Opioid-Related Deaths in the United States in 2017
In 2017, there were 47,600 opioid-involved overdose deaths in the United States, representing approximately two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths (70,237) that year. 1
Epidemiological Context
The opioid crisis in 2017 represented a critical point in the ongoing epidemic:
- The total number of drug overdose deaths (70,237) represented a 21.4% increase from 2015 2
- The national age-adjusted death rate from drug overdoses had more than tripled from 6.1 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 21.6 per 100,000 people in 2019 3
- Significant geographic variation existed across states, with highest overdose death rates in:
- West Virginia (51.5 per 100,000)
- Delaware (43.8 per 100,000)
- Maryland (37.2 per 100,000)
- Pennsylvania (36.1 per 100,000)
- Ohio (35.9 per 100,000)
- New Hampshire (35.8 per 100,000) 3
Breakdown by Opioid Type
The 2017 opioid death toll reflected the evolution of the epidemic:
- Deaths involving synthetic opioids (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) showed the most dramatic increase, rising 80% between 2013 and 2014 4
- Heroin-involved deaths increased 26% between 2013 and 2014 4
- Natural and semisynthetic opioid deaths (prescription painkillers) increased 9% between 2013 and 2014 4
Demographic Impact
The epidemic most severely affected adults aged 25-54 years 5:
- 25-34 years: 38.4 per 100,000
- 35-44 years: 39.0 per 100,000
- 45-54 years: 37.7 per 100,000 3
Contributing Factors
Several factors contributed to the high mortality rate in 2017:
- Increased availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs 2
- Polysubstance use, with 62.6% of opioid deaths co-occurring with at least one common non-opioid drug 6
- Concurrent benzodiazepine use, found in 31-61% of opioid overdose decedents 5
- Methadone disproportionately associated with overdose deaths relative to prescribing frequency 5
Public Health Impact
The opioid crisis has had profound effects on public health:
- Contributed significantly to decreasing life expectancy in the United States 5
- Drug-related deaths surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of injury-related death in adults 3
- For individuals aged 24-35 years, opioids caused 20% of deaths 3
- The epidemic worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in opioid-related mortality in over 40 states 3
Historical Context
The 2017 data represents a critical point in the epidemic that had been developing in distinct phases:
- Initial phase with aggressive pharmaceutical marketing and changing prescribing practices
- Prescription opioid phase
- Heroin phase
- Synthetic opioid phase (particularly fentanyl) 5
The 2017 death toll of 47,600 opioid-related deaths represents one of the highest points in the epidemic, with provisional data from 2018 suggesting a potential small decrease in the following year 1.