One out of every 16 individuals in the world uses drugs, the highest level at any point in human history, the United Nations said in a June 26 post on X.
“While cannabis remains the most widely used drug, the global cocaine market has reached record levels,” the post said. In the 10 years between 2014 and 2024, global production of cocaine has surged by over 370 percent.
The numbers come from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Drug Report 2026, released on Friday.
In total, 331 million people worldwide used drugs in 2024, up by 34 percent over the previous 10 years. Cannabis was the most used narcotic with 256 million users, followed by opioids with 63 million, amphetamines with 32 million, cocaine with 25 million, and ecstasy with 21 million users….