Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America

United States of America: Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex was 35,781 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
35,781 deaths
Change on year
up 15.3%
World rank
1st
of 194 countries
All-time high
35,781 deaths
in 2021
All-time low
5,346 deaths
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America, 2000–2021

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k2000201020212000: 5.3k deaths2001: 6.1k deaths2002: 7.4k deaths2003: 8.4k deaths2004: 9.2k deaths2005: 10.1k deaths2006: 11.5k deaths2007: 12.1k deaths2008: 12.5k deaths2009: 13.1k deaths2010: 13.9k deaths2011: 15.2k deaths2012: 15.4k deaths2013: 16.4k deaths2014: 17.6k deaths2015: 19.2k deaths2016: 22.0k deaths2017: 24.1k deaths2018: 23.3k deaths2019: 24.1k deaths2020: 31.0k deaths2021: 35.8k deaths

Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

The most recent figure for alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America is 35,781 deaths, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of up 15.3% on the previous year and up 136.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America peaked at 35,781 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5,346 deaths, in 2000.

That places United States of America 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America, 2000 to 2021.
Year deaths Change
2000 5,346 deaths
2001 6,086 deaths +13.8%
2002 7,413 deaths +21.8%
2003 8,418 deaths +13.6%
2004 9,191 deaths +9.2%
2005 10,125 deaths +10.2%
2006 11,467 deaths +13.2%
2007 12,081 deaths +5.4%
2008 12,468 deaths +3.2%
2009 13,136 deaths +5.4%
2010 13,911 deaths +5.9%
2011 15,159 deaths +9.0%
2012 15,400 deaths +1.6%
2013 16,381 deaths +6.4%
2014 17,613 deaths +7.5%
2015 19,238 deaths +9.2%
2016 22,031 deaths +14.5%
2017 24,076 deaths +9.3%
2018 23,346 deaths -3.0%
2019 24,065 deaths +3.1%
2020 31,032 deaths +28.9%
2021 35,781 deaths +15.3%

United States of America compared with similar countries

  • United States of America's 35,781 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 42.84 deaths, 835.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9,573 deaths 5,346 deaths 13,136 deaths 10
2010s 19,122 deaths 13,911 deaths 24,076 deaths 10
2020s 33,407 deaths 31,032 deaths 35,781 deaths 2

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 2 Russian Federation 5,665 deaths compare
  2. 3 India 4,092 deaths compare
  3. 4 China 3,541 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America?
Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America was 35,781 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 35,781 deaths in 2021.
What is the lowest alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 5,346 deaths in 2000.
How does United States of America rank for alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex?
United States of America ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 136.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-alcohol-drugs-by-sex-who/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Alcohol and drug use disorders deaths by sex
Unit
deaths
Source
World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths from substance use disorders in females.