Which age groups have the highest drug overdose death rates?
In the 12 months through June 2025, people aged 35 to 44 had the highest drug overdose death rate, 39.4 deaths per 100,000 people that age, followed closely by ages 45 to 54 (37.6) and 55 to 64 (36.2). The rate was 7.1 for ages 15 to 24 and 21.2 for people of all ages. The rates are provisional.
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Key facts
Measure: Drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people that age in a year. Written from the data below.
- 35–44 has the highest figure, 39.4, followed by 45–54 (37.6) and 55–64 (36.2).
- 5–14 has the lowest figure, 0.2, followed by 1–4 (0.6) and 85 and over (3.6).
- The highest is 197 times the lowest.
Source and date
- Data as of
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Citation
Chartly. “Which age groups have the highest drug overdose death rates?” Chart. Data: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Quarterly provisional estimates of mortality, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/mortality-dashboard.htm (data as of June 30, 2025). https://chart.ly/charts/drug-overdose-death-rate-by-age (accessed October 15, 2026).
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The data
Download data (CSV)The file has the numbers in this table, with the source, license and date. Please credit the source and Chartly.
| Age | Drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people that age in a year |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | 0.6 |
| 5–14 | 0.2 |
| 15–24 | 7.1 |
| 25–34 | 26.3 |
| 35–44 | 39.4 |
| 45–54 | 37.6 |
| 55–64 | 36.2 |
| 65–74 | 19.1 |
| 75–84 | 5.4 |
| 85 and over | 3.6 |
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