Which age groups have the highest drug overdose death rates?
In the 12 months through June 2025, people aged 35–44 had the highest drug overdose death rate, 39.4 deaths per 100,000 people that age, followed by ages 45–54 (37.6) and 55–64 (36.2). The rate was 7.1 for ages 15 to 24. The rates are provisional.
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The value axis starts at zero. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read exact values.
Save a simple drawing of this chart for slides, essays or posts, with its question, source, date and a link back to this page. Please keep the credit.
Download image
A tall picture for Pinterest or an Instagram story, with the question, answer, source, date and this page's address.
Chartly Pro: downloads and embeds without the credit. Join the waitlist
It doesn't exist yet. Tell us what you'd use it for, and we'll email you once when it's ready. Downloads and embeds with the credit stay free.
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.
Teachers: add this chart to a class assignment, one link to post in Google Classroom, Canvas or Moodle.
Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
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 November 4, 2026).
Free for your article, blog or class page: paste this code where the chart should go. It shows the interactive chart with its source and a small “Chart by Chartly” credit, and stays up to date when the data changes. Need it without the credit? Join the Chartly Pro waitlist.
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. Developers can also get them as JSON (how).
| 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 |
Get new charts weekly
One email a week with the newest charts and their key numbers. No account needed.
More Health charts
-
How many overdose deaths involve cocaine?
18,911 overdose deaths in the US in the 12 months ending May 2026 involved cocaine, against a peak of about 30,500 in the 12 months ending August 2023 and 5,...
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional drug overdose death counts · Data as of May 31, 2026
-
How does heart disease compare with cancer as a cause of death in the US?
In 1950 there were about 3 heart disease deaths for every cancer death in the US. By 2018 there were 1.1, because the heart disease death rate fell much fast...
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Age-adjusted death rates for selected major causes of death · Data as of Dec 31, 2018
-
How has the US heart disease death rate changed since 1900?
The US heart disease death rate peaked in 1950 at 588.8 deaths per 100,000 people and fell 72% to 163.6 by 2018, when heart disease was still the leading cau...
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Age-adjusted death rates for selected major causes of death · Data as of Dec 31, 2018
-
How has the US death rate from flu and pneumonia changed since 1900?
Influenza and pneumonia killed 297.5 people per 100,000 in 1900 and 612.4 in 1918, the year of the influenza pandemic. By 2018 the rate was 14.9, about 95% l...
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Age-adjusted death rates for selected major causes of death · Data as of Dec 31, 2018