Cocaine use shows up in uneven patterns across age, identity, and where people live. In the US, males aged 18-25 reported past-year cocaine use at 3.5%, while college students reported 5.1% in the same year. The data also highlights gaps that persist, including LGBTQ+ youth at 12% past-year use versus 4% among heterosexual peers.
Key Takeaways
- US males aged 18-25 had past-year cocaine use of 3.5% in 2022
- In 2022, cocaine-related healthcare costs in US exceeded $18 billion annually
- In 2020, cocaine was involved in 24% of all US drug overdose deaths combined with opioids
- In 2022, about 1.4 million Americans aged 12 or older had cocaine use disorder in the past year
- In 2022, 1.7 million Americans received treatment for cocaine use disorder
Cocaine use remains a significant public health concern, with ongoing risks for individuals and communities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics30 stats
01
US males aged 18-25 had past-year cocaine use of 3.5% in 2022
02
Among US Hispanics, cocaine use disorder prevalence was 0.8% vs 0.5% for non-Hispanics in 2021
03
Women aged 26+ in US had 1.1% past-year cocaine use compared to 1.6% for men in 2022
04
Black Americans had 2.1% past-year crack cocaine use vs 0.2% for powder in 2021 NSDUH
05
Urban residents in US had 1.8% cocaine use rate vs 0.9% rural in 2020
06
Among US college students, 5.1% reported past-year cocaine use in 2022
07
LGBTQ+ youth had 12% past-year cocaine use vs 4% heterosexual peers in 2021
08
US veterans had 1.5% cocaine use disorder rate, higher than civilians at 0.6% in 2019
09
In US, those with annual income >$75k had 2.4% cocaine use vs 0.8% for <$25k in 2021
10
American Indian/Alaska Native adults had 2.3% past-year cocaine use in 2021
11
Females initiating cocaine use before 18 have 5x higher addiction risk later
12
In US prisons, 20-30% of inmates report lifetime cocaine use history
13
College-educated US adults had 2.0% cocaine use vs 1.0% high school only in 2022
14
US adults 18-25 in large metros had 3.2% cocaine use vs 1.5% small towns
15
Among US pregnant women, 0.3% used cocaine in past month in 2021
16
White non-Hispanic US adults had 1.6% cocaine use disorder in 2021
17
Males comprise 70% of cocaine treatment admissions in US
18
US adults with mental illness had 4x higher cocaine use rates in 2020
19
US Asians had lowest cocaine use at 0.6% past-year vs 2.0% Blacks in 2022
20
Among US 18-25 year old females, cocaine use was 1.8% in 2021
21
Homeless US adults had 15% past-year cocaine use rate in 2020 HUD survey
22
US adults with bachelor's degree had 2.2% cocaine use vs 1.2% no diploma
23
In US, 25-34 age group had highest cocaine use disorder at 1.0% in 2022
24
Transgender individuals report 10x higher cocaine use than cisgender peers
25
US rural white males had 1.2% cocaine use vs urban 2.5% in 2021
26
65% of US cocaine users are employed full-time per NSDUH 2021
27
Black females aged 18-25 had 2.5% past-year cocaine use in US 2022
28
US insured adults had 1.5% cocaine use vs 2.5% uninsured in 2020
29
Among US musicians/entertainers, cocaine use estimated at 12% lifetime
30
Gen Z US adults (18-25) had 2.3% past-year cocaine use in 2022
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
While these percentages may seem like a statistical quilt of disparate vulnerabilities, they actually stitch together a stark portrait of how addiction meticulously targets American society, exploiting disparities in geography, identity, income, and mental health far more than it discriminates by demographic.
