Overdose deaths plateaued in 2022, data show

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. plateaued for most of 2022, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), showing just a slight increase after significant spikes in years prior. 

CDC researchers documented 105,452 reported overdose deaths last year — and estimate that figure could be 109,680 — which is up 2 percent from the deaths reported in 2021. 

That uptick is still much smaller than the 30 percent increase recorded in 2020 and the roughly 15 percent increase in 2021. 

But despite the apparent slowdown, the data shows 2022 was the second year in a row that more than 100,000 Americans have lost their lives to drug overdoses.

Twenty-three states reported fewer overdose deaths last year than the year prior, while the rest saw deaths increase — barring Iowa, which saw no change. 

Data show drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl have climbed in recent years. Overdose deaths among teenagers have doubled over the last three years, and the deaths have quadrupled among seniors in the last two decades.

The Associated Press contributed.