Heroin and opiate use statistics 2025

Prevalence

• In 2023, 2,551 drug-poisoning deaths involved opiates – a 12.8% increase from 2022. [1]
• Heroin and morphine were the most frequently mentioned opiates, linked to 1,453 drug-poisoning deaths in 2023. [1]
• Heroin remains Europe's most commonly used illicit opioid [4]
• In post-mortem data, nitazenes were detected in 1% of deaths, fentanyls in 3%, and heroin/morphine in 33%. [7]

Drug-related deaths

• In 2022, opioids were involved in: [2]
  • 73% of drug misuse deaths registered in England
  • 60% of drug misuse deaths registered in Wales
  • 82% of drug misuse deaths registered in Scotland
  • 60% of drug misuse deaths registered in Northern Ireland
• Since June last year, 284 deaths have been confirmed from synthetic opioids (nitazenes) following a surge in use last summer. [8]

Opiate treatment

• In the UK, more than 50% of adults receiving substance abuse treatment are treated for opioid use. [3]
• 71,000 people in Europe reported opioid use as their main reason for entering specialised drug treatment in 2021, representing 25% of all drug treatment admissions. [4]
• The largest age group seeking opiate-related treatment is 40-44 years old. [9]
• Less than 10% of people in treatment for opiates or alcohol were under 30 years old. [9]

Trends in opiate use and deaths

• The UK had the world’s highest rate of opioid consumption in 2019, and opiate-related drug poisoning deaths have increased by 388% since 1993. [5]
• Since June 2023, 284 deaths have been confirmed from nitazenes, a type of synthetic opioid. [8]
• In June 2023 alone, at least 400 drug-related deaths across the UK were linked to nitazenes, with numbers expected to rise. [6]
• 37% of people starting treatment for opiate problems had no home of their own. [9]

Links between opiate use and mental health

• 67% of people in treatment for opiate abuse had a mental health treatment need. [9]
• Daily opiate injectors had: [10]
  • 4.39 times higher odds of reporting poor health
  • 2.78 times higher odds of experiencing psychological distress
  • 3.34 times higher odds of reporting depression
  • 3.52 times higher odds of experiencing suicidal thoughts 

More statistics