💉Danger Drugs

Which countries are experiencing the most deaths due to drug overdoses and which drugs are causing the most damage?

In 2019, it was estimated that 0.74% of the world’s population has a drug use disorder, equating to 0.89% of males and 0.60% of females.

The use of drugs can cause many life-threatening symptoms, such as seizures, a slow or erratic heartbeat and difficulty breathing, all of which can lead to people requiring medical aid. Depending on which substance and how much of it was taken, improper drug use can also have fatal consequences.

Globally, thousands of people die as a result of drug use every year, but which countries are experiencing the most drug-related deaths and which drugs are causing the most damage?

The United States has the Most Deaths from Drug Overdoses per 100,000 People

United States

Deaths per 100,000 people – 22.62
Overall deaths – 74,435

At the top of the list is the United States, where there are 22.62 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people, equating to 74,435 deaths overall. In 2019, it was estimated that there are around 10.7 million people living in the U.S. who are battling a drug use disorder. This figure has nearly doubled since 1990 when there were 5.5 million people engaging in regular drug use, showing a huge increase of 91%.

Canada

Deaths per 100,000 people – 9.86
Overall deaths – 3,686

In second place is Canada, where there are 9.86 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people, with 3,686 deaths overall. Back in 1990, it was estimated that there were 511,784 people battling a drug use disorder in Canada. By 2019, this figure had increased by a considerable 54% to 789,317 people.

Australia

Deaths per 100,000 people – 7.07
Overall deaths – 1,783

Australia is in third place, where, in 2019, there were 7.07 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people and 1,783 deaths overall. Despite having the third highest number of drug-related deaths per 100,000 people, the number of Australian citizens battling a drug use disorder has only risen by 24% since 1990.

South Korea has the Lowest Number of Drug Related Deaths per 100,000 People

South Korea

Deaths per 100,000 people – 0.30
Overall deaths – 154

At the bottom of the list is South Korea, where there are just 0.30 deaths per 100,000 people due to drug overdoses and only 154 deaths overall. In 1990, it was estimated that 407,232 South Korean citizens were battling a drug use disorder. By 2019, this figure had actually decreased by 1% to 403,882 people.

Singapore

Deaths per 100,000 people – 0.33
Overall deaths – 19

Following closely behind is Singapore, where there are 0.33 drug-related deaths per 100,00 people and just 19 deaths overall. The country has seen a considerable increase in the number of people with a drug use problem since 1990, going from 28,941 people to 43,836 people.

Indonesia

Deaths per 100,000 people – 0.35
Overall deaths – 959

In third place is Indonesia, where, in 2019, there were 0.35 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people and 959 deaths in total. Since 1990, Indonesia has seen a 58% increase in the number of citizens battling a drug use disorder, rising from 819,142 people to over 1.2 million people.

Qatar Sees Highest Increase in Drug-Related Deaths Since 2000

Qatar

Deaths in 2000 – 2
Deaths in 2019 – 12
Percentage increase – 500%

At the top of the list is Qatar, which has seen a 500% increase in the number of people dying from drug overdoses since 2000. Despite this high increase, the country has been able to keep its number of drug-related deaths relatively low, going from just two deaths in 2000 to 12 deaths in 2019.

United States

Deaths in 2000 – 15,016
Deaths in 2019 – 74,435
Percentage increase – 396%

In second place is the United States, where the number of drug-related deaths increased by a huge 396% between the years 2000 and 2019. Back in 2000, over 15,000 people died from drug overdoses. This figure then rose even higher to 74,435 people in 2019.

Kuwait

Deaths in 2000 – 9
Deaths in 2019 – 38
Percentage increase – 322%

In third place is Kuwait, which has seen a 322% increase in drug-related deaths since 2000. In 2019, 38 deaths caused by drug overdoses were recorded, while in 2000, this figure stood at just nine deaths. Again, this shows that despite the country having a high increase in drug-related deaths, it has been able to keep the actual figure relatively low.

The US has the Highest Number of Amphetamine-Related Deaths per 100,000 People

United States

Amphetamine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 0.58
Percentage increase since 2000 – 265%

The country with the most amphetamine-related deaths is the United States, where there are 0.58 deaths due to amphetamine overdoses per 100,000 people. Back in 2000, there were 524 amphetamine-related deaths in the US. By 2019, this figure had risen to 1,911, showing an increase of 265%.

Iceland

Amphetamine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 0.26
Percentage increase since 2000 – N/A

In second place is Iceland, where, in 2019, there were 0.26 amphetamine-related deaths per 100,000 people. Despite having the second-highest number of deaths per 100,000 people, only one citizen of Iceland died as a result of an amphetamine overdose in 2019. This high normalised figure is due to the country’s relatively small population.

Sweden

Amphetamine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 0.24
Percentage increase since 2000 – 60%

Following closely behind is Sweden, where there were 0.24 amphetamine-related deaths per 100,000 people. In the year 2000, there were just 15 deaths due to amphetamine overdoses in Sweden. By 2019, this figure had risen to 24 deaths, showing an increase of 60%.

