Globally, the use of synthetic NPS continues to be lower than most internationally controlled drugs.

• Based on the available data – mainly from high-income countries – the use of synthetic NPS is generally lower than the use of drugs under international control. By contrast, the scarce data on plant-based NPS suggest higher use in specific countries (e.g., 7.85 per cent of people in Thailand used kratom in 2024 and 4.8 per cent of people in Kenya used khat in 2017 – data not shown).
• Data on the use of any NPS were available from the highest number of countries (26) and suggested a median prevalence of 0.3 per cent of general population aged 15-64. Data on the use of specific NPS were even more scarce and thus only illustrate their prevalence of use in the given set of countries.
• Although data are scarce, gender differences in the use of NPS appear similar to those for controlled substances, with higher use among men than women.