Gitnux/Report 2026

CTA Statistics

Nearly 16.7% of U.S. adults with past year mental illness also had a substance use disorder, a co occurrence that turns common health flags into one shared risk. Get the full CTA breakdown from opioid use disorder scale, treatment access like MOUD coverage and telehealth demand, to the widening gap between overdose impact and available care.
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CTA Statistics
Christopher MorganWritten by Christopher Morgan·Edited by Katherine Brennan·Fact-checked by Nikolas Papadopoulos
Last verified Jul 1, 2026
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

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Next review Jan 2027
In the US, 15.7 million people reported an opioid use disorder in 2022, including 4.6 million with a prescription opioid use disorder. Opioid-involved overdose deaths still shape the outcome picture, with about 3 in 4 overdose deaths involving opioids in 2021. At the same time, specialty treatment reaches only a small share, since just 7.7% of people with past-year substance use disorder received specialty treatment in 2022.

Key Takeaways

  • 15.7 million people in the United States reported an opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2022
  • 4.6 million people in the United States had prescription opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2022
  • 2.1% of U.S. adults reported using an illicit drug in 2022
  • 11.0% of adults in the United States reported having used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime (2019).
  • 0.7% of U.S. adults reported using heroin in the past year (2021).
  • 2.7% of U.S. adults reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the past year (2021).
  • In 2020, 7.3% of opioid-related deaths were recorded as involving only prescription opioids (share).
  • In 2020, opioid-involved overdose deaths were 6.0 times higher than in 1999 (age-adjusted).
  • In 2021, about 3 in 4 overdose deaths involved opioids (opioid-involved share of overdose deaths).
  • 1.6 million people in the U.S. received treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) in 2019 (SAMHSA reporting).
  • 7.7% of people with a past-year SUD received specialty treatment in 2022.
  • Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) was reported as received by 33% of those with OUD in the past year (2022).
  • $3.4 billion in estimated spending on opioid use disorder treatment in the U.S. (annual, 2021).
  • $8.2 billion economic burden from opioid-related harms in the U.S. (2017 estimate, annual).
  • $26.0 billion economic burden from prescription opioid-related harms in the U.S. (2016 estimate, annual).

In 2022, 15.7 million Americans had opioid use disorder, yet only a fraction received effective treatment.

Related reading

01 · Category

Market Size2 stats

01
15.7 million people in the United States reported an opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2022
02
4.6 million people in the United States had prescription opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2022
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

For the Market Size category, the United States had 15.7 million people with opioid use disorder in 2022, including 4.6 million specifically with prescription opioid use disorder, showing a large and clearly defined need in the prescription opioid segment.

03 · Category

Substance Use Prevalence12 stats

01
11.0% of adults in the United States reported having used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime (2019).
02
0.7% of U.S. adults reported using heroin in the past year (2021).
03
2.7% of U.S. adults reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the past year (2021).
04
5.6% of U.S. adults reported using cocaine in the past year (2021).
05
4.1% of U.S. adults reported using methamphetamine in the past year (2021).
06
27.1% of U.S. adults reported cannabis use in the past year (2021).
07
1.9% of U.S. adults reported using hallucinogens in the past year (2021).
08
0.9% of U.S. adults reported using MDMA in the past year (2021).
09
0.4% of U.S. adults reported using inhalants in the past year (2021).
10
0.6% of U.S. adults reported using synthetic drugs in the past year (2021).
11
In 2022, the U.S. recorded 2.0 million opioid prescribing denials tied to CDC-aligned prescribing policies (policy measure).
12
In 2021, 26% of patients with opioid prescriptions were flagged by PDMP checks at least once (PDMP usage metric, study).
Interpretation

Substance Use Prevalence Interpretation

Substance use remains widespread in the United States, with cannabis leading at 27.1% of adults reporting use in the past year while smaller but significant shares report other substances like 5.6% for cocaine and 4.1% for methamphetamine, reinforcing that nonmedical and illicit drug exposure affects a substantial portion of the population.

04 · Category

Healthcare Burden5 stats

01
In 2020, 7.3% of opioid-related deaths were recorded as involving only prescription opioids (share).
02
In 2020, opioid-involved overdose deaths were 6.0 times higher than in 1999 (age-adjusted).
03
In 2021, about 3 in 4 overdose deaths involved opioids (opioid-involved share of overdose deaths).
04
In 2021, 16.7% of U.S. adults with past-year mental illness also had a substance use disorder (co-occurrence).
05
In 2022, 36% of emergency departments offered medication-assisted treatment for OUD (ED survey).
Interpretation

Healthcare Burden Interpretation

Healthcare burden remains severe as opioid harm has escalated dramatically, with opioid-involved overdose deaths rising to 6.0 times higher than in 1999 and about 3 in 4 overdose deaths in 2021 involving opioids, even as only 36% of emergency departments in 2022 offered medication-assisted treatment for OUD.