The US has the Highest Number of Amphetamine-Related Deaths per 100,000 People

United States

Cocaine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 1.23
Percentage increase since 2000 – 175%

At the top of the list is the United States, where, in 2019, there were 1.23 cocaine-related deaths per 100,000 people. Back in 2000, 1,475 people died as a result of a cocaine overdose in the US. By 2019, this figure had increased by a huge 175% to 4,057 people.

Canada

Cocaine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 0.56
Percentage increase since 2000 – 79%

In second place is Canada, where there are 0.56 deaths due to cocaine overdoses per 100,000 people. There were 117 cocaine-related deaths in Canada in the year 2000, which then increased to 209 deaths by the year 2019. This shows a considerable increase of 79%.

Estonia

Cocaine-related deaths per 100,000 people – 0.41
Percentage increase since 2000 – 100%

The country with the third highest number of cocaine-related deaths is Estonia, where there are 0.41 deaths due to cocaine overdoses per 100,000 people. There were just three cocaine-related deaths in the country in the year 2000. By 2019, despite this figure increasing by 100%, there were still only six cocaine-related deaths in Estonia.

The US has the Highest Number of Opioid-Related Deaths per 100,000 People

United States

Opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people – 16.61
Percentage increase since 2000 – 564%

Storming to the top spot is the United States, where there are 16.61 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people. Back in 2000, there were 8,229 deaths in the United States due to opioid overdoses. By 2019, this figure had increased by a huge 564% to 54,631 people.

Canada

Opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people – 7.10
Percentage increase since 2000 – 158%

In second place is Canada, where, in 2019, there were 7.10 deaths due to opioid overdoses per 100,000 people. There has been a 158% increase in opioid-related deaths in Canada, going from 1,031 deaths in the year 2000 to 2,656 deaths in the year 2019.

Australia

Opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people – 5.38
Percentage increase since 2000 – 14%

Not too far behind is Australia, where there are 5.38 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people. Back in the year 2000, 1,187 Australian citizens died as a result of an opioid overdose. By 2019, this figure had risen to just 1,355 people, showing an increase of only 14%.

43% Increase in Drug Overdose Deaths Across the Globe Since 2000

Deaths due to drug use disorders

Percentage increase – 43%

Back in the year 2000, it was estimated that there were over 44 million people across the globe who were battling a drug use disorder, resulting in 89,718 deaths that year. By 2019, there were over 56.7 million people with a drug use problem, which led to 128,083 deaths, showing an increase of 43%.

Cocaine Overdoses see the Biggest Global Increase in Drug Deaths Since 2000

Cocaine

Percentage increase – 160%

Back in 2000, it was estimated that over 3.52 million people worldwide were struggling with a cocaine addiction, resulting in almost 5,000 deaths. By the year 2019, there were now over 4.13 million people battling an addiction to cocaine. This led to a huge 160% increase in the number of deaths caused by the drug, meaning that 12,779 people lost their lives as a result of cocaine addiction.

Opioids

Percentage increase – 48%

The number of deaths due to opioid overdoses has risen by almost 50% since the year 2000. Back then, it was reported that a huge 14.13 million people were struggling with an addiction to opioids, which resulted in almost 60,000 deaths. By 2019, the number of people battling opioid addiction had risen to 21.39 million people, with the death toll equaling 88,353 that year, showing an increase of 48%.

Amphetamines

Percentage increase – -7%

The number of worldwide deaths due to amphetamine overdoses has actually decreased since the year 2000. Back then, it was reported that approximately 7.32 million people were struggling with an addiction to amphetamines, which resulted in 9,680 deaths. By 2019, despite the number of people battling an amphetamine addiction rising to 7.33 million, the number of people dying as a result of this actually decreased by 7% to 8,964.

Methodology:

In order to gather a range of countries to analyse, we used OECD, G20, European Union and IMF Developed Countries. Some countries weren’t included in the final list due to no data being available from our chosen source.

We used Our World in Data in order to gather a range of statistics surrounding death as a result of the use of drugs across the world. We chose to look at four different drug factors that resulted in death: general drug use disorders, amphetamine overdoses, cocaine overdoses and opioid overdoses.

In order to find out the exact number of people dying as a result of each factor, we looked at the ‘Deaths from drug use disorders’ table and the ‘Deaths from illicit drug overdoses’ table. To discover the death rate per 100,000 people for each factor, we looked at the following tables: ‘Death rate from drug use disorders’, ‘Death rate from amphetamine overdoses’, ‘Death rate from cocaine overdoses’ and ‘Death rate from opioid overdoses’.

Percentage increases were calculated by subtracting the number of deaths in 2000 from the number of deaths in 2019. We then divided this figure by the number of deaths in 2000, before multiplying by 100 in order to form a percentage. For amphetamine-related deaths, percentages couldn’t be formed for Costa Rica, Iceland, Oman and Panama. For cocaine-related deaths, percentages couldn’t be formed for Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar and Singapore. This is due to there being no recorded deaths in 2000 and one or more recorded deaths in 2019.