Drug use & health consequences>>People Who Inject Drugs

People who inject drugs

  • The global burden of caring with evidence informed interventions for people who inject drugs remains high
  • In 2024, there were an estimated 14.3 million people who inject drugs, or 0.3 per cent of the population aged 15–64.
  • The highest prevalence of people who inject drugs (PWID) remain in Eastern Europe and North America, though nearly half of the estimated global number of PWID reside in North America and East and Southeast Asia.
  • Over the past decade (2014 - 2024) the number of people who inject drugs has increased by 22 per cent, partly owing to population increase.