Home > Drug overdose deaths in adults aged 65 and over: United States, 2000–2020.

Kramarow, Ellen A and Tejada-Vera, Betzaida (2022) Drug overdose deaths in adults aged 65 and over: United States, 2000–2020. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS data brief no. 455.

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In 2020, 5,209 drug overdose deaths in adults aged 65 and over were recorded. Drug overdose death rates for older adults were lower than for other age groups but have increased in the past 2 decades. This report presents age-adjusted trends in drug overdose death rates, including trends in the type of opioid drug involved, for adults aged 65 and over for 2000–2020 using mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS). Age- and sex-specific death rates for adults aged 65–74 and 75 and over are shown by race and Hispanic origin for 2019 and 2020.

Data from the National Vital Statistics System

  • Between 2000 and 2020, age-adjusted rates of drug overdose deaths for adults aged 65 and over increased from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 standard population.
  • For men aged 65–74 and 75 and over, rates of drug overdose deaths were higher among non-Hispanic Black men compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White men.
  • For women aged 65–74, drug overdose death rates were higher for non-Hispanic Black women compared with Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women, but for women aged 75 and over, non-Hispanic White women had the highest rates.
  • The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (such as fentanyl) for adults aged 65 and over increased by 53% between 2019 (1.9) and 2020 (2.9).
Item Type
Report
Publication Type
International, Report
Drug Type
Substances (not alcohol/tobacco)
Intervention Type
Harm reduction
Date
November 2022
Identification #
NCHS data brief no. 455
Publisher
National Center for Health Statistics
Place of Publication
Hyattsville, MD
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