Fentanyl overdose death rates 'more than tripled' in recent years, CDC report shows

an ambulance parked outside an emergency department. Two paramedics are wheeling a patient on a stretcher away from the ambulance and towards the hospital

The rate of drug overdose deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl increased by 279% in the U.S. between 2016 and 2021, according to newly released data. 

Overall, the rate increased from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 to 21.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the report, which was released Wednesday (May 3) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. In 2021, the fentanyl overdose death rates were highest among those 35 to 44 years old (43.5 per 100,000), followed by those 25 to 34 years old (40.8 per 100,000).