The number of people using illicit drugs worldwide has reached its highest recorded level, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday, warning of the growing public health toll and the deepening vulnerabilities driving global demand.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, an estimated 316 million people aged 15 to 64 — or roughly 6 percent of that age group — used drugs other than alcohol and tobacco in 2023. That figure marks a sharp increase from 5.2 percent in 2013.
The agency’s annual World Drug Report highlights cannabis as the most widely used drug, with 244 million users globally. It is followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million), and MDMA (21 million).
“The rise in drug use is a warning signal to governments, health systems, and international organizations,” the report stated, noting that global instability, conflict, poverty, and displacement are expanding the population of those at risk.
The report emphasized that refugees, internally displaced people, and victims of humanitarian crises are particularly susceptible to substance abuse, creating new layers of vulnerability.
Drug use disorders continue to place an enormous burden on public health systems. In 2021 alone, nearly 500,000 drug-related deaths were recorded globally. An estimated 28 million people lost years of healthy life due to premature death or disability linked to drug use.
Despite the growing scale of the crisis, treatment remains out of reach for many. Only one in 12 people with drug use disorders received treatment in 2023, according to the report. Contributing factors include a lack of evidence-based services, ineffective policies, and persistent stigma.
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UNODC, called for urgent and comprehensive responses to the escalating crisis. “Organized criminal groups are exploiting global crises to expand their hold on drug markets,” she said. “To counter this rising threat, we must shift from reactive approaches to proactive investments in prevention, education, alternative livelihoods, and international cooperation.”
The report also draws attention to surging cocaine trafficking, the expansion of synthetic drug markets — particularly methamphetamine and Captagon — and the environmental damage caused by drug production and transport.
The findings were released in conjunction with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed annually on June 26 to raise awareness and promote global action against the harms of drug abuse.
