Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Deaths drug overdoses who was 4,125 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
4,125
Change on year
up 9.1%
World rank
5th
of 192 countries
All-time high
4,125
in 2021
All-time low
1,382
in 2003
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom, 2000–2021

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k2000201020212000: 1.6k2001: 1.7k2002: 1.6k2003: 1.4k2004: 1.5k2005: 1.5k2006: 1.5k2007: 1.7k2008: 2.0k2009: 1.9k2010: 1.8k2011: 1.6k2012: 1.6k2013: 1.8k2014: 2.2k2015: 2.6k2016: 2.8k2017: 2.8k2018: 3.5k2019: 3.5k2020: 3.8k2021: 4.1k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom is 4,125, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 158.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom peaked at 4,125 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,382, in 2003.

That places United Kingdom 5th out of 192 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.

Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 1,621
2001 1,682 +3.8%
2002 1,558 -7.4%
2003 1,382 -11.3%
2004 1,469 +6.3%
2005 1,513 +3.0%
2006 1,544 +2.0%
2007 1,719 +11.4%
2008 1,983 +15.4%
2009 1,932 -2.6%
2010 1,800 -6.9%
2011 1,594 -11.4%
2012 1,585 -0.6%
2013 1,830 +15.5%
2014 2,220 +21.3%
2015 2,586 +16.5%
2016 2,753 +6.5%
2017 2,785 +1.1%
2018 3,464 +24.4%
2019 3,543 +2.3%
2020 3,782 +6.7%
2021 4,125 +9.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,640 1,382 1,983 10
2010s 2,416 1,585 3,543 10
2020s 3,953 3,782 4,125 2

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 2 India 6,192 compare
  2. 2 Niue 0
  3. 3 Canada 5,602 compare
  4. 4 China 5,568 compare
  5. 6 Russia 4,081 compare
  6. 7 Iran 1,640 compare
  7. 8 France 1,331 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom?
Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom was 4,125 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest deaths drug overdoses who recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 4,125 in 2021.
What is the lowest deaths drug overdoses who recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 1,382 in 2003.
How does United Kingdom rank for deaths drug overdoses who?
United Kingdom ranks 5th out of 192 countries with data for 2021.
Is deaths drug overdoses who rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 158.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths drug overdoses who. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Deaths drug overdoses who in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-drug-overdoses-who/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Deaths drug overdoses who
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed