TY - JOUR
T1 - Global burden of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use in 204 countries, 1990–2023
T2 - a Global Burden of Disease Study
AU - GBD 2023 Substance Use Collaborators
AU - Kang, Jiseung
AU - Kim, Hyeon Jin
AU - Kim, Min Seo
AU - Zyoud, Sa’ed H.
AU - Zielińska, Magdalena
AU - Zhu, Bin
AU - Zhong, Anthony
AU - Zhang, Jingya
AU - Zhang, Haijun
AU - Zeariya, Mohammed G.M.
AU - Zanghì, Aurora
AU - Zakham, Fathiah
AU - Yusuf, Hadiza
AU - Yu, Chuanhua
AU - Yonemoto, Naohiro
AU - Yip, Paul
AU - Yin, Dehui
AU - Yesodharan, Renjulal
AU - Yahaya, Zwanden Sule
AU - Wilandika, Angga
AU - Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Darshana
AU - Wang, Shu
AU - Wang, Yuan Pang
AU - Walde, Mandaras Tariku
AU - Waheed, Yasir
AU - Vujcic, Isidora S.
AU - Vinayak, Manish
AU - Verras, Georgios Ioannis
AU - Vaziri, Siavash
AU - Vasankari, Tommi Juhani
AU - Varghese, Joe
AU - Eynde, Jef Van den
AU - Vaithinathan, Asokan Govindaraj
AU - Ullah, Atta
AU - Ullah, Saeed
AU - Udoakang, Aniefiok John
AU - Tumurkhuu, Munkhtuya
AU - Tualeka, Abdul Rohim
AU - Tsermpini, Evangelia Eirini
AU - Tsatsakis, Aristidis
AU - Tsai, Alexander C.
AU - Tromans, Samuel Joseph
AU - Duc, Nguyen Tran Minh
AU - Tran, Thang Huu
AU - Tovani-Palone, Marcos Roberto
AU - Torrado, Marco
AU - Todorovic, Jovana
AU - Tiruye, Tenaw Yimer
AU - Thankappan, Kavumpurathu Raman
AU - Adewuyi, Habeeb Omoponle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. 2026.
PY - 2026/2
Y1 - 2026/2
N2 - Drug use disorders (DUDs) are emerging global public health challenges. Here we investigated the global and regional estimates of the prevalence and burden of DUDs, including amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use disorders, from 1990 to 2023 for 204 countries and territories by using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Overall, trends in global age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years of DUDs increased from 169.3 (95% uncertainty interval (95% UI), 134.4–203.9) per 100,000 people in 1990 to 212.0 (95% UI, 179.2–245.6) in 2023. In 2023, both prevalence and burden of DUDs were higher in high-income countries, particularly in the USA. The most prevalent DUDs in 2023 were cannabis use disorder (age-standardized prevalence, 270.8 (95% UI, 201.7–350.0) per 100,000 people) and opioid use disorder (205.9 (95% UI, 178.7–235.0)). Particularly, opioid use disorder showed a nearly twofold increase in prevalence and burden between 1990 and 2023. In 2023, compared with countries where cannabis use was illegal, countries permitting both recreational and medical cannabis use had higher prevalence rates for all types of DUDs. Proactive and effective policies are essential to mitigate the increasing global burden of DUDs.
AB - Drug use disorders (DUDs) are emerging global public health challenges. Here we investigated the global and regional estimates of the prevalence and burden of DUDs, including amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use disorders, from 1990 to 2023 for 204 countries and territories by using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Overall, trends in global age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years of DUDs increased from 169.3 (95% uncertainty interval (95% UI), 134.4–203.9) per 100,000 people in 1990 to 212.0 (95% UI, 179.2–245.6) in 2023. In 2023, both prevalence and burden of DUDs were higher in high-income countries, particularly in the USA. The most prevalent DUDs in 2023 were cannabis use disorder (age-standardized prevalence, 270.8 (95% UI, 201.7–350.0) per 100,000 people) and opioid use disorder (205.9 (95% UI, 178.7–235.0)). Particularly, opioid use disorder showed a nearly twofold increase in prevalence and burden between 1990 and 2023. In 2023, compared with countries where cannabis use was illegal, countries permitting both recreational and medical cannabis use had higher prevalence rates for all types of DUDs. Proactive and effective policies are essential to mitigate the increasing global burden of DUDs.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105028015563
U2 - 10.1038/s41591-025-04137-0
DO - 10.1038/s41591-025-04137-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 41545593
AN - SCOPUS:105028015563
SN - 1078-8956
VL - 32
SP - 527
EP - 544
JO - Nature Medicine
JF - Nature Medicine
IS - 2
ER -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being