Drug-related deaths continue to rise globally, with indirect causes accounting for most harm.

• The total global number of deaths directly or indirectly attributable to drugs continued to increase in 2023, although population-adjusted rates have grown more slowly, suggesting that the growth was in part due to population growth at the susceptible age.
• Drug-related deaths from indirect causes – such as liver disease and hepatitis C – account for about two thirds of all drug-related deaths.
• Opioid use disorders account for the greatest loss of years of healthy life.
• While HIV-related deaths decreased over the past 19 years, deaths related to drug use disorders (mainly overdose deaths) and deaths related to hepatitis C increased.