Age profiles of people in drug-related treatment vary widely across regions and subregions.Limited data suggest wide regional differences in the age distribution of people in treatment for drug use disorders.Globally, two main patterns emerge: in Central Asia and Transcaucasia, Western and Central…
In South-Eastern Europe, and Western and Central Europe, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) use and health harm remain mainly linked to amphetamine and are relatively low compared to other regions.Amphetamines are the third most common stimulant drugs group in Europe after cocaine and “ecstasy”.…
Methamphetamine and other ATS remain the leading substances for which people seek drug treatment in East and South-East Asia.The number of people receiving treatment for ATS use, mainly methamphetamine, has remained stable or declined in the majority of reporting countries – with the exception of…
The use of amphetamines has distinct regional patterns; past-year use is generally higher among men (0.85 per cent) than women (0.34 per cent) globally.The largest markets for ATS, mainly methamphetamine, remain East and South-East Asia and North America. The highest past-year use of amphetamines…
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…
Drug mixtures present on the drugs market may cause additional harms alongside those traditionally observed, due to issues such as user-unknown content, varying contents, the presence of harmful ingredients, or possible drug interactions, to name a few.New drug mixtures such as "tuci" pink cocaine…
Treatment coverage remains low globally, with strong regional and drug-specific differences.Only a small proportion of people with drug use disorders receive treatment, with coverage highest in Europe and lowest in Africa and Asia. Across all regions, the estimated treatment coverage is lower for…
The limited data available suggest that pathways into drug-related treatment and the types of treatment vary between regionsData from 61 countries suggest that pathways of referral vary by (sub)region: for example, in Africa, referral by friends and family or self-referral is most common, while in…
Global availability, coverage and accessibility of drug-related treatment varies across intervention types.Not all types of pharmacological treatment, psychosocial interventions and rehabilitation and aftercare are available in all countries. Opioid agonist maintenance therapy and opioid antagonist…
Data on specific population groups remain limited.The available information suggests higher levels of drug use, drug use disorders and injecting drug use among sex workers, people experiencing homelessness and those with severe mental illness compared with the general population, while these tend…
Men continue to make up the majority of people who use drugs, but gender differences vary by drug and region.In 2024, about three quarters of people who used drugs in the past year were men, though the share of women varies substantially by region and drug type. For example, only 8 per cent of…
“Ecstasy” use remains highest in high income countries and parts of Asia.Past-year use of "ecstasy" globally is estimated at 0.4 per cent among those aged 15-64. Use is higher among men (0.54 per cent) than women (0.26 per cent), but the difference is not as pronounced as for other drugs (for…
