Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health Released by SAMHSA

July 28, 2025

2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Released

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) unveiled the findings of the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This survey reveals how individuals in the United States report their experiences with mental health issues, substance use, and the quest for treatment. Notably, this year marks the first time since 2020 that we have at least four years of comparable data, which allows for trend analysis.

Dr. Art Kleinschmidt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at SAMHSA, stated, “The annual NSDUH provides timely statistical information on substance use and mental health in the U.S. These data are incredibly valuable to researchers, clinicians, and policymakers, helping to enhance the understanding of the nation’s behavioral health and inform actions aligned with the goal of improving public health.”

The 2024 NSDUH offers a national overview of behavioral health, based on self-reported data from nearly 70,000 participants. It is the first instance since 2020 that allows trend reporting for key NSDUH outcomes, given adjustments for survey design changes from that year. Here are some significant findings from the report:

Mental Health

For adults aged 18 and older, the rates of any mental illness (AMI) and serious mental illness (SMI) remained stable from 2021 to 2024:

23.4% of adults (about 61.5 million people) experienced AMI in the past year.
5.6% of adults (around 14.6 million people) faced SMI in the past year.

In the adolescent group aged 12 to 17, 18.8% reported moderate or severe generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms in 2024, with 10.6% having moderate symptoms and 8.2% having severe symptoms. This is the first time these anxiety symptom metrics have been included.
For adults 18 and older, 7.4% faced moderate or severe symptoms of GAD in 2024, comprising 4.7% with moderate and 2.7% with severe symptoms.
Among adolescents, the rate of serious suicidal thoughts fell from 12.9% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2024:

The rate of those making a suicide plan decreased from 6.2% in 2021 to 4.6% in 2024.
Suicide attempts dropped from 3.6% in 2021 to 2.7% in 2024.

Also, the percentage of adolescents experiencing a major depressive episode declined from 20.8% in 2021 to 15.4% in 2024.

Substance Use

Among individuals aged 12 and older, 58.3% reported using tobacco products, vaping, consuming alcohol, or using illicit drugs in the past month:

46.6% drank alcohol
16.7% used tobacco products
9.6% vaped nicotine
16.7% used illicit drugs

Of those using nicotine in the past month, 71.5% of adolescents (12-17 years) and 50.3% of young adults (18-25 years) only vaped nicotine. Among adults (26+), 18.0% vaped exclusively, while 65.6% used only tobacco products.
Out of the 134.3 million current alcohol users aged 12 and above, 57.9 million (43.1%) engaged in binge drinking in the past month.
Past-year use of certain substances saw a decline between 2021 and 2024:

Cocaine use fell from 1.7% to 1.5%
Prescription opioid misuse decreased from 3.0% to 2.6%

Conversely, past-year use of the following substances increased:

Marijuana usage rose from 19.0% to 22.3%
Hallucinogens saw an increase from 2.7% to 3.6%

16.8% (approximately 48.4 million) individuals had a past-year substance use disorder (SUD).
The percentage of people with a drug use disorder in the past year rose from 8.7% in 2021 to 9.8% in 2024, while those with an alcohol use disorder dropped from 10.6% to 9.7%.
In 2024, among adults 18 and older, 33.0% (around 86.6 million) had either AMI or SUD in the past year.

Treatment Services

For adolescents aged 12-17 who had both a Major Depressive Episode and an SUD, 72.1% received treatment for either substance use or mental health, leaving 27.9% without any treatment.
Among those aged 12 or older needing substance use treatment, about 1 in 5 (19.3% or 10.2 million people) got the necessary treatment in the past year. Only 2.5% of the 27.9 million with a past-year alcohol use disorder received medication for their condition.
Out of 4.8 million people aged 12 or older with a past-year opioid use disorder, 17.0% received medications.
Among the 61.5 million adults with AMI in the past year, 52.1% received any form of mental health treatment. For those with SMI, 70.8% had received treatment.

Recovery

In 2024, 31.7 million adults aged 18 and older (12.2%) believed they had a problem with alcohol or drugs, with 74.3% of them considering themselves in recovery.
67.8 million adults (26.1%) acknowledged having a mental health issue, with 66.9% feeling they were in recovery.

About the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Since 1971, the NSDUH has been the principal resource for statistical information regarding self-reported substance use and mental health among the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 12 and older.

The NSDUH examines:

Use of illegal drugs, prescription medications, alcohol, and tobacco
Substance use disorders and related treatments
Mental health symptoms, including major depressive episodes, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and mental health care
Recovery from both substance use and mental health disorders

If you or someone you know is in crisis or struggles with these issues, support is available. Reach out at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. For further assistance with mental health or substance use problems, check out FindSupport.gov. If you’re ready to find treatment, go to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357).