Drug overdose deaths in the United States fell nearly 14 percent in 2025, according to preliminary government data released Wednesday. About 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, marking a decline from the previous year.
This represents the third consecutive year of declines and the longest decline in overdose deaths in decades.
Experts cite a range of factors as the cause for the drop. Brandon Marshall of Brown University stated that he is cautiously optimistic that this represents a fundamental change in the arc of the overdose crisis.