02 · Category
Economic Impacts30 stats
01
In 2022, cocaine-related healthcare costs in US exceeded $18 billion annually
02
Global cocaine market value estimated at $94 billion in 2021 per UNODC
03
US lost 2.4 million workdays to cocaine use in 2019 per productivity studies
04
Cocaine trafficking generates $30-50 billion in criminal revenue yearly worldwide
05
Average lifetime economic cost per cocaine user in US is $275,000including crime/health
06
In 2020, cocaine contributed to $12 billion in US emergency room costs
07
Colombia's cocaine economy represents 2.5% of national GDP in 2022
08
US employers lose $1.5 billion yearly from cocaine-related absenteeism
09
Cocaine use linked to $8 billion in US crime costs from theft/burglary in 2018
10
Global seizures of cocaine valued at $4.5 billion in 2021
11
In Europe, cocaine retail market worth €11.1 billion in 2021 per EMCDDA
12
US cocaine production/import costs taxpayers $50 billion in enforcement yearly
13
Productivity loss from cocaine addiction averages $20,000per user annually
14
Cocaine fuels 15% of organized crime violence costs in Latin America
15
In 2021, US insurance paid $6 billion for cocaine-related hospitalizations
16
Family members of cocaine users incur $10,000average annual support costs
17
Cocaine trade disrupts $2 billion in annual trade in source countries
18
US child welfare costs from parental cocaine use: $1.2 billion yearly
19
Cocaine-related workplace accidents cost US firms $900 million in 2020
20
Global anti-cocaine efforts cost $100 billion since 2000 per UN estimates
21
Cocaine production costs US $193 billion in total societal burden yearly
22
In 2019, cocaine-related crime cost US cities $5 billion in policing
23
Average cocaine user steals $1,200yearly to fund habit per studies
24
Europe cocaine wholesale market hit €10.5 billion in 2020
25
US lost 500,000 potential work years to premature cocaine deaths 2015-2019
26
Cocaine fuels 20% of money laundering in global banks annually
27
Treatment savings: $7saved per $1 invested in cocaine rehab per meta-analysis
28
In Peru, coca economy contributes 7% to rural GDP but displaces food production
29
US foster care costs from cocaine-addicted parents: $2.1 billion/year
30
Cocaine use causes 1.5% GDP loss in high-prevalence Latin countries
Interpretation
Economic Impacts Interpretation
If we stopped treating the cocaine economy like a rogue multinational corporation that profits from human misery while billing society for the wreckage—through emergency rooms, lost workdays, and shattered families—we might finally see it not as a personal vice but as the staggeringly expensive global parasite it truly is.
03 · Category
Health Effects30 stats
01
In 2020, cocaine was involved in 24% of all US drug overdose deaths combined with opioids
02
Cocaine use increases risk of heart attack by 24 times within 60 minutes of use per NIDA studies
03
Chronic cocaine users have 6.5 times higher risk of stroke according to a 2019 meta-analysis
04
In 2021, cocaine was present in 27% of US toxicology reports for overdose deaths
05
Nasal cocaine use leads to perforation of the septum in 20-30% of chronic users
06
Cocaine-associated myocardial infarction accounts for 25% of drug-related heart attacks in under-45s
07
Regular cocaine use causes erectile dysfunction in 40-60% of male users per clinical studies
08
Pregnant women using cocaine have 3-4 times higher risk of placental abruption
09
Cocaine users experience seizures in 8-17% of overdose cases per ER data
10
Long-term cocaine use leads to cognitive deficits in 50-70% of heavy users
11
Crack cocaine smoking causes respiratory failure in 10% of chronic users
12
Cocaine increases HIV transmission risk by 2-5 times due to risky behaviors
13
In 2022, cocaine was involved in 30,435 US overdose deaths, up 10% from 2021
14
Chronic use damages dopamine transporters by 20-30% as shown in PET scans
15
Cocaine users have 3.8 times higher odds of cardiomyopathy
16
Intranasal cocaine causes rhinitis and sinusitis in 81% of users per otolaryngology study
17
Cocaine adulterated with levamisole causes agranulocytosis in 10-20% of cases
18
Neonatal cocaine exposure leads to low birth weight in 30% of cases
19
Cocaine precipitates arrhythmias in 64% of users during acute intoxication
20
Heavy cocaine use correlates with Parkinson's disease risk increase of 3.5-fold
21
In 2021, cocaine use disorder affected 1.4 million US adults with severe health comorbidities
22
Cocaine causes vasoconstriction leading to 40% higher infarction rates in young adults
23
Cocaine causes sudden cardiac death in 6% of young adults post-use per autopsy studies
24
Chronic cocaine users show 25% brain volume reduction in frontal lobes via MRI
25
Cocaine elevates body temperature to 108°F in 15% of hyperthermia cases
26
Users have 4x increased risk of aortic dissection from cocaine
27
Cocaine-induced psychosis occurs in 20-50% of heavy users
28
35% of cocaine-positive ER visits involve violence or injury
29
Long-term use impairs memory recall by 30% in neuropsychological tests
30
Cocaine with fentanyl mix caused 75% of 2022 cocaine OD deaths
Interpretation
Health Effects Interpretation
If you're looking for a drug that efficiently turns every major organ system against you while dramatically shortening your life in a dozen creatively horrific ways, congratulations: cocaine's marketing as a party favor is the most successful bait-and-switch in history.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevalence29 stats
01
In 2022, about 1.4 million Americans aged 12 or older had cocaine use disorder in the past year
