Global Cocaine Crisis Deepens — What the UN Just Confirmed Will Stun You

The global cocaine trade has reached historic new heights, according to the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report, released Thursday, June 26, 2025.

The agency declared cocaine the world’s fastest-growing illicit drug market in 2023, with production, seizures, and usage all hitting all-time highs.

Global illegal production of cocaine surged by nearly one-third last year, climbing past 3,708 metric tons.

This spike is largely driven by expanding coca cultivation in Colombia, the world’s top producer, and newly revised figures that reveal crop yields were 50% higher than originally estimated in 2022.

As a result, supply chains flooded, trafficking routes intensified, and more cocaine hit the streets worldwide than ever before.

The UNODC report also found that the number of cocaine users globally continued its steady rise, reaching an estimated 25 million in 2023. That’s a sharp increase from 17 million users a decade ago.

The demand has ballooned across North America, Western and Central Europe, and South America, which remain the largest cocaine markets by user base.

These findings are based not only on self-reported consumption but also on wastewater analysis, which offers a more accurate picture of drug use in urban centers.

Alongside the cocaine surge, synthetic drugs continue to gain ground globally.

The report notes that amphetamine-type stimulants, particularly methamphetamine and amphetamine, dominate the synthetic drug market.

Seizures of these drugs reached record levels in 2023, accounting for nearly half of all global synthetic drug confiscations.

Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, also remain a