“Strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse” as formulated in the SDG target 3.5, is far from been achieved. There have been setbacks or no progress on drug-related treatment coverage.

• The global indicator that monitors SDG target 3.5 is coverage of treatment interventions for substance use disorders.
• New estimates for this indicator suggest that globally, at the minimum 8.2% of people with drug use disorders received treatment in 2024.
• There remain important differences across regions, with Europe and Oceania presenting the highest coverage and Africa (based on limited data) and Asia showing the lowest.
• The achievement of SDG target 3.5 is much harder for women than men. Drug-related treatment coverage is lower amongst women than it is amongst men in all five global regions, with about 1 in 24 women with drug use disorders having received treatment globally in 2024, while the ratio was 1 in 9 for men.