Drug overdose deaths declined in the United States on an annual basis but continue to remain the leading cause of deaths among people aged 18-44, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“New provisional data from CDC’s National Vital Statistics System predict a nearly 24 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in September 2024, compared to the previous year,” the agency said in a Feb. 25 statement.
There were about 87,000 drug overdose deaths between October 2023 and September 2024, down from roughly 114,000 in the previous year, it said. The dates correspond to fiscal year 2024.
The 87,000 figure is the “fewest overdose deaths in any 12-month period since June 2020,” according to the agency.