Three years ago, the United States was recording more than 110,000 drug overdose deaths per year — a number that seemed impossible to reverse. It is being reversed.
Preliminary CDC data released June 17, 2026 show approximately 69,147 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending January 2026, a 13.2 percent decline compared to the previous year. It is the third consecutive year of significant decline, following drops of approximately 27 percent from 2023 to 2024 and an earlier decline from the peak.
