Drug addiction statistics UK 2025

137,749 adults enter treatment for substance misuse in England in a year, and other recent statistics and facts about drug use and abuse.

Further reading: Signs & symptoms Addiction assessment Detox Withdrawal Rehab Aftercare

Using the latest public data, surveys, and other statistics from leading government institutions and charities, we've compiled a list of UK drug abuse statistics and facts.

Prevalence

In the year ending March 2024, 8.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 years in England and Wales reported using any drug in the past year, equating to approximately 2.9 million individuals. [1]
Among those aged 16 to 24 years, 16.5% reported using any drug in the past year, amounting to around 971,000 young adults. [1]
The prevalence of Class A drug use among adults aged 16 to 59 years remained stable at 3.4% in the year ending March 2024. [1]

Drug trends

Cannabis remains the most commonly used drug, with 6.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 years reporting use in the past year. [1]
Approximately 0.9% of adults aged 16 to 59 years reported using powder cocaine in the past year. [1]
In the past year, 1.3% of adults aged 16 to 59 years and 3.3% of those aged 16 to 24 years reported using nitrous oxide. [1]
There was a decrease in the proportion of school children consuming drugs in England between 2001 and 2023, from 13% to 5% in boys and 11% to 5% in girls. [2]

Drug-related deaths

In 2023, England and Wales recorded 5,448 drug-related deaths, marking an 11% increase from the previous year. [3]
Cocaine-related deaths surged by 30% to 1,118 in 2023, approximately ten times higher than in 2011. [3]
Opiate-related deaths, involving substances like heroin, accounted for almost half of the total drug-related deaths in 2023. [3]
In 2021, the UK's drug-related death rate was 5.2 per 1,000. This is higher than the global average of 1.6 but lower than the United States' rate of 19.5. [4]

Drug use treatment

Between April 2022 and March 2023, 290,635 adults were in contact with drug and alcohol services in England, a slight increase from the previous year. [5]
In the same period, 137,749 adults entered treatment for substance misuse, higher than the previous two years. [5]
Nearly half (48%) of the adults in treatment were there for problems with opiates. [5]

Youth drug use

Between April 2022 and March 2023, 12,418 young people were in structured treatment with drug and alcohol services in England. [6]
Almost two-thirds (62%) of the young people in treatment were male. [6]
The median age of young people in treatment was nearly 16 years old for both girls and boys. [6]
A survey conducted by the National Union of Students (NUS) in collaboration with Release found that 56% of students have used drugs, with cannabis being the most commonly used substance. [7]