More than 107,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdoses in 2023. That same year, 63 percent of individuals with opioid use disorder did not receive medication-assisted treatment. This article examines the scope of the crisis and the systemic barriers to effective care.
Key Takeaways
- 5.3 million people in the US misused prescription opioids in 2023
- 1.1 million people in the US had an opioid use disorder in 2022 and did not receive medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
- 1.8 million people in the US received some form of treatment for substance use disorder in 2023 but only a minority received MOUD
- In 2022, alcohol was involved in 8.4% of opioid-related overdose deaths in the US
- $3.4 billion total federal investment in opioid response in FY2021 (HHS budget highlights, including prevention, treatment, recovery)
- 107,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2023 in the United States
- 68% of people who died from a drug overdose in the United States had opioids involved in 2019
- In 2021, 1.7% of the US workforce (ages 18–64) reported opioid misuse in the past year (NSDUH employment subgroup estimate)
- In 2019, 70% of the 70,000+ drug overdose deaths in the United States involved opioids (reported share in national surveillance)
- Synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) accounted for 53% of opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2019 (United States)
- In 2021, opioid-involved overdose mortality rates were higher for Black/African American adults than for White adults (age-adjusted rate comparison reported)
- Opioid overdose deaths cost the United States an estimated $1.6 trillion over the period 2017–2019 (economic burden estimate)
- Opioid-related healthcare and criminal justice costs in the United States were estimated at $406 billion in 2017
- In 2023, 80.4% of US adults who needed mental health services received some care (benchmark used in access comparisons)
- In 2022, 63% of people with opioid use disorder did not receive MOUD (US estimate)
In 2023, 5.3 million Americans misused prescription opioids, yet most with opioid use disorder still lacked MOUD.
Related reading
01 · Category
Population Impact3 stats
01
5.3 million people in the US misused prescription opioids in 2023
02
1.1 million people in the US had an opioid use disorder in 2022 and did not receive medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
03
1.8 million people in the US received some form of treatment for substance use disorder in 2023 but only a minority received MOUD
Interpretation
Population Impact Interpretation
From a Population Impact perspective, millions are affected each year as 5.3 million people misused prescription opioids in 2023 and 1.1 million with opioid use disorder in 2022 still did not receive MOUD despite 1.8 million receiving some substance use disorder treatment in 2023, meaning the gap in MOUD remains large.
02 · Category
Risk Factors1 stats
01
In 2022, alcohol was involved in 8.4% of opioid-related overdose deaths in the US
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
In 2022, alcohol was involved in 8.4% of US opioid-related overdose deaths, underscoring it as a measurable risk factor within the broader opioid overdose risk picture.
03 · Category
Public Health Response1 stats
01
$3.4 billion total federal investment in opioid response in FY2021 (HHS budget highlights, including prevention, treatment, recovery)
Interpretation
Public Health Response Interpretation
In FY2021, the United States invested $3.4 billion in opioid response under the public health framework, underscoring the scale of federal action aimed at prevention, treatment, and recovery.
04 · Category
Overdose Mortality2 stats
01
107,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2023 in the United States
02
68% of people who died from a drug overdose in the United States had opioids involved in 2019
Interpretation
Overdose Mortality Interpretation
In the Overdose Mortality category, the United States recorded 107,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2023, and in 2019 opioids were involved in 68% of all drug overdose deaths, underscoring how dominant opioid involvement remains in overdose fatalities.
05 · Category
Epidemiology And Trends5 stats
01
In 2021, 1.7% of the US workforce (ages 18–64) reported opioid misuse in the past year (NSDUH employment subgroup estimate)
02
In 2019, 70% of the 70,000+ drug overdose deaths in the United States involved opioids (reported share in national surveillance)
03
Synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) accounted for 53% of opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2019 (United States)
04
Opioid overdoses were the leading cause of injury-related death among US adults aged 18–49 in 2021 (ranking metric)
05
In 2020, 3.6% of US adults reported past-year heroin use (NSDUH estimate)
Interpretation
Epidemiology And Trends Interpretation
Across recent US data, opioid misuse and overdose risks remain a major and evolving public health issue, with 70% of the 70,000 plus drug overdose deaths in 2019 involving opioids and synthetic opioids driving 53% of opioid-involved deaths in the same year.
