Overview

• Victoria recorded 584 fatal overdoses in 2024, marking the highest annual total in a decade.
• Illicit substances drove two-thirds of fatalities, with heroin responsible for 248 deaths and methamphetamine accounting for 215.
• Methamphetamine-linked deaths rose by over 30% year-on-year and have more than tripled since 2015.
• Most overdoses were accidental, involved multiple drugs and disproportionately affected men aged 35 to 54 in metropolitan Melbourne.
• The government’s $95 million statewide action plan includes pill-testing trials, naloxone vending machines and treatment expansion while rejecting a second supervised injecting centre.