The non-medical use and trafficking of tramadol remain most concentrated in North Africa, West and Central Africa, and the Near and Middle East and South-West Asia, though there remains significant localized non-medical use in other regions.There remains a significant data gap on tramadol use and…
Similarly to most internationally controlled drugs, the use of NPS among adolescents is higher than among the general population, but the difference between adolescent boys and girlsis lower for NPS than for controlled drugs.Limited data suggest that NPS use is generally higher among school…
The health harms posed by the non-medical use of opioids remains high in North America, but have started to decline in late 2023 and in 2024.Opioid overdose deaths reached historical highs in the United States of America and Canada between 2021 and 2023 but have since started to decline, returning…
In East and South-East Asia, limited regular data collection makes it difficult to assess long-term trends in opioid use. However, data on people registered for drug use and people in drug treatment indicate a decline in opioid (mainly heroin) use over the past 10 to 15 years.In most of East and…
Opioid-related harms, measured as new people entering treatment, have declined in Europe.Although the share of people in treatment for opioid use disorders remains substantial in Europe, the number of people entering treatment for the first time has decreased.In Eastern Europe and South-Eastern…
Opium production and opiate seizures are closely linked, but stockpiling has partly mitigated recent supply shocks.Opiate seizures have generally moved in parallel with opium production over time, but production has been far more volatile. Following the transfer of power in Afghanistan in 2021 and…
Opium prices show diverging trends, reflecting shifting supply dynamics across producing countries.Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar, increased by 17 per cent in 2025 and more than doubled since 2020, with increases reported across all poppy producing states; this was mirrored by a similar…
Amphetamine seizures rose strongly until 2020-2021, declined thereafter and showed a modest rebound in 2024.Amphetamine seizures remain concentrated in the Near and Middle East (57 per cent of total seizures between 2020 and 2024) and Europe (26 per cent); in the former subregion much of the drug…
Opioids and cannabis account for the greatest overall harm globally, though the severity of impacts differs.Combined evidence from country rankings of most harmful drugs and global indicators on deaths, drug use disorders and people in drug-related treatment point to opioids and cannabis resulting…
Globally, the majority of people in drug-related treatment continue to be men, although the proportion of women varies by region, subregion and primary drug.Approximately one in five people in drug-related treatment worldwide is a woman.The lowest proportions of women in drug-related treatment are…
The global burden of caring for people who inject drugs with evidence-informed interventions remains highIn 2024, there were an estimated 14.3 million people who inject drugs, or 0.3 per cent of the population aged 15–64.The highest prevalence of people who inject drugs (PWID) remain in Eastern…
HIV prevalence remains high among people who inject drugs, with significant disparities by sex and region.People who inject drugs face a relatively much higher risk of HIV infection – around 14 times that of the global population aged 15-64 – with particularly elevated risks for women and young…
