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The number of drug addicts will increase by 25% by 2050
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
By 2050, the number of drug addicts will increase by a staggering 25 percent. And this will happen mainly due to the rapid growth of urban populations, which is observed in developing countries, according to a UN report, writes The Sydney Morning Herald. Experts also predict an increase in the number of female drug addicts, as cultural barriers disappear and gender equality is established.
It should be said that the level of heroin and cocaine consumption is falling, as interest in these drugs is decreasing on the part of Western Europe and North America. Accordingly, there is a shift towards developing countries. But cannabis is not going to give up its position as the leader in consumption worldwide.
As for synthetic drugs and medicines, experts believe that more and more people will turn to them. This is especially true for such continents as Australia and the USA.
A study of about 230 million people showed the following result - in 2010, every 20th person took drugs at least once in their life. Around the world, there are about 27 million people who are chronic drug addicts. At the same time, during the period from 2010 to 2011, opium production in Afghanistan increased by 61 percent. In total, about 7 thousand tons of opium are produced in the world according to data from the previous year. 70 percent of heroin addicts today live in Africa and Asia.
Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), states: "Drugs kill about 200,000 people every year." But the Global Commission on Drug Policy is confident that the situation could be improved by decriminalizing drug use. It is the global war on drugs that is causing the HIV/AIDS pandemic.