More related reading
06 · Category
Public Health Burden6 stats
01
In 2021, opioid-involved overdose mortality rates were higher for Black/African American adults than for White adults (age-adjusted rate comparison reported)
02
Opioid overdose deaths cost the United States an estimated $1.6 trillion over the period 2017–2019 (economic burden estimate)
03
Opioid-related healthcare and criminal justice costs in the United States were estimated at $406 billion in 2017
04
Opioid-related overdose deaths in rural areas increased from 2013 to 2021 by 48% (United States)
05
In 2022, 5,800 people died from opioid overdoses in metropolitan counties that year (US estimate reported in national data brief)
06
Opioid use disorder is associated with a 2.5–3.0x higher risk of death than the general population (systematic review estimate)
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
From a public health burden perspective, opioid overdose and related costs are escalating and widely distributed, including rural deaths rising 48% from 2013 to 2021 and the United States estimated to have spent $406 billion in 2017 with a staggering $1.6 trillion economic burden from 2017 to 2019.
07 · Category
Access To Treatment6 stats
01
In 2023, 80.4% of US adults who needed mental health services received some care (benchmark used in access comparisons)
02
In 2022, 63% of people with opioid use disorder did not receive MOUD (US estimate)
03
In 2021, 9.5% of opioid treatment programs offered telehealth for counseling and recovery services (survey-based report)
04
The average time to first MOUD appointment after entering treatment for opioid use disorder was 10.8 days in a multi-site study (US, 2020–2021 data)
05
In a national sample, 46% of patients reported transportation as a barrier to receiving MOUD (survey finding)
06
In 2022, 1,321 opioid treatment programs (OTPs) were registered to dispense methadone in the United States (SAMHSA OTP directory count reported)
Interpretation
Access To Treatment Interpretation
Access to opioid treatment remains limited, with 63% of people with opioid use disorder not receiving MOUD in 2022, while only 9.5% of opioid treatment programs offered telehealth for counseling and recovery in 2021 and it took an average of 10.8 days to get a first MOUD appointment after entering treatment.
08 · Category
Funding And Policy7 stats
01
The SUPPORT Act (2018) established requirements for prescriber education and naloxone availability in Medicare Part D (policy measure)
02
In 2023, 48 states had naloxone standing orders or similar protocols (policy adoption metric reported)
03
In 2022, 39 states permitted pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a patient-specific prescription (policy adoption)
04
Medicare paid for opioid use disorder treatment services including MOUD under the Medicare Part B physician fee schedule (coverage rule affecting reimbursement, 2023)
05
The 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain included a recommendation to taper opioids when risks outweigh benefits (guideline quantified thresholds for tapering)
06
X-waiver no longer limits buprenorphine prescribing after DATA 2000 waiver elimination (as of 2023 regulatory change allowing office-based MOUD prescribing)
07
The proportion of US adults living in counties with at least one MOUD provider increased from 2018 to 2022 by 6.2 percentage points (health services access trend)
Interpretation
Funding And Policy Interpretation
From 2018 to 2022, access expanded under policy changes, with the share of US adults in counties that have at least one MOUD provider rising by 6.2 percentage points, while by 2023 most states had adopted naloxone standing orders and 39 states allowed pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a patient specific prescription.
09 · Category
Harm Reduction Metrics7 stats
01
In 2022, naloxone use reversed 1.8% of opioid overdoses attended by EMS in a large US system dataset (operational metric)
02
In a meta-analysis, community distribution of naloxone reduced opioid overdose mortality by 14% (relative effect estimate)
03
Syringe service programs (SSPs) were associated with a 50% reduction in HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in a systematic review (effect size)
04
In a randomized trial, take-home naloxone increased timely administration by 2.7x compared with no naloxone access (trial finding)
05
In 2020, 17% of people who had a nonfatal opioid overdose reported having naloxone available at the time (survey finding)
06
In 2022, opioid overdose prevention education was reported by 22% of surveyed US adults living with someone who misuses opioids (survey statistic)
07
In 2019, 9.6% of US adults reported that they have received overdose education or naloxone training (survey finding)
Interpretation
Harm Reduction Metrics Interpretation
Overall, harm reduction efforts show measurable impact, with naloxone availability and related services linked to reduced deaths and infections such as a 14% drop in overdose mortality from community naloxone distribution and a 50% reduction in HIV incidence from syringe service programs.
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
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Opioid Death Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/opioid-death-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Opioid Death Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/opioid-death-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Opioid Death Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/opioid-death-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+26 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)