More countries perceived an increase in drug-related deaths in 2024 than a decrease.

• Toxicological findings reported by 66 countries suggest that opioids are by far the most common substance involved in direct drug-related deaths, with cocaine now ranking second after overtaking (albeit by a small margin) pharmaceutical sedatives and tranquilizers used non-medically.
• The limited sex-disaggregated data of direct-drug related deaths suggest that the share of women is highest among deaths in relation to sedatives and tranquilizers (33 per cent, average of 35 countries not including the United States) compared to other drugs.
• In the United States, the country with the highest number of drug-related deaths globally, in 2023, opioids were the main implicated drug class. Women constitute about thirty per cent of all drug overdose deaths, with their share highest (55 per cent) among the relatively small number of deaths involving antidepressants.
• Global estimates by IHME further highlight the dominance of opioids as the most common cause of direct drug-related deaths, displaying a considerable increase over the past three decades, although recent data suggest a slowing in the rate of growth.