Overview

• Global cocaine production climbed 34% to a record 3,708 tons in 2023, driven by increased coca bush cultivation in Colombia.
• Cocaine seizures reached an unprecedented 2,275 tons, representing a 68% rise over the past four years and reflecting stepped-up enforcement.
• An estimated 25 million people used cocaine in 2023, up from 17 million a decade earlier, with Australia and New Zealand posting the highest per-capita rates.
• Record amphetamine-type stimulant seizures and the emergence of nitazene opioids underscore a shift toward lab-based stimulants and potent synthetic opioids.
• Organized crime groups from the Western Balkans and Latin America are forging new trafficking corridors into Asia, Africa and trans-Sahel regions.