The World's Biggest Users of Cocaine Are in Australia
(Bloomberg) -- Australia and New Zealand are the world's biggest users of cocaine, as global consumption of the illicit drug reaches record highs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in its latest report.
While more people use cocaine in the Americas than anywhere else, per-capita consumption is most prevalent in Australia and New Zealand, according to the World Drug Report 2025. Waste-water analysis suggests most people there are using cocaine only occasionally, the report said.
Some 3% of those aged 15 to 64 in Australia and New Zealand used cocaine in 2023, the report said. That's almost double the proportion in the Americas, and nearly triple the percentage in Europe — the next-biggest consumers of the drug, the report said.
The report painted a bleak picture of the worldwide battle against illegal drugs and the criminals behind them, and said a new era of global instability has intensified the challenge. Production volumes, seizures and use of cocaine all hit records in 2023, making it the world's fastest-growing illegal drug market, the UN said. In total, an estimated 316 million people used illicit drugs in the period.
'Organized drug trafficking groups continue to adapt, exploit global crises and target vulnerable populations,' Ghada Waly, executive director of the UNODC, said in a statement. 'We must invest in prevention and address the root causes of the drug trade at every point of the illicit supply chain.'
Cocaine traffickers are breaking into new regions of Asia and Africa, the report said. But the relative wealth of Australia, and the price that users in the country are willing to pay for drugs, has long made it an attractive market for criminals. The country's vast seaboard also makes it hard for border authorities to intercept illegal shipments.
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Australian Federal Police pulled off a record cocaine seizure in December when they uncovered an attempt to import 2.34 tons of the drug into the country by sea. The cocaine had a street value of A$760 million ($496 million) with the potential to equate to 11.7 million street deals, authorities said. Thirteen people were charged.
The UN report said cannabis remains the world's most widely used drug with 244 million users, representing 4.6% of the global population aged between 15 and 64. In Australia and New Zealand, prevalence of cannabis use was recorded at more than 12%, the report said.
The use of ecstasy — also known as molly or MDMA — in Australia and New Zealand remained by far the highest worldwide, the report said.
(Adds metrics in third paragraph, chart.)
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