About Overdose Prevention

Overview

Drug overdose is an evolving public health crisis. In 2023, an estimated 54.2 million Americans aged 12 or older needed substance use disorder treatment in the past year, but only 12.8 million people with a substance use disorder in the past year received treatment.1 Reducing the use of illegal drugs, the misuse of prescription opioids and other medications, and drug overdoses and deaths has been a longstanding challenge.

Drug overdoses dramatically increased over the last two decades, with deaths increasing approximately 540% between 1999 and 2022.2 In 2022, 107,941 people died from a drug overdose and nearly 82,000, or about 76%, involved opioids.2 Synthetic opioids, primarily illegally made fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, were responsible for 90% of opioid overdose deaths in 2022.2 Additionally, deaths involving multiple drugs (i.e., polysubstance overdose deaths) have also increased.2 Research shows that people who have had at least one opioid overdose are more likely to have another.3

Drug overdose data show troubling and widening disparities among different population groups. From 2021 to 2022, overdose death rates (number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people) increased 15% for non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people and 7% for non-Hispanic Black people, while the rate decreased 3% for non-Hispanic White people.4

Overdose statistics

General and Demographics

• In 2022, nearly 108,000 people died from drug overdose in the United States. This is equal to about 296 deaths each day.4
• In 2022, drug overdose death rates were highest among people aged 25-64, and lowest among those age 65 and older.4
• In both 2021 and 2022, drug overdose death rates were highest for American Indian and Alaska Native people and lowest for Asian people.4
• From 2021 to 2022, rates of drug overdose deaths increased for most race and ethnicity groups.4
  
• In 2022, among 29 states and DC, nearly 3 out of 5 drug overdose deaths had at least one potential opportunity to link the person to care before the fatal overdose or to implement life-saving actions when the fatal overdose occurred.5

Drug Type

• Among 2022 drug overdose deaths, nearly 76% involved an opioid (prescription or illegal), 68% involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily illegally made fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, or IMFs), 26% involved cocaine, and 32% involved psychostimulants with abuse potential, such as methamphetamine.2
• In 2022, nearly 82,000 drug overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily IMFs). This represents 90% of opioid overdose deaths. The rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids increased approximately 4% from 21.8 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2021 to 22.7 per 100,000 persons in 2022.2
• In 2022, approximately 5,900 overdose deaths involved heroin, representing about 5% of drug overdose deaths and 7% of opioid overdose deaths. The rate of overdose deaths involving heroin decreased almost 36% from 2.8 per 100,000 persons in 2021 to 1.8 per 100,000 persons in 2022.2
• In 2022. approximately 34,000 overdose deaths, or nearly 32%, involved psychostimulants with abuse potential (primarily methamphetamine), and nearly 28,000 overdose deaths, or 26%, involved cocaine.2
• Among 29 jurisdictions and DC, 43% of drug overdose deaths in 2022 involved both opioids and stimulants.5
  

These statistics reflect the importance of action. CDC is addressing this crisis through evidence-based interventions that account for changes in the illegal drug supply that make the crisis deadlier than ever, continued threats from illegally made fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, and a rise in deaths involving stimulants and more than one drug.

CDC’s prevention work to address the drug overdose epidemic

One way CDC is working to address drug overdoses is to advance overdose prevention in communities across the country. There were two funding announcements made available in 2023 for city, county, state, and territorial health departments known as the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) cooperative agreements. Through these funding opportunities, we support innovation, expand harm reduction strategies, link people to life-saving care, and make the latest data available so that we can get ahead of the constantly evolving epidemic.

Additionally, we support the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program, which is the nation's leading effort to support communities working to prevent youth substance use. The DFC program has been a central component of our nation's youth substance use prevention strategy and it provides funding and support to community coalitions to prevent and reduce youth substance use. DFC coalitions are uniquely situated to leverage historical knowledge and the unique needs and assets in their communities to address youth substance use by requiring comprehensive prevention planning with an emphasis on community level change.

Prevention efforts and evidence-based strategies

It is important that comprehensive, community-based prevention and response efforts incorporate culturally responsive actions that address disparities in drug overdose deaths and the inequities that contribute to them. Evidence-based prevention interventions are informed by research, practice, and indigenous knowledge. Dissemination can be strengthened by partnerships and can be tailored and scaled up to meet local circumstances.

Not all overdoses have to end in death. Everyone has a role to play. It is important that more is done to prevent overdoses and deaths. Prevention activities help educate and support individuals, families, and communities and are critical for maintaining both individual and community health.