Substance Use Disorders and Addiction: 2025 Statistics

A Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a treatable mental health condition that occurs when the recurrent use of alcohol or drugs causes significant impairment, such as health problems, disability, or failure to meet major responsibilities. Globally, substance misuse is a major public health crisis, taking an enormous toll on individuals, families, and society.

The headline statistic from the World Health Organisation reveals the scale of this crisis: globally, the harmful use of alcohol and drugs resulted in over 3 million deaths in 2019¹.¹ This figure, which includes deaths from overdose, related diseases, and injuries, highlights the life-threatening consequences of untreated substance use disorders.

Overall Prevalence and General Numbers

• Global Prevalence: In 2019, an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol use disorders globally.¹
• U.S. Prevalence: In 2024, an estimated 48.4 million people in the U.S. aged 12 or older (16.8% of people that age) had a substance use disorder in the past year.
  • Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): 27.9 million people.⁴
  • Drug Use Disorder (DUD): 28.2 million people.⁴
  • Both AUD and DUD: 7.7 million people.⁴
• Contribution to Mortality: Alcohol use alone is responsible for 4.7% of all deaths globally each year.¹

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Breakdown by Key Demographics

• By Age: In the U.S., SUDs are most prevalent among young adults aged 18-25, with 25.9% having an SUD in the past year (2024). Globally, young people aged 20-39 accounted for the highest proportion (13%) of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019.¹⁴
• By Gender: The fatal impact of substance use is far greater for men. Globally, men account for 2 million of the 2.6 million alcohol-related deaths and 0.4 million of the 0.6 million drug-related deaths each year.¹
• By Race and Ethnicity: In the U.S., fatal overdose rates are sharply unequal. In 2023, the rate was highest for American Indian and Alaska Native people (65.0 deaths per 100,000), followed by Black people (48.9) and White people (33.1).⁷

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Co-occurrence and Related Conditions

• High Comorbidity: In the U.S. in 2024, adults with any mental illness (AMI) or serious mental illness (SMI) were significantly more likely to use illicit drugs than those with no mental illness.⁴
  • Adults with SMI: 57.4% used illicit drugs in the past year.⁴
  • Adults with AMI: 44.1% used illicit drugs.⁴
  • Adults with no mental illness: 21.2% used illicit drugs.⁴
• Young Adults: Nearly half (45.8%) of young adults aged 18-25 in the U.S. had either any mental illness or a substance use disorder in the past year (2024).⁴

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The Most Serious Consequences

• Global Mortality: Over 3 million deaths are attributed to alcohol and drug use annually.¹
• Economic Cost in the U.S.: The most recent full estimates put the cost of excessive drinking at $249 billion a year (2010 figures) and of illicit drug use at $193 billion a year (2007 figures).⁶
• U.S. Hospital Costs: Substance use disorders cost U.S. hospitals an estimated $13.2 billion in a single year (2017), with alcohol-related disorders accounting for the largest share at $7.6 billion.²

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The Positive Outlook and Solutions

• Recovery is Possible: In the U.S. in 2024, of the 31.7 million adults who perceived they ever had a substance use problem, 74.3% (23.5 million people) considered themselves to be in recovery or to have recovered.⁴
• The Treatment Gap: A significant majority of people who need help do not receive it. In the U.S. in 2024, only 1 in 5 people (19.3%) who needed substance use treatment in the past year actually received it.⁴
• Global Disparities: The treatment gap is a global issue. In countries providing data, the proportion of people in contact with treatment services for SUDs ranged from less than 1% to no more than 35%.¹

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Conclusion

The statistics paint a clear picture of substance use disorders as a profound global health crisis, responsible for millions of deaths, staggering economic costs, and immense human suffering. The data also reveals a critical failure: the vast majority of people who need treatment do not receive it. However, the high rate of self-reported recovery among those who have struggled offers a powerful message of hope. Closing the treatment gap by expanding access to evidence-based care is essential to saving lives and supporting the millions on their path to recovery.

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References

1. [1] World Health Organization (WHO). (2024, June 25). Over 3 million annual deaths due to alcohol and drug use, majority among men. https://www.who.int/news/item/25-06-2024-over-3-million-annual-deaths-due-to-alcohol-and-drug-use-majority-among-men
2. [2] Peterson, C., Li, M., Xu, L., Mikosz, C. A., & Luo, F. (2021). Assessment of Annual Cost of Substance Use Disorder in US Hospitals. JAMA Network Open, 4(3), e210242. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7936257/
3. [3] Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2025, April 23). Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders in Travelers. In CDC Yellow Book 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/travelers-with-additional-considerations/substance-use.html
4. [4] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national/2024-nsduh-annual-national-html-071425-edited/2024-nsduh-annual-national.htm
5. [5] National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2023, March 13). NIDA IC Fact Sheet 2024. https://nida.nih.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/budget-information/fiscal-year-2024-budget-information-congressional-justification-national-institute-drug-abuse/ic-fact-sheet-2024
6. [6] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General. (n.d.). Addiction and Substance Misuse Reports and Publications. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/addiction-and-substance-misuse/index.html
7. [7] Garnett, M. F., & Miniño, A. M. (2025). Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2003-2023 (NCHS Data Brief No. 522). National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db522.pdf