Overdose deaths among teenagers declined slightly from 2022 to 2023, a shift that could mark the start of a decline in adolescent overdose deaths, according to an analysis from KFF.
The health research organization analyzed CDC data in a report published Oct. 15.
Here are five key statistics about substance use and related deaths among adolescents:
- In 2023, the CDC reported 708 adolescent drug fatalities, compared to 721 in 2022. The number was the first decrease in adolescent fatalities in several years.
- Though deaths decreased from 2022 to 2023, the number of drug-related deaths among adolescents has more than doubled since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Fentanyl overdose deaths among adolescents increased by 2% from 2022 to 2023, the smallest increase since 2020.
- The share of adolescent drug overdose deaths related to fentanyl increased from 32% in 2018 to 76% in 2023.
- Though the number of drug overdose deaths among high school students has increased since 2017, the number of students reporting using drugs and alcohol has decreased. In 2023, 10% of high school students reported using illicit drugs, down from 13% in 2017. Opioid misuse also decreased slightly, with 12% of high school students reporting misusing the drugs, down from 14% in 2017.
Read more here.