Almost 108000 Americans Died of Drug Overdoses in 2022, Another Record

Nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022, according to final federal figures released Thursday by the CDC.

Over the last two decades, the number of U.S. overdose deaths has risen almost every year and continued to break annual records -- making it the worst overdose epidemic in American history.

The official number for 2022 was 107,941, the CDC said, which is about 1% higher than the nearly 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021.

Earlier provisional data estimated more than 109,000 overdose deaths in 2022, but provisional data includes all overdose deaths, while the final numbers are limited to U.S. residents.

The female overdose death rate declined for the first time in 5 years, although the male overdose death rate continued to inch up, the report said. Males account for about 70% of U.S. overdose deaths.

The overall drug overdose death rate rose from 2021 to 2022, but the increase was so small it was not considered statistically significant.

The CDC has not yet reported overdose numbers for last year, although provisional data through the first 10 months of the year suggest that overdose deaths continued to be stable in 2023.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.