Heroin, 15,958
Synthetic Opioids other than Methadone, 29,406
Natural and semi-synthetic opioids, 14,958
Cocaine, 14,556
Methamphetamine, 10,721
Methadone, 3,295
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,00019
9920
0020
0120
0220
0320
0420
0520
0620
0720
0820
0920
1020
1120
1220
1320
1420
1520
1620
17
Drugs Involved in U.S. Overdose Deaths, 1999 to 2017
More than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,00019
9920
0020
0120
0220
0320
0420
0520
0620
0720
0820
0920
1020
1120
1220
1320
1420
1520
1620
17
Total U.S. Drug Deaths
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving All Drugs
63,632
72,306
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provisional
2017
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving Opioids
42,249
49,068
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provis
ional 2017
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving
Opioid Pain Relievers (excluding non-methadone synthetics)
19,354
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving
Other Synthetic Opioids (Predominately Fentanyl)
19,413
29,406
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provisional
2017
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving Heroin
15,958
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provisional
2017
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving Cocaine
14,556
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provisional
2017
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving Cocaine in Combination
with Non-Methadone Opioid Synthetics
4,184
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
National Overdose DeathsNumber of Deaths Involving Benzodiazepines
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
8,791
10,684
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Total Female Male
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
Opioid Involvement in Cocaine Overdose
10,375
14,556
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Provis
ional 2017
Deaths Involving Cocaine
Cocaine in Combination with Any Opioid
Cocaine Only
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
Opioid Involvement in Benzodiazepine Overdose
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
8,791
10,684
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
20022003
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
20142015
2016
Deaths Involving Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepine in Combination with Any Opioid
Benzodiazepine Only
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC Wonder
Alternate Text• The figures above are bar charts showing the number of U.S. overdose
deaths involving all drugs, opioid drugs, opioid analgesics (excluding non-methadone synthetic, the category dominated by illicit fentanyl), heroin, heroin and non-methadone synthetics (to capture illicit opioids), benzodiazepines, or cocaine from 2002 to 2016 (provisional 2017 data available for select drugs). The charts are overlayed by line graphs showing the number of deaths by males and females. The highest rise was seen for deaths involving other synthetic opioids, with a 22-fold increase from 2002 to 2017. The final two charts show the numbers of cocaine and benzodiazepine deaths that also involved an opioid; overdoses on these drug combinations have increased by nearly 3- and 6- fold respectively. These categories are not mutually exclusive and therefore cannot be summed.