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The main point: Preliminary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows that about 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2025, about 14% fewer than the previous year.
- That includes around 44,500 deaths from opioids (including 38,000 from synthetic opioids), 26,00 involving psychostimulants with abuse potential (methamphetamine), and 19,500 involving cocaine.
- Why it’s important: It was the third straight annual drop, making it the longest decline in decades. The 2025 total is about the same as 2019’s, before the COVID pandemic.
The details:
- Declines were seen across fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
- Overdose deaths fell in the vast majority of states. But 7 saw at least slight increases, including jumps of 10% or more in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, possibly due to more combined use of fentanyl and methamphetamine in those places.
But: The number of Americans dying from overdoses is still high, and deaths declined at a slower pace than the previous year.
- Policy changes (e.g., cuts to programs designed to reduce overdose deaths) and shifts in the drug supply (e.g., emergence of new potent drugs) could cause deaths to rise again.
Read more: US overdose deaths fell again in 2025, but some worry about policy and drug supply changes
Published
May 2026