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…
Data show a persistent reliance on the 3,4-MDP-2-P chemical pathway, an increased importance of pre-precursors related to 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid among “ecstasy” precursors, and an ongoing concentration of “ecstasy” precursor seizures in Europe.Historically, 3,4-MDP-2-P, also known as…
“Ecstasy” seizures reached record levels in 2024, surpassing pre-COVID-19 pandemic highs.The quantity of “ecstasy” (MDMA) seized worldwide increased by 13 percent from 2023 to 2024, more than doubling compared with 2021 levels, following a pandemic-related decline.Increases were widespread in 2024…
Most “ecstasy” found in the global market continues to be produced in the subregion of Western and Central Europe.Data suggest that the bulk of the "ecstasy" is still being produced in Europe, with 82 per cent of reported countries of transit or departure of seized shipments around the world being…
“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…
Australia and New Zealand have the highest global annual prevalence of use of "ecstasy", where it is mostly used in capsule and crystal form.In Australia, the use and availability of "ecstasy" declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but have started to increase again in 2023 (while not yet reaching…
“Ecstasy” use remains concentrated in Europe (mainly Western and Central Europe)Use is significantly higher in Western and Central Europe than in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, both in terms of prevalence (1.2 per cent vs. 0.4 per cent) and number of users (nearly 4 million versus less than 800,…
Non-traditional cocaine markets in Africa, Asia and some subregions of Europe are rapidly expanding as shown by supply and demand indicators.Given the substantial population of these regions, even a small increase in the prevalence of use could translate to a large increase in the number of people…
Seizures of key pharmaceutical opioids show distinct regional patterns by substance.While fentanyl seizures remain overwhelmingly concentrated in North America (> 99 per cent), other pharmaceutical opioids dominate seizures in different regions: codeine in West and Central Africa and South Asia…
Global opioid use has remained broadly stable, with strong regional differences in prevalence of use.The number of people who use opioids worldwide has remained relatively stable in the last five years, with the estimate for 2024 only slightly higher than the level in 2019.Prevalence of past-year…
Global opiate use has remained broadly stable, with slight declines in the prevalence of use.The number of people using opiates worldwide has remained stable over the last five years, while the annual prevalence of use declined slightly from 0.61 per cent in 2020 to 0.57 per cent in 2023 and 2024.…
The global cocaine market continues to experience strong growth in supply and demand, and organized crime groups continue to funnel continue to funnel increasingly large quantities of cocaine towards established and emerging destination markets.Taking potential cocaine manufacture and seizures into…
