The number of NPS on the global market increased strongly in 2024 following a short period of decline between 2021 and 2023.

• The number of NPS on the global market rose by 30 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023 and reached a new record high of 755 substances – the number rose almost five-fold compared to 2010.
• Most NPS on the market concerned (i) stimulants, notably synthetic cathinones and phenethylamines, followed by (ii) synthetic cannabinoids. The strongest increase over the 2015-2024 period, however, was in synthetic opioids.
• NPS are substances, either in a pure form or in a preparation, that are not controlled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, but that are similar to substances controlled under these conventions and may pose a public health threat.