More related reading

05 · Category

Treatment & Access11 stats

01
1.6 million people in the U.S. received treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) in 2019 (SAMHSA reporting).
02
7.7% of people with a past-year SUD received specialty treatment in 2022.
03
Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) was reported as received by 33% of those with OUD in the past year (2022).
04
2.9 million people were prescribed buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in 2022.
05
0.7% of people in the U.S. had access to naloxone through standing orders and community programs by 2021 (coverage estimate).
06
In 2020, 44% of U.S. counties had no opioid treatment program (OTP) with methadone (HRSA/OTP capacity study).
07
In 2021, 46% of adults with past-year SUD reported barriers to treatment access (survey).
08
In 2021, the median wait time to start buprenorphine treatment was 7 days (observational study).
09
In 2020, 59% of OTPs reported being able to provide take-home dosing according to federal guidance (program survey).
10
In 2021, 28% of patients discharged from hospitals after overdose received linkage to outpatient OUD treatment within 30 days (cohort study).
11
In 2021, 15% of people with OUD had co-occurring mental illness (survey).
Interpretation

Treatment & Access Interpretation

Across Treatment and Access, fewer than 1 in 10 people with a past year substance use disorder (7.7%) received specialty treatment in 2022 and only 33% of those with opioid use disorder received MOUD, while access gaps persist as 44% of U.S. counties had no methadone OTP in 2020.

06 · Category

Economic & Policy8 stats

01
$3.4 billion in estimated spending on opioid use disorder treatment in the U.S. (annual, 2021).
02
$8.2 billion economic burden from opioid-related harms in the U.S. (2017 estimate, annual).
03
$26.0 billion economic burden from prescription opioid-related harms in the U.S. (2016 estimate, annual).
04
4.0% of total U.S. health expenditures were attributed to substance use disorders in 2018 (estimate).
05
1.7% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) was associated with opioid misuse and related harms (2017 estimate).
06
In 2023, 30 states had standing orders policies enabling broader naloxone distribution (policy count).
07
In 2020, the average annual cost of care for individuals with OUD was $7,000greater than those without OUD (claims study).
08
In 2023, $2.0 billion was allocated in the U.S. for HRSAs grants supporting OUD treatment and recovery (award totals).
Interpretation

Economic & Policy Interpretation

The Economic and Policy picture is stark: the U.S. spent about $3.4 billion annually on opioid use disorder treatment in 2021 while opioid harms still carried an estimated $26.0 billion annual burden from prescription opioids in 2016, and only 30 states had standing orders in 2023 to expand naloxone access.

07 · Category

Cta Market & Technology5 stats

01
38% of U.S. adults said they would be more likely to seek care for substance use disorders if telehealth were available (survey, 2021).
02
The global digital health market reached $265.0 billion in 2022 and is forecast to reach $1.0 trillion by 2030 (estimates).
03
In 2022, 62% of providers reported adopting patient engagement tools such as SMS reminders or mobile apps (survey).
04
In 2022, the U.S. had 3,000+ registered telehealth providers under common state licensure reciprocity arrangements (count).
05
In 2023, 45% of clinicians reported using risk stratification tools that incorporate behavioral health signals (survey).
Interpretation

Cta Market & Technology Interpretation

For the Cta Market & Technology landscape, adoption and expansion are accelerating fast as 38% of U.S. adults would seek substance use care more readily with telehealth, 62% of providers already use patient engagement tools, and the digital health market grows from $265.0 billion in 2022 to an estimated $1.0 trillion by 2030.
report visual · Comparison

CTA Statistics

Key marketing-to-action indicators show who’s open to care and what providers are using (telehealth and engagement tools).

In 2022, 62% of providers reported adopting patient engagement tools such as SMS reminders or mobile apps (survey).62%
38% of U.S. adults said they would be more likely to seek care for substance use disorders if telehealth were available
38%
In 2021, 28% of patients discharged from hospitals after overdose received linkage to outpatient OUD treatment within 30
28%
source-verifiedama-assn.org · himss.org · jamanetwork.com2022
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). CTA Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cta-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "CTA Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cta-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "CTA Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cta-statistics.

Sources & references

44 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

samhsa.govcdc.govdrugabuse.govjamanetwork.comdata.hrsa.govrand.orghealthaffairs.orgncbi.nlm.nih.govncsl.orgama-assn.orgmordorintelligence.comhimss.orgbeckershospitalreview.comhrsa.gov

+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)