Heroin Statistics

Heroin addiction and abuse is a serious problem in every community in the nation and in most parts of the world. While other drug use has staggered or fallen out of use in the past, use of heroin has remained steady and purity is the highest it has ever been. Below are some heroin statistics which highlight this problem and the effect that it has had on individuals who have become addicted to it.

• Heroin statistics from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that there were 149,000 new heroin users in 1998 and that nearly 80 percent of them were under the age of 26.
• Older users, over age 30, continue to be one of the biggest user groups in most national data. However, new and young users across the country are being lured by inexpensive, high-purity heroin that can be sniffed or smoked instead of injected.
• Several surveys have been able to provide a rough estimate of the hardcore addict population in the United States, placing the number between 750,000 and 1,000,000 users.
• As of 2001 the United States Department of Health and Human Services National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Study found that an estimated 3.1 million Americans (1.4%) 12 years old and older had used heroin at least once in their lifetime. Individuals aged 18 to 25 reported the highest percentage of lifetime heroin use with 1.6% in 2001.
• According to heroin statistics provided by the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Study in 2002, 1.6% of 8th graders, 1.8% of 10th graders, and 1.7% of 12th graders surveyed reported using heroin at least once during their lifetime. That study also showed that 0.9% of 8th graders, 1.1% of 10th graders, and 1% of 12th graders had used heroin in the past year. Male students (3.8%) were more likely than female students (2.5%) to use heroin in their lifetime.
• Among college students surveyed in 2001, 1.2% reported using heroin in their lifetime and 0.1% reported using heroin in the 30 days prior to being surveyed.
• Heroin statistics show that over 80% of individuals who use heroin inject with a partner, yet 80% of overdose victims found by paramedics are found alone.
• The average heroin dependent person uses between 150-250 milligrams per day, which is commonly divided into 3 doses.
• Heroin statistics suggest that an increase in purity is partly responsible for 75 percent of new heroin-addicts who are snorting and smoking, not injecting, the opiate.
• Current estimates show that nearly 600,000 people need treatment for heroin addiction.
• Heroin statistics show that the average heroin addict spends between $100 and $200 a day to support their habit.
• According to What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs, Americans spent an estimated $10 billion dollars on the drug in 2001.
• In 1990, Americans consumed 13.6 metric tons of heroin. Current estimates of heroin consumption remain relatively unchanged, and as of 2000 Americans consumed an estimated 13.3 metric tons of the drug.