Progress on strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse – as formulated in SDG target 3.5 – remains limited.

• Coverage of treatment interventions for substance use disorders remains low globally, with new estimates for this indicator suggesting that, at the minimum, 8.2 per cent of people with drug use disorders received treatment in 2024.
• Large regional disparities persist: treatment coverage is highest in Europe and Oceania and lowest in Africa (based on limited data) and Asia.
• Women likely face greater barriers to treatment than men in all five regions. Globally, only about 1 in 23 women with drug use disorders received treatment in 2024, compared with 1 in 9 men.