Global production of cocaine reached a record level in 2024 while seizures of methamphetamine also climbed to unprecedented levels, the United Nations said Friday, warning that increasingly powerful synthetic drugs are rapidly reshaping the global narcotics market as heroin supplies continue to decline.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said global cocaine production rose to approximately 4,100 metric tons of pure cocaine in 2024, the highest level ever recorded and roughly four times greater than output a decade earlier. At the same time, global methamphetamine seizures indicate production is expanding at an annual rate of about 13%, underscoring the continued growth of the illicit drug trade.
The findings were published in the agency’s annual World Drug Report, which highlights significant changes in the international drug market driven by evolving consumer demand, expanding trafficking networks and the emergence of increasingly potent synthetic substances.
“We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before,” UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma said in a statement accompanying the report.
The agency said the collapse in global heroin production following Afghanistan’s ban on opium cultivation has accelerated the spread of synthetic opioids across multiple regions. Afghanistan, historically the world’s dominant supplier of illicit opium, experienced a dramatic fall in production after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and prohibited poppy cultivation, with output remaining well below previous levels.
As heroin availability declined, traffickers increasingly introduced laboratory-produced alternatives, including fentanyl and the even more potent nitazene compounds, to satisfy demand in several markets.
The report said 2024 saw a sharp increase in reports of new synthetic opioids entering illicit drug markets, particularly in Europe, Oceania and Africa, suggesting criminal organizations are rapidly diversifying their products in response to changing supply conditions.
According to the UNODC, reports submitted through international early warning systems showed the number of newly identified synthetic opioids increased by more than 80% in Europe and approximately 150% in Oceania during 2024 compared with the previous year. North America, where fentanyl has already largely displaced heroin, recorded an increase of around 10%.
The agency warned that these substances often possess far greater potency than heroin, increasing the risk of overdoses and presenting additional challenges for health systems and law enforcement agencies attempting to monitor rapidly evolving drug markets.
While heroin supplies contracted, cocaine continued its global expansion.
The report said both cocaine production and demand continued to rise strongly during 2024. At the same time, patterns of consumption have shifted as higher-purity cocaine has become more widely available at lower prices in many markets.
Researchers found cocaine use is no longer confined primarily to nightlife or recreational settings but has increasingly become integrated into everyday social environments.
The report also documented growing use of crack cocaine among economically disadvantaged populations and evidence that some former heroin users have switched to crack cocaine following disruptions in heroin supply.
“Qualitative research conducted in 2024 indicates an expansion of cocaine use to social settings beyond the nightlife scene and its integration into daily routines, together with an upsurge in ‘crack’ cocaine use among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and a shift from heroin use to ‘crack’ cocaine use,” the report said.
Treatment data collected across Western and Central Europe also point to a sustained increase in crack cocaine addiction beginning around 2015, indicating that the trend has strengthened over the past decade rather than emerging only recently.
The UNODC warned that the continued growth of synthetic drug production, record cocaine output and rapidly changing trafficking patterns are creating increasingly complex challenges for governments, health authorities and international law enforcement agencies attempting to combat organized crime and reduce the public health consequences of illicit drug use.
The agency said the combination of expanding cocaine markets and increasingly dangerous synthetic opioids underscores the need for stronger international cooperation, improved monitoring systems and greater investment in prevention and treatment programs as criminal organizations continue adapting to shifts in global drug supply.
