Ageing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habit

The Home Office estimates that people in England consumed 123,000kg of cocaine in 2024-25: the equivalent of roughly 2.5bn lines. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

From pub toilets and private parties to football terraces and far-right marches, cocaine has become a familiar presence across modern Britain. Deaths linked to the drug have risen to record levels, while its supply supports a multibillion-pound criminal industry.

But who is using the drug, and how has the picture changed? The figures do not necessarily show millions of new users, but highlight an established market in which some people take more cocaine, more often – and face greater harm as they grow older.