Drug overdoses are killing the equivalent of a Boeing 737 full of Australians every month, according to new analysis by drug policy research non-profit Penington Institute.
The snapshot report found that 2272 Australians died from an overdose in 2023, the equivalent of 189 people each month.
Over three-quarters of the deaths (77.8%) were unintentional, and most involved more than one drug type.
The grim death toll is recorded in Penington Institute’s ‘overdose snapshot’ report, based on mortality data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The preliminary analysis was published ahead of the 2025 edition of Penington Institute’s definitive Australia’s Annual Overdose Report, due for release later this year.
The snapshot findings are based on early, high-level mortality data and subject to data revisions by the ABS, typically resulting in the number of deaths increasing by 7-10% when finalised.
Overdose Snapshot 2025: Key stats
The overdose snapshot also found:
- Overdose deaths in 2023 (2272) were down 6.1% compared to 2022 (2419 deaths) – though the gap is likely to be smaller after future ABS data revisions.
- 2023 was the tenth year in a row that more than 2,000 drug-induced deaths were recorded.
- The number of drug-induced deaths in 2023 was almost twice the number of road traffic deaths in the same year (1,315).
- Opioids were the most common drug involved in unintentional deaths in 2023, contributing to almost half (43.9%) of all unintentional drug-induced deaths.
- Stimulants replaced benzodiazepines as the second-most common drug involved in unintentional drug-induced deaths, contributing to 33.1% of unintentional deaths in 2023 (586 deaths) compared to 31.2% in 2022 (594 deaths).
- Unintentional deaths involving cocaine increased by 6.4%, from 94 deaths in 2022 to 100 deaths in 2023.
- People aged over 50 accounted for a larger share of overdose deaths than in previous years (47.9% in 2023 compared to 46.8% in 2022).
- The rate of drug-induced deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remains significantly higher compared to non-Indigenous people (21.3 deaths per 100,000 Australians in 2023 compared to 5.7 deaths per 100,000 Australians among non-Indigenous people).
State-based figures and other detailed breakdowns of the data are not yet available but will be included in the full report in August.
Penington Institute convenes the annual International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose.
Commenting on the snapshot report findings, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan said:
People don’t often think about overdose, but these figures bring home just how big and persistent an issue it is in Australia.
A decade of losing more than 2000 Australians to overdose annually marks a sombre milestone.
Governments need to tackle overdose with the same level of energy and enthusiasm used to reduce alcohol and tobacco harm in Australia. We need a comprehensive national overdose response strategy to end the overdose crisis.
We already know what works to reduce overdose deaths.
The data tells us that opioids remain the largest contributor to fatal drug overdoses. One relatively cheap and easy solution is giving potential overdose witnesses wider access to naloxone, a life-saving opioid reversal treatment already proven to save lives.
Including naloxone in the medical kits of all first responders would save lives every year.
Overdose Snapshot 2025
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan is available for comment.
Penington Institute is an independent drug policy nonprofit. It supports cost-effective approaches to maximising community health and safety in relation to drugs. Read more at penington.org.au.
Penington Institute will release comprehensive analysis of overdose data in the 2025 edition Australia’s Annual Overdose Report in August this year. The report will be released to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day which is convened by Penington Institute.
Media contact: Anna Northey on 0400 640 622 or a.northey@penington.org.au
