One death every 3.5 hours: Australia’s deadliest overdose year on record demands urgent national action
New data shows 2,596 Australians died from drug-induced causes in 2024, the highest number ever recorded.
Australia is losing seven people every day to overdose – that’s one son, daughter, partner or friend every 3.5 hours – and the nation’s latest data shows the crisis is accelerating, not slowing down.
Preliminary analysis released today by Penington Institute reveals there were 2,596 drug-induced deaths in Australia in 2024 – a 10.7% increase on the previous year.
For the first time, unintentional drug-induced deaths exceeded 2,000 in a single year (2,091 deaths).
The figures mean the number of drug-induced deaths exceeded deaths from road traffic incidents by almost two to one.
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan said the nation could no longer afford to ignore what has become one of Australia’s most urgent public health emergencies.
“Seven Australians are dying every day from overdose. These are not isolated tragedies. They are preventable deaths happening in communities across the country,” Mr Ryan said.
“The overdose crisis is deepening because Australia continues to rely too heavily on punitive responses while underinvesting in measures that keep people alive.”
“Governments cannot keep repeating the same approaches and expect a different result.”
“Australia already has the policy foundations required to reduce overdose deaths through its harm minimisation framework – what is lacking is implementation.”
The National Drug Strategy 2017–2026 identifies harm minimisation as the central concept of Australia’s drug policy response, balancing supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction*. However, current funding allocations remain heavily weighted toward law enforcement despite longstanding rhetorical support for health-led interventions. Despite robust evidence, harm reduction programs have been particularly neglected.
“The Australian Government’s Drug and Alcohol Program hardly mentions harm reduction, suggesting it will continue to receive less than 2% of funding, regardless of what the Australian community needs,” said Mr Ryan.
The 2026 Overdose Snapshot, an early release of findings from Penington Institute’s Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2026, shows deaths increased sharply across several drug categories, including heroin, stimulants and cocaine.
Among the key findings:
- Drug-induced deaths reached 2,596 in 2024, the highest number on record
- Unintentional overdose deaths rose 15.1% to 2,091 deaths
- Heroin-related deaths reached the highest level recorded this century
- Deaths involving stimulants increased by 25.1% in a single year
- Cocaine-related deaths increased by 28.2% in just one year
- For the first time ever, people in the 50 to 59 age group recorded the highest number of unintentional overdose deaths
- In 2024, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia all experienced the most unintentional drug-induced deaths since the beginning of this data series in 2001.
The report also highlights the growing imbalance in Australia’s drug policy response.
Almost two-thirds of proactive government spending on drug harms goes to law enforcement, while harm reduction receives only 1.6%. Despite decades of evidence supporting harm reduction as cost effective, the primary vehicle for health-led responses to drug harms, the Australian Government’s Drug and Alcohol Program, completely fails to correct this imbalance.
Mr Ryan said the consequences of that imbalance were now impossible to ignore.
We know what saves lives. Expanded access to harm reduction services, early intervention, treatment and community support reduces overdose deaths,” he said.
“What is missing is not evidence. What is missing is political urgency.”
“Every delayed decision carries a human cost,” said Mr Ryan.
Penington Institute is calling on all levels of government to strengthen investment in evidence-led measures consistent with Australia’s harm minimisation framework that reduce harm, prevent overdose and treat drug use as a health and social issue rather than primarily a criminal justice issue.
A full analysis will be released in August in Penington Institute’s Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2026 ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on 31 August.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrea Pound
Tel: 0400 502 209