The data and trends revealed in Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024, released today by Penington Institute, shows the urgent need for a National Overdose Prevention Strategy.
Overdose is an escalating national crisis, with approximately six Australians losing their lives to overdose every day.
The annual number of overdose deaths in Australia has almost doubled between 2002 to 2022.
And each year, unintentional overdose deaths continue to exceed Australia’s road toll.
These are just some of the sobering facts revealed in Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024, released today by Penington Institute.
Overdose is an issue that affects the whole community, in all parts of Australia, says Penington Institute CEO John Ryan.
"Drug overdose is not someone else's problem. It affects all walks of society – young and old, rich and poor, metro and regional. It is an Australian problem that we must collectively face up to."
“Since the turn of the century more than 42,000 Australians have died from drug overdose. That is almost enough people to fill the Sydney Cricket Ground,” Mr Ryan says.
“Each time we publish this report, it is so distressing to think of the increasing number of people and families consumed by this tragedy every year.”
The data is clear – it’s time for action
As International Overdose Awareness Day approaches this Saturday 31 August, Penington Institute is calling on the Australian Government to urgently establish a National Overdose Prevention Strategy.
“At Penington Institute we are not prepared to just highlight the problem, we are determined to help find ways to address the problem,” Mr Ryan says.
“That is why we are putting forward our considered proposals as a framework for governments to act. There are practical and affordable initiatives that can save lives. There is no excuse not to act.”
Penington Institute’s top five policy recommendations
Penington Institute has outlined a roadmap towards national coordinated action, proposing five key policy reforms focused on:
- Education: Commit to nationwide education efforts so every Australian understands the risks of an overdose and how to respond effectively.
- Naloxone: Ensure naloxone is readily available to potential overdose witnesses across the country in settings such as libraries, social services, hospitals, police officer first aid and home first aid kits.
- Medication assisted treatment: Remove the many barriers to the most cost-effective treatment for opioid dependence, pharmacotherapy.
- Drug checking: Embrace drug checking, not only at festivals but in the community, where dangerous drugs, like nitazenes, are increasingly entering suburbia and country towns.
- Supervised consumption: Established needle and syringe programs can be cheaply reconfigured as mini overdose prevention sites, saving lives across the vast array of locations where overdoses occur.
“People don’t often think about overdose; that is, until it happens in their family or to a loved one,” Mr Ryan says.
“But as the numbers keep increasing year on year – it really is time for the community and leadership to take note.
“There are many evidence-based measures we could be using to give people the knowhow, the support and the tools to keep safe, but we just aren’t doing it.”
Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2024: Key takeaways
| Key takeaway | |
|---|---|
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1 |
There were 2,356 drug-induced deaths in 2022*, which equates to more than six deaths every day. This is 79 more deaths than in 2021. |
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2 |
Unintentional drug-induced deaths have outstripped population growth over the past two decades. Since 2002 the national population of Australia has increased by 33% while the number of unintentional drug-induced deaths has grown by 108%. |
|
3 |
When the ages of the 2,356 Australians are totalled, there is almost 70,000 years of potential life lost (using Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates). |
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4 |
Unintentional drug-induced deaths exceed the road toll annually. While the road toll has dropped 27% since 2002, unintentional drug-induced deaths have more than doubled. |
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5 |
The rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths is alarmingly higher among Indigenous Australians compared with non-Indigenous Australians, overall and for every drug type. Indigenous Australians are almost four times more likely to die of unintentional overdose compared with non-Indigenous Australians. |
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6 |
Patterns in opioid-related deaths are changing – with deaths involving heroin increasing and deaths involving some prescription opioids decreasing. Unintentional deaths involving heroin increased 40% (328 deaths in 2021 to 460 in 2022). From 2002-2022, deaths involving heroin have increased by more than 400%. |
|
7 |
Opioids continue to be the most common drug type associated with unintentional deaths in 2022, contributing to half (49.3%) of such deaths. |
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8 |
Overdose deaths involving anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs have significantly increased over the past 20 years. Anti-depressants contributed to 19.2% of unintentional drug-induced deaths in 2022. Unintentional drug-induced deaths involving benzodiazepines have almost doubled over the past two decades. |
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9 |
Most drug-induced deaths (73%) are caused by a combination of drugs in the system and are not the result of a single drug. Almost half (47.3%) of unintentional poly-substance deaths involving benzodiazepines also involved pharmaceutical opioids and 41.9% involved anti-depressants. |
|
10 |
There has been a rapid rise in stimulant-related deaths throughout our communities, contributing to one-third (29.4%) of unintentional drug induced deaths in 2022. |
*2022: In Australia, all suspected overdose deaths must be reported to a coroner. These investigations can sometimes take several years, so the most recent statistics available and reported in this publication are from 2022.
Media Contact
For all media enquiries, contact:
- Warwick Green on 0439 647 144 and w.green@penington.org.au or
- Adelle Mills on 0407 352 889 and a.mills@penington.org.au
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan is available for comment
John Ryan is a leader in public health and safety and the inaugural CEO of Penington Institute. John actively works to promote sensible and harm-minimising approaches to drug use in the community and provides expert advice, including to governments.
About Penington Institute
Penington Institute is an independent, evidence-based not-for-profit organisation that supports cost-effective approaches of maximising community health and safety in relation to drugs, including pharmaceuticals and alcohol.
Penington Institute convenes the annual International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. It is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdoses, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.
