Global Drug Use Rises as Technology & Instability Transform Markets: UN
Global Drug Use Rises as Technology & Instability Transform Markets: UN
The number of people using illicit drugs worldwide has risen to 331 million in 2024, up from 5.2% to 6.2% of the population over the past decade, according to the World Drug Report 2026 of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
Key findings from the report:
🟠Cannabis remains the most widely used drug, followed by opioids, amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy.
🟠Methamphetamine seizures have increased by an average of 13% annually, with new trafficking routes fueling its spread into Africa and other regions.
🟠Cocaine production has more than quadrupled to exceed 4,000 tons, with organized crime groups expanding into emerging markets in Africa and Asia.
🟠755 new psychoactive substances are circulating globally, including 118 reported for the first time in 2024.
"We are already suffering the impact: millions of premature deaths and healthy years of life needlessly lost; drug trafficking networks that are distorting economies; the destruction of lives, communities and livelihoods; and the compounding of insecurity and violence," said Monica Juma, executive director of UNODC.
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