Overdoses Drop
US drug overdose deaths declined over the last two years in the longest sustained decrease in decades.
Context
The overdose crisis began in the 1990s with prescription opioids, then worsened with heroin and fentanyl. Deaths reached nearly 110,000 in 2022 before beginning to fall in 2023. The overdose epidemic had been worsening for decades before this recent reversal.
Data Released
On Wednesday, the CDC released data showing that an estimated 73,000 people died from overdoses in the 12-month period up to August 2025, a 21% drop from 92,000 the prior year.
