1
RECENT STATISTICS AND TREND ANALYSIS OF THE ILLICIT DRUG MARKET A. EXTENT OF DRUG USE: GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Fig. 2.
With respect to the different groups of substances, there has been an increase in opioid and cannabis use since 2009, whereas the use of opiates, cocaine and ATS (excluding “ecstasy”) has either remained stable or followed a decreasing trend. However, not all countries conduct national surveys on drug use, and most countries that do so conduct them only periodically, once every three to five years.
Index (baseline = 2009)
100 95
2009
2010
2011
2012
90 85 80
Cannabis Cocaine "Ecstasy"
Opiates Amphetamines Opioids
Source: Estimates based on the UNODC annual report questionnaire.
Therefore, rather than looking at the year-to-year change, it is more meaningful to take a longer-term perspective. Also, year-on-year changes in a country’s prevalence rate have only a slight impact on a region’s overall prevalence unless they occur in a country with a large population. For 2012 data, updated prevalence estimates are available for 33 countries, mostly countries of Western and Central Europe and North America, representing nearly 12 per
2012
2011
2011 2012 Annual prevalence among population age 152007 64 (percentage) 2012 2008 Annual prevalence among population age 15-64 (percentage) 2009 Annual prevalence among population age 1564 (percentage) 2010
2010 2011 2006
2009 2010 2012 2012
2008 2009 2011 2011
2006 2007 2009 2009 Annual prevalence among population age 152007 64 (percentage) 2008 2010 2010
Drug users (million)
2012 2012 2006 2008 2008
-
2011 2011 2012 2007 2007
15
2010 2010 2011 2006 2006
16
2009 2009 2010 2012
18
50
2008 2008 2009 2011
39
2007 2007 2008 2010
38
2006 2006 2007 2009
38
2009
149 100
2012 2006 2008
150
2008
155
210 200
2007
2006
172
203
Drug users (million)
211
272 250
105
324 8% 8% 315 324 324 8% 7.0% 324 315 315 300 6.7% 6.9% 315 300 7.0% 8% 7.0% 6.9% 6.9% 7.0% 300 300 324 6.7% 6.9% 300 7% 272 6.7% 6.2% 6.7% 315 300 300 7% 7% 7.0% 272 272 6.2% 6.2% 300 5.8% 5.7% 250 7% 272 6.7% 6.9%250 6.2% 242 240 5.8% 250 250 5.7% 5.7% 250 5.8% 5.8% 6% 6% 243 242 250 250 250 250 6.2% 226 6% 5.0% 5.2% 5.2% 242 240 2402115.7% 250 250 240 226 4.9% 5.2% 210 208 4.9% 5.8% 226 5.2% 4.8% 5.2% 5.7% 5.2% 226 5.2% 203 5.2% 5.0%5.0% 6% 242 5.0% 211 211 210 240211208 4.6% 4.9%4.9%4.9% 210 4.9% 208 210 203 203 200 4.9% 208 5% 5% 4.9% 4.8% 4.8% 5% 4.8% 226 203 4.6% 4.6% 5.0% 5.2% 5.2% 4.6% 4.9% 200 200 4.9% 4.8% 5% 4.6% 172 4% 4.0% 4% 4% 150 167 162 4.0% 172 172 155 4% 3.5% 3.4% 3.4% 3.6% 3.5% 150172150 153 4.0% 167 4.0% 149 162 167 167 153 3.6% 3.6% 162 155 155 162 153 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 3.6% 3.4% 3% 149 3.4% 155 3.5% 153 3% 3.5% 3% 4.0% 3.4% 149 3.4% 149 3.4% 3.4% 167 100 162 3.5% 3.4% 3.4% 3.6% 3.5% 3% 153 100 100 2% 2% 0.9% 2% 38 39 39 39 39 38 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 50 38 2% 39 39 39 39 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 38 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 0.8% 390.9% 390.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 39 38 39 38 39 39 39 39 0.9% 5038 50 38 0.9% 0.8% 1% 1% 1% 39 39 39 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9%180.8%16 15 16 16 16 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1% 16 1516 151616 1616 16 1616 16 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 15 18 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 160.4% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% - 18 - 16 18 0% 0% 0% 16 16 16 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0% 2010 2006
208
250
Drug users (million)
250
110
350
350 350
Drug users (million)
300
115
Global trends in drug use, 2006-2012
2011 2007
350
Trends in the prevalence of use of different drugs, 2009-2012
120
Globally, it is estimated that in 2012, some 243 million people (range: 162 million-324 million) corresponding to some 5.2 per cent (range: 3.5-7.0 per cent) of the world population aged 15-64 had used an illicit drug — mainly a substance belonging to the cannabis, opioid, cocaine or amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) group — at least once in the previous year. Although the extent of illicit drug use among men and women varies from country to country and in terms of the substances used, generally, men are two to three times more likely than women to have used an illicit substance.1 While there are varying regional trends in the extent of illicit drug use, overall global prevalence of drug use is considered to be stable. Similarly, the extent of problem drug use, by regular drug users and those with drug use disorders or dependence, also remains stable, at about 27 million people (range: 16 million-39 million).
Fig. 1.
1
1
This is based on the prevalence rates of any drug use among males and females reported to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) by Member States through the annual report questionnaire.
WORLD DRUG REPORT 2014
No. of illicit drug users No of problem drug users No. of illicit of problem users Prevalence of problem drug use (percentage) No. of drug illicitusers drug users No ofNo problem drugdrug users Prevalence of illicit drug use (percentage) No. of illicit drug users No of problem drug users Prevalence of illicit drug use (percentage) Prevalence of problem drug use (percentage) Prevalence of illicit Prevalence of problem drug use (percentage) Prevalence of illicitNo drug use (percentage) Prevalence of problem drug use (percentage) No. of illicit drug users of problem drugdrug usersuse (percentage) Prevalence of illicit drug use (percentage) Prevalence of problem drug use (percentage) Source: Estimates based on the UNODC annual report questionnaire.