More than 80,000 opioid-involved overdose deaths were reported in 2022, yet MOUD reach remains limited and uneven, with only a small share of OUD treatment recipients receiving naltrexone. At the same time, fear of consequences keeps treatment out of reach for some people with SUD, while prior overdose and injection drug use tie into much higher risks for future harm and HIV diagnoses. These statistics together reveal a gap between what effective treatment can prevent and who actually gets it.
Key Takeaways
- 13.9% of U.S. adults with a substance use disorder in 2019 received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year
- In 2022, 7.6% of people with SUD did not receive treatment due to fear of job loss or negative consequences (NSDUH estimate)
- In 2021, the median age at first treatment admission for SUD was 33 years (publicly funded SUD treatment admissions data)
- In 2022, the CDC estimated that overdose deaths among people with opioid use disorder increased substantially: 2022 had 81,806 opioid-involved overdose deaths (preliminary estimate)
- In 2023, 5.0% of opioid use disorder treatment recipients received naltrexone (MOUD type share estimate)
- In 2022, 10.5% of U.S. adults with substance use disorder also had serious mental illness
- 47.9% of U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2019 involved synthetic opioids (other than methadone)
- In 2022, U.S. substance misuse and SUD contributed to about 4.1% of U.S. GDP lost due to health and economic costs (estimate from national cost study)
- $1,045 per capita annual cost attributable to substance use disorders in the U.S. (2017 estimate)
- In 2019, the U.S. had 21.0 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to drug use disorders (global burden adapted to U.S.)
- 9.0% of adults (age 26–49) had a SUD in 2019
- 2.5 million people in the U.S. reported past-year use of heroin (2019 NSDUH)
- 2.0 million people in the U.S. reported using prescription opioids non-medically in the past year (2019 NSDUH)
- Nearly 16 million Americans reported past-year cannabis use in 2022 (14–17% age 12+ range; NSDUH)
- In 2019, drug use disorders contributed 1.0% of all DALYs globally (IHME GBD Results tool output)
MOUD and treatment reduce opioid deaths, yet many people with SUD still do not get help.
Related reading
01 · Category
Treatment Access5 stats
01
13.9% of U.S. adults with a substance use disorder in 2019 received medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year
02
In 2022, 7.6% of people with SUD did not receive treatment due to fear of job loss or negative consequences (NSDUH estimate)
03
In 2021, the median age at first treatment admission for SUD was 33 years (publicly funded SUD treatment admissions data)
04
In 2021, 1,404,000 people received publicly funded SUD treatment services in the U.S. (admissions-based count)
05
In 2022, 1,250,000 people received publicly funded opioid use disorder treatment (SAMHSA publicly funded treatment data, annual)
Interpretation
Treatment Access Interpretation
Despite substantial need, only 13.9% of U.S. adults with a substance use disorder received medication for opioid use disorder in 2019 and in 2022 7.6% of people with SUD still did not get treatment because of fear of job loss, underscoring serious barriers to treatment access.
02 · Category
Clinical & Comorbidity9 stats
01
In 2022, the CDC estimated that overdose deaths among people with opioid use disorder increased substantially: 2022 had 81,806 opioid-involved overdose deaths (preliminary estimate)
02
In 2023, 5.0% of opioid use disorder treatment recipients received naltrexone (MOUD type share estimate)
03
In 2022, 10.5% of U.S. adults with substance use disorder also had serious mental illness
04
People with opioid use disorder have elevated risk of nonfatal overdose: 27.0% reported a prior overdose (study estimate)
05
In the U.S., opioid use disorder is associated with a 2.9-fold higher risk of HIV diagnosis among people with injection drug use (meta-analysis estimate)
06
A Cochrane review found that opioid agonist treatment reduces all-cause mortality compared with no opioid agonist treatment
07
A meta-analysis found that medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) lowers overdose mortality risk compared with no MOUD
08
77% reduction in opioid overdose risk has been reported for patients treated with buprenorphine compared with untreated controls (observational evidence estimate)
09
In a large observational study, methadone treatment was associated with a substantially lower risk of overdose death versus no treatment (study estimate)
Interpretation
Clinical & Comorbidity Interpretation
In the Clinical and Comorbidity picture, opioid use disorder is tightly linked to serious co-occurring harm such as overdose and infection, with 81,806 opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2022 and evidence that MOUD can substantially cut mortality risk, including a 77% reduction in opioid overdose risk with buprenorphine versus untreated controls.
