer number of people associated with these crime make it hard to crack down, especially without backlash from other members of the gangs.
The US has long requested its Mexican counterparts to take big action, following which members of US congress have asked for US troops and agencies to attack or infiltrate into Mexico to deal with the issue themselves.
Estimated drug users: 10 million (14% of adult population)
Deaths due to overdose: 40,000 in 2022
Drug Abuse in Europe
Europe has couple major hot spots for use of drugs, with Belgium and Netherlands in the north and Czech Republic to Romania in the east.
Germany
Top 5 drugs seized ranked according to quantities measured in kilograms 1. Cocaine 2. Herbal cannabis 3. Amphetamine 4. Cannabis resin 5. Heroin
United Kingdom
The trend of drug use and abuse in UK has been mostly flat over the years. Drugs abuse is not as big of a problem as alcoholism, which is far more integrated into the social culture of Britain.
Political and social movements in the country have not been in support of decriminalizing recreational drugs. The UK has strict laws, which are regularly enforced, for possession of illegal drugs.
As the UK and its neighbour Ireland do not share land border with other countries, there has been no surge of drug trafficking similar to what is noticed in other western countries.
Netherlands
Netherlands is famed around the world for its drug culture and recreational use.
Rest of Europe
Drug Abuse in Asia
India
Use of drugs for recreation is a not common in Indian society. With the exception of
China
Note: Data for China is provided by the Chinese consulate and other government affiliates. No independent data is available due to lack of free media in China.
South East Asia
The region of South East Asia has seen a rapid rise in cases of use of hard drug abuse and their trafficking recently.
Ever since the military coup in Myanmar, there has been increase in opium growth and methamphetamine manufacturing in the country.
Cambodia also acts as a base for manufacturing synthetic drugs such as ketamine on an industrial scale.
Drug Abuse in South America
South America has for long been seen as a haven for production and smuggling of drugs and other banned substances to the USA and Europe.
This region is known for being the only place on earth with mass cultivation of coca, the main ingredient used to make cocaine.
The illegal drugs industry has developed a local market over time, to serve along with usual trafficking destinations, leading to higher consumption of drugs within the countries of South America.
Colombia
Brazil
Brazilian policy makers have taken hard stance to curb drug usage amongst its citizen, but execution of these policies has left prisons filled with people arrested on drug charges, while the problem continues to grow.
Over the last decade, illegal drug shipment from Brazil to rest of the world has skyrocketed.
Brazil went from being almost non-existent in 2015, to being the 2nd largest country in South America in terms of production and trafficking for drugs such as cocaine.
Argentina
For a long time, Argentina acted like a dispatch port for much of South America's drug shipment to Europe.
Like most of South America, Argentina's local consumption of illegal drugs has skyrocketed due to easy availability of drugs
Drug Abuse in Africa
The continent of Africa lacks substantial formal data on drug and substance abuse. However many studies and reports have been documented from which we can extrapolate data for the overall population.
People in Africa suffer the most in the help that they can get for recovery, with only 1 in 18 people, or 5% of the people have access to any form of help in recovery from drug abuse.
Nigeria
Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has a reputation as a hot spot for drug trafficking and usage, especially amongst young adults.
Around 14% of people aged between 15 and 64, or a total of 16.3 million people reported to have used drugs within the past year.
Drug use has grown rapidly in recent years, compared to back in 2016 when only 5.6% of adults had used drugs in the past year.
1 in 5 person who had used drugs in the past year is suffering from drug user disorders.
Overall, an estimated 376,000 were estimated to be high risk drug users. 3 The majority of high risk drug users were regular users of opioids.
| Drug | Number of People |
|---|---|
| Cannabis | 10.6 Million |
| Opioids | 4.6 Million |
| Cough Syrup (Overuse) | 2.4 Million |
| Tranquilizers and Sedatives | 481 Thousand |
| Ecstasy | 340 Thousand |
| Solvents and Inhalants | 300 Thousand |
| Amphetamines and Stimulants | 238 Thousand |
| Cocaine | 92 Thousand |
South Africa
South Africa has a history and tradition of drug use. Cannabis, also known as Dagga locally, has found regular use in the society since the 1500s.
In the last few decades hard drugs imported from overseas have seen a rise in consumption of cocaine, heroin and LSD among the younger generations.
Sources
Report is compiled by Somatic Being to provide a comprehensive insight into drug abuse at a glance. You can contact us to purchase the complete report.
Data is mainly compiled from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports of previous years. Other regional data sources are also used to provide a clear picture of drug abuse in our society today.