Drug overdose deaths fell in the United States in 2025 for the third year in a row, according to official data released Wednesday.
Some 70,000 overdose deaths were recorded in 2025 compared to 81,000 in 2024, representing a reduction of around 14%.
Opioids continue to cause the most deaths, with about 44,500 in 2025, compared to 55,000 in 2024, report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main US health agency.
Although high, these data contrast with the records recorded a few years ago in the country. In 2022, for example, nearly 108,000 overdose deaths were recorded.
The United States faces a serious health crisis related to opioids.
The excess of prescriptions
It began in the 1990s with an excess of prescription in the health system itself of powerful analgesics containing these substances.
With the drastic regulation of access to these drugs, part of the population turned to heroin, which led to a rapid increase in deaths related to this drug starting in 2010.
The third wave began in 2013, with soaring deaths linked to synthetic opioids, particularly the powerful and addictive fentanyl, flooding the market.
However, since 2023, the United States has seen a decline in fatal overdoses.
According to experts, this trend is explained by several factors. These include better access to Narcan, an antidote that allows an overdose victim to be resuscitated and which has been available without a prescription since the second quarter of 2023, as well as better care for people with addictions.
