International Statistics

Nearly 62 million people in the world used opioids* in a year, half of whom used heroin or opium.¹

• Afghanistan produces 85 percent of the world’s opium, fueling a heroin market worth an estimated $55 billion.⁴³²
• The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that in a single year 745,000 Americans used heroin.⁵
• Overdose deaths in the United States involving heroin totaled over 14,000 in a 12-month period.⁶
• Opioids, including heroin, were involved in three of every four drug overdose deaths in Europe, according to a report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.⁷
• In the United States, more than 500,000 people are addicted to heroin.⁸

* opioids: a broad term that encompasses natural opium, as well as natural and synthetic opium-like substances

Updated: 2025