THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC BY THE NUMBERS

130+

11.4 m

People died every day from
opioid-related drug overdoses3

People misused
prescription opioids1

(estimated)

47,600

2.1 million

81,000

886,000

2 million

15,482

People died from
 overdosing on opioids2

People had an opioid use
disorder1

People used heroin1

People used heroin
for the first time1

People misused prescription
 opioids for the first time1

28,466

Deaths attributed to
 overdosing on synthetic
opioids other than methadone2

SOURCES
1.  2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Mortality in the United States, 2016
2.  NCHS Data Brief No. 293, December 2017
3.  NCHS, National Vital Statistics System. Estimates for 2017 and 2018 are based on provisional data.

Updated January 2019. For more information, visit: http://www.hhs.gov/opioids/

Deaths attributed to
overdosing on heroin2