UN report: Global drug users rise to 316m, cocaine market grows
The number of drug users worldwide rose to 316 million people in 2023, according to a UN report published on Thursday.
The number corresponds to 6% of the world population aged between 15 and 64 using a drug - not including tobacco or alcohol - the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna said in its 2025 World Drug Report, which is based on 2023 data.
In 2013, 5.2% of the world population had consumed a drug.
Cannabis remained the most consumed drug with 244 million users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7 million), cocaine (25 million) and ecstasy (21 million), according to the report.
"This edition of the World Drug Report shows that organized drug trafficking groups continue to adapt, exploit global crises, and target vulnerable populations," said UNODC executive director Ghada Waly.
"We must invest in prevention and address the root causes of the drug trade at every point of the illicit supply chain. And we must strengthen responses, by leveraging technology, strengthening cross-border cooperation, providing alternative livelihoods, and taking judicial action that targets key actors driving these networks."
Among all drugs, the market for cocaine is growing the fastest, the annual report found.
Illegal cocaine production rose by more than a third year-on-year to a record 3,708 tons in 2023. The number of consumers rose from 17 million to 25 million between 2013 and 2023.
According to the UN experts, the cocaine boom is not only leading to more drug-related deaths, but also to more violence between rival criminal organizations involved in drug smuggling.
This can also be observed in Western and Central Europe, they said. In these two regions, more cocaine has been seized than in North America for several years now.
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Associated Press
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Miami Herald
an hour ago
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Newsweek
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- Newsweek
Maps Reveal Cocaine Trafficking Routes Across the Americas
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Latest United Nations figures have revealed a spike in the world's production, seizure and use of cocaine, and maps show how North America is a hub for the global trade. The Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report on Thursday, which said that in 2023, illegal production of cocaine increased by around one-third from the previous year. Newsweek has contacted the UNODC for further comment. This image from November 6, 2024 shows Spanish police and customs officers in Algeciras, Spain, next to seized cocaine found in a container from Ecuador. This image from November 6, 2024 shows Spanish police and customs officers in Algeciras, Spain, next to seized cocaine found in a container from It Matters The figures are for 2023 and, as of Thursday, have not been broken down into sub-national data, but offer a snapshot of how entrenched the cocaine market is in North America and the U.S. after years of efforts to clamp down on the trade. What To Know The UN released its World Drug Report 2025 on Thursday, which provided data about the narcotics trade over the course of 2023. It said global illegal production of cocaine reached 3,708 tons in 2023, or 34 percent more than the previous year's level of 2,757 tons. Columbia was the source for most of the drugs that eventually crossed the U.S.–Mexico border, according to the report. This was because the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia had yielded 50 percent more product than the previous year. Production had stabilized in Bolivia and declined slightly in Peru. The UNODC maps show how Columbia, Peru and Bolivia are the hubs for the transport of the drug throughout the continent by land, sea and air. The main cocaine trafficking flows remain from the Andean countries in South America to North America, but also from the Andean countries to Europe, either directly or sometimes through West and Central Africa. The number of cocaine users globally has also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million a decade earlier. However, global cocaine seizures also reached a record high in 2023 across all regions, and between 2019 and 2023, there was a 68 percent rise in the amount of the drug seized worldwide. Australia and New Zealand are now the world's biggest per-capita users of the drug, with 3 percent of people aged 15 to 64 in the two countries using the drug in 2023, nearly double the figure in the Americas and almost three times that of Europe. This map from the Vienna-based UNODC shows the main cocaine trafficking routes through the Americas by air. This map from the Vienna-based UNODC shows the main cocaine trafficking routes through the Americas by air. Vienna-based UNODC This map from the United Nations shows cocaine trafficking routes within the Americas by water. This map from the United Nations shows cocaine trafficking routes within the Americas by water. UNODC This map by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows main cocaine trafficking routes by land within the Americas. This map by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows main cocaine trafficking routes by land within the Americas. UN Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC What People Are Saying UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) chief of research Angela Me: "The global cocaine market is breaking records with productions, seizures, and consumption all reaching new highs in 2023." What Happens Next The Trump administration has repeatedly said it would target drug cartels, and earlier this month, alleged drug traffickers accused of using "narco subs" and aircraft to transport large quantities of cocaine were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Following the order, Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement on June 6 that it would "bring our unique tools and authorities to the fight against cartels and their affiliates."