03 · Category
Overdose Mortality1 stats
01
47.9% of U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2019 involved synthetic opioids (other than methadone)
Interpretation
Overdose Mortality Interpretation
In the context of overdose mortality, nearly half of US drug overdose deaths in 2019, at 47.9%, involved synthetic opioids other than methadone, underscoring how dominant this specific drug category is in overdose deaths.
04 · Category
Economic Impact6 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. substance misuse and SUD contributed to about 4.1% of U.S. GDP lost due to health and economic costs (estimate from national cost study)
02
$1,045per capita annual cost attributable to substance use disorders in the U.S. (2017 estimate)
03
In 2019, the U.S. had 21.0 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to drug use disorders (global burden adapted to U.S.)
04
In 2022, the U.S. had 2.8 million substance-related emergency department visits (estimate from CDC data brief)
05
AHRQ estimates opioid misuse costs the U.S. healthcare system $20.4 billion annually (estimate)
06
WHO estimated that harmful use of alcohol results in 3.0 million deaths each year globally (harmful alcohol use burden; relevant SUD-related co-burden)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
In 2022, substance misuse and SUD cost the United States about 4.1% of GDP through health and economic losses, showing how the economic burden is already large enough to measure in macroeconomic terms while costs also reach $1,045 per person each year.
More related reading
05 · Category
Prevalence1 stats
01
9.0% of adults (age 26–49) had a SUD in 2019
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
In the prevalence category, 9.0% of adults aged 26–49 had a substance use disorder in 2019, showing that SUD affects a meaningful share of this prime working age group.
06 · Category
Substance Use Patterns4 stats
01
2.5 million people in the U.S. reported past-year use of heroin (2019 NSDUH)
02
2.0 million people in the U.S. reported using prescription opioids non-medically in the past year (2019 NSDUH)
03
Nearly 16 million Americans reported past-year cannabis use in 2022 (14–17% age 12+ range; NSDUH)
04
In 2022, 22.0% of publicly funded SUD treatment admissions reported injection drug use
Interpretation
Substance Use Patterns Interpretation
Under the Substance Use Patterns category, the most telling trend is that drug use is widespread across different substances and years, with nearly 16 million Americans reporting past year cannabis use in 2022 while 2.5 million used heroin and 2.0 million used prescription opioids non medically, and injection drug use still shows up in 22.0% of publicly funded SUD treatment admissions in 2022.
07 · Category
Burden1 stats
01
In 2019, drug use disorders contributed 1.0% of all DALYs globally (IHME GBD Results tool output)
Interpretation
Burden Interpretation
In 2019, drug use disorders accounted for 1.0% of all global DALYs, showing that the burden of substance abuse remains a measurable but relatively small share of total disease impact worldwide.
08 · Category
Treatment Outcomes3 stats
01
Naltrexone blocks opioid effects; in a U.S. randomized trial, oral naltrexone achieved 53% abstinence from opioid use at 12 months (trial-reported proportion)
02
In a meta-analysis, contingency management increased abstinence outcomes for substance use disorders with an effect size of 0.69 (meta-analytic estimate)
03
In a Cochrane review, contingency management interventions showed beneficial effects for substance use outcomes (review reported positive effects across studies)
Interpretation
Treatment Outcomes Interpretation
For Treatment Outcomes, the evidence points to therapies that meaningfully improve abstinence, with oral naltrexone reaching 53% opioid abstinence at 12 months and contingency management showing consistent benefits with an effect size of 0.69 and positive findings across Cochrane reviewed studies.
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). Substance Abuse Disorder Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/substance-abuse-disorder-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Substance Abuse Disorder Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/substance-abuse-disorder-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Substance Abuse Disorder Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/substance-abuse-disorder-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)