Latest news with #WorldDrugReport
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
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.
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Global cocaine boom keeps setting records, UN says
The global cocaine trade keeps setting records, making it the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market as Colombia production surges along with users in Europe and North and South America, a United Nations report says. The annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report shows that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength. "Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement on Thursday. On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3708 tonnes, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50 per cent higher than in 2022. The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said. "North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said. The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said. The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine and amphetamine. "Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said. The global cocaine trade keeps setting records, making it the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market as Colombia production surges along with users in Europe and North and South America, a United Nations report says. The annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report shows that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength. "Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement on Thursday. On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3708 tonnes, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50 per cent higher than in 2022. The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said. "North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said. The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said. The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine and amphetamine. "Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said. The global cocaine trade keeps setting records, making it the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market as Colombia production surges along with users in Europe and North and South America, a United Nations report says. The annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report shows that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength. "Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement on Thursday. On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3708 tonnes, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50 per cent higher than in 2022. The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said. "North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said. The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said. The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine and amphetamine. "Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said. The global cocaine trade keeps setting records, making it the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market as Colombia production surges along with users in Europe and North and South America, a United Nations report says. The annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report shows that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength. "Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement on Thursday. On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3708 tonnes, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50 per cent higher than in 2022. The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said. "North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said. The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said. The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as methamphetamine and amphetamine. "Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said.
Deccan Herald
12 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Global cocaine boom keeps setting new records, UN report says
The annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report showed that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength.
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- The Hindu
Global cocaine boom keeps setting new records, UN report says
The global cocaine trade keeps setting new records, with cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market as Colombia production surges along with users in Europe and North and South America, a United Nations report published on Thursday (June 26, 2025) said. The annual U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) World Drug Report showed that in 2023, the latest year for which comprehensive data was available, the cocaine trade went from strength to strength. "Production, seizures, and use of cocaine all hit new highs in 2023, making cocaine the world's fastest-growing illicit drug market," the Vienna-based UNODC said in a statement. On the supply side, global estimated illegal production of cocaine rose by around a third to a record of more than 3,708 tons, mainly because of an increase in the area devoted to illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated data that showed the yield there was roughly 50% higher than in 2022. The estimated number of cocaine users globally also kept growing, reaching 25 million people in 2023, up from 17 million 10 years earlier, the UNODC said. "North America, Western and Central Europe and South America continue to constitute the largest markets for cocaine, on the basis of the number of people who used drugs in the past year and on data derived from wastewater analysis," it said. The synthetic drug market also continues to expand, helped by low operational costs and reduced risk of detection for those making or smuggling the drugs, the UNODC said. The leading drugs there were amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) like methamphetamine and amphetamine. "Seizures of ATS reached a record high in 2023 and accounted for almost half of all global seizures of synthetic drugs, followed by synthetic opioids, including fentanyl," the UNODC said.
Bloomberg
13 hours ago
- Bloomberg
The World's Biggest Cocaine User Is Australia
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, 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.
