Opioid epidemic in the United States

Number of yearly U.S. opioid overdose deaths from all opioid drugs

U.S. overdose deaths involving opioids. Deaths per 100,000 population by year.^[1]

Total drug overdose deaths in the United States

U.S. yearly overdose deaths, and the drugs involved. Among the 106,000 deaths in 2021, the largest share was related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids (70,601 deaths).^[2]

There is an ongoing opioid epidemic (also known as the opioid crisis) in the United States, originating out of both medical prescriptions and illegal sources. The epidemic began in the United States in the late 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when opioids were increasingly prescribed for pain management, resulting in a rise in overall opioid use throughout subsequent years.^[3]

In the United States, there were approximately 109,600 drug-overdose-related deaths in the 12-month period ending January 31, 2023, at a rate of 300 deaths per day.^[4] From 1999 to 2020, nearly 841,000 people died from drug overdoses,^[5] with prescription and illicit opioids responsible for 500,000 of those deaths.^[6] In 2017 alone, there were 70,237 recorded drug overdose deaths; of those deaths, 47,600 involved an opioid.^[7][8] A report from December 2017 estimated that 130 people die every day in the United States due to opioid-related drug overdose.^[9] The great majority of Americans who use prescription opioids do not believe that they are misusing them.^[10]

The problem is significantly worse in rural areas, where socioeconomic variables, health behaviors, and accessibility to healthcare are responsible for a higher death rate.^[11] Teen use of opioids has been noticeably increasing, with prescription drugs used more than any illicit drug except cannabis: more than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined.^[12]