Africa is facing a rapidly escalating drug crisis, characterized by rising consumption, diversified trafficking routes, and the emergence of new psychoactive substances.
This alarming trend is detailed in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025, published Thursday, June 26.
Globally, cannabis remains the most widely used illicit drug, with 243 million people (4.6% of the global population aged 15-64) reporting use in 2023. In Africa, however, prevalence rates in Southern Africa and West and Central Africa surged to approximately 10%, more than double the global average. Cannabis is also the primary problematic substance for 32% of individuals seeking drug treatment across the continent. Africa accounted for a significant 44% of global herbal and resin cannabis seizures in 2023, surpassing the Americas, Asia, and Europe, with North Africa serving as a crucial transit hub for resin destined for Western Europe.
Opioid use affected roughly 59 million people worldwide in 2023, with 30 million using opiates like heroin. While global use remained stable, Africa, particularly North, West, and Central regions, continues to battle a persistent tramadol epidemic. Between 2019 and 2023, Africa accounted for 57% of all pharmaceutical opioids seized globally, largely attributed to tramadol. Alarmingly, while heroin seizures declined in most regions, they increased in Africa in 2023, with Southwest Asian heroin transiting through East Africa to other African subregions and European markets.
Cocaine consumption, affecting 25 million people globally, is on an upward trajectory. Record production reached 3,665 tonnes in 2023, and seizures have tripled over the past decade, yet supply continues to expand. In Africa, demand for cocaine is growing, with treatment data indicating at least 4,550 people treated for cocaine use disorders in recent years, primarily in West, Central, and Southern Africa. West Africa, in particular, is a major transit point for cocaine heading to Europe.
Amphetamine-type stimulants affected 31 million people worldwide in 2023. The report also highlights the diversification of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), though their prevalence is lower. Khat use is widespread in East Africa, while synthetic NPS are predominantly reported in Southern Africa. Notably, 2023 saw a sharp increase in seizures of khat and synthetic cannabinoids in West and Central Africa, including the circulation of “kush,” a dangerous mixture containing potent synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.
In terms of public health impact, 1.33 million people inject drugs in Africa, with 204,000 (15.4%) living with HIV. West and Central Africa record the highest injection prevalence (0.21%), while Southern Africa bears the highest HIV prevalence among injectors (43.2%). A significant gender disparity in cannabis use persists in Africa, with women accounting for only one in nine users. The majority of individuals receiving treatment are under 35, with cannabis and opioids being the primary substances addressed.
Finally, access to pain relief and palliative care medications remains severely limited, with West and Central Africa reporting the world’s lowest level in 2023, at only seven standard doses per million inhabitants per day.
The UNODC concludes that as the global drug market becomes increasingly complex, Africa is emerging as a central yet vulnerable link in the interconnected system of drug production, transit, and consumption worldwide.
AC/fss/abj/APA