Every year on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26), which in 2025 was held under the theme “Break the cycle. Stop organized crime”, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) publishes the World Drug Report.
A global reference on drug markets, trends and policy developments, the World Drug Report offers a wealth of data and analysis and in 2025 comprises several elements tailored to different audiences.
- Special points of interest
- Key findings and conclusions
- Contemporary issues on drugs
- Drug market patterns and trends
The Key findings and conclusions booklet provides an overview of selected findings from the analysis presented in the Drug market patterns and trends module and the thematic Contemporary issues on drugs booklet, while the Special points of interest fascicle offers a framework for the main takeaways and policy implications that can be drawn from those findings.
The Contemporary issues on drugs addresses the following challenges and developments of policy relevance in the three thematic chapters:
- The complex and layered impacts of drug use. This chapter looks at the effects of drug use on individual health and family and community well-being, and emphasizes the importance of social and health-oriented interventions that can prevent, interrupt or mitigate pathways of harm.
- The nexus between drugs and organized crime. This chapter explores the relevance of drug trafficking for organized criminal groups and the different organizational structures of groups that define their strengths and weaknesses. It calls for an end to indiscriminate law enforcement operations and for investment in more effective law enforcement responses to drug trafficking that are tailored to the specific aims and structures of criminal groups.
- The environmental consequences of illicit drug markets. This chapter addresses not only deforestation and land degradation linked to drug crop cultivation, but also thedumping of toxic waste,water pollution and chemical contamination resulting from synthetic drug production and trafficking. This year’s chapter has a focus on Europe.
The web-based Drug market patterns and trends module contains the latest analysis of global, regional and subregional estimates of and trends in drug demand and supply in a user-friendly, interactive format supported by graphs, infographics and maps.
The World Drug Report 2025 is aimed not only at fostering greater international cooperation to counter the impact of the world drug problem on health, governance and security, but also at assisting Member States in anticipating and addressing threats posed by drug markets and mitigating their consequences.
Source: UNODC