Overdose Deaths Reached Almost One Million From 1999 Through 2020

Overdose deaths reached almost one million in the United States from 1999 through 2020, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For each year from 1999 through 2020, the overdose rate for males was higher than for females.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found 932,364 people died in the United States from fatal overdoses during that period. A separate CDC study estimated an additional 100,000 people died from overdoses in 2021, NPR reports.

Among adults ages 35 to 44 — the age group with the highest rates — overdose deaths rose 33% from 2019 to 2020, the CDC found. In recent years, most overdose deaths have involved fentanyl, as well as cocaine and methamphetamine.