02
Globally, 22 million people used cocaine in 2021 according to UNODC estimates
03
Past-month cocaine use among US high school seniors dropped to 1.0% in 2022 from 1.8% in 2019
04
In Europe, cocaine was the second most commonly used illicit drug after cannabis with 3.7 million past-year users in 2021
05
Lifetime cocaine use prevalence among US adults aged 18-25 was 17.5% in 2021
06
In 2020, 0.7% of the global population aged 15-64 used cocaine in the past year per UNODC
07
Past-year cocaine use in Australia reached 4.2% among those aged 14+ in 2022-2023
08
In Canada, 2.0% of the population aged 15+ reported past-year cocaine use in 2019
09
US past-month cocaine use among young adults (18-25) was 2.0% in 2022
10
In the UK, 2.1% of adults aged 16-59 used powder cocaine in the past year in 2022/23
11
Crack cocaine past-year use in the US was 0.4% among those 12+ in 2021
12
In South America, Colombia had the highest cocaine use rate at 1.2% past-year in 2018
13
Past-year cocaine use among US males aged 12+ was 2.1% vs 0.9% for females in 2022
14
In 2021, 19.3 million people worldwide used cocaine per EMCDDA/UNODC joint estimates
15
US cocaine initiation among 12-17 year olds averaged 74,000 annually from 2018-2020
16
In Brazil, 1.7% of the population used cocaine in the past year in 2019
17
Past-month cocaine use in US was 0.7% for population 12+ in 2022
18
In West Africa, cocaine use prevalence was 0.3% in 2021 per UNODC
19
Lifetime cocaine use in US increased slightly to 15.9% among adults in 2021
20
In 2021, past-year cocaine use among US adults aged 26+ was 1.6%
21
In Mexico, cocaine use prevalence was 1.2% past-year among 12-65 in 2016-2017
22
Past-year cocaine use in US full-time workers was 1.9% in 2021
23
In Asia, cocaine use remained low at 0.04% past-year in 2021
24
US 12th graders' perceived risk of cocaine use fell to 50% in 2022, correlating with slight use rise
25
In 2022, cocaine was detected in 5% of US wastewater samples nationwide
26
Lifetime prevalence of cocaine use among US baby boomers (55-73) was 20.4% in 2021
27
In New Zealand, 3.2% of adults reported past-year cocaine use in 2019/20
28
Crack cocaine use declined to 0.2% past-month among US 12+ in 2022
29
In 2021, cocaine use among US adolescents (12-17) was 0.4% past-year
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
A generation that dramatically cut teenage use is now watching from the sidelines as their own historically high lifetime rates and the drug's stubborn global presence—from 22 million users worldwide to its unwelcome appearance in our wastewater—remind us that this problem was never solved, just aging and shifting shape.
05 · Category
Treatment30 stats
01
In 2022, 1.7 million Americans received treatment for cocaine use disorder
02
Only 14% of US cocaine users with disorder receive any treatment annually
03
Cocaine treatment admission rates increased 20% from 2018-2022 in US
04
Abstinence rates after 1 year in cocaine outpatient programs average 20-30%
05
Contingency management boosts cocaine abstinence by 50% in trials
06
In 2021, 40% of US drug rehab facilities offered cocaine-specific programs
07
Relapse rates within 3 months post-cocaine detox are 60-80%
08
Matrix model therapy achieves 70% cocaine-negative weeks in first 16 weeks
09
US cocaine treatment episodes totaled 250,000 in 2020 per TEDS
10
Pharmacotherapy trials show modafinil reduces cocaine use by 40% in 50% of patients
11
12-step programs like NA have 25% sustained sobriety rate for cocaine at 5 years
12
Inpatient cocaine rehab success (90-day abstinence) is 45% vs 25% outpatient
13
US Medicaid covered 30% of cocaine treatment services in 2021
14
Cognitive-behavioral therapy retains 60% of cocaine patients through 12 weeks
15
Recovery housing post-cocaine treatment doubles long-term abstinence odds
16
In 2022, telehealth cocaine treatment access rose 300% in US
17
Disulfiram aids cocaine abstinence in 55% of comorbid alcohol users
18
US states with mandatory treatment laws see 15% higher cocaine recovery rates
19
Family therapy improves cocaine treatment outcomes by 35% in studies
20
Long-term (2+ years) cocaine recovery rate is 40% with integrated care
21
50% of cocaine patients drop out of treatment within first month
22
Vouchers in contingency management sustain cocaine abstinence 8 weeks longer
23
US cocaine treatment wait times average 45 days in public facilities 2022
24
Baclofen reduces cocaine cravings by 60% in clinical trials
25
Community reinforcement approach yields 55% 6-month abstinence for cocaine
26
In 2020, 25% of US addiction helpline calls were cocaine-related
27
Topiramate decreases cocaine use days by 40% in double-blind studies
28
Sober living homes retain 70% of cocaine residents abstinent at 6 months
29
Integrated mental health-cocaine treatment improves retention by 25%
30
US private insurance covers 60% of cocaine therapy sessions on average
Interpretation
Treatment Interpretation
We have a proven toolbox that can dramatically improve cocaine recovery rates, but we are still handing it out through a keyhole, leaving millions stranded outside.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Cocaine Use Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cocaine-use-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Cocaine Use Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cocaine-use-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Cocaine Use Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cocaine-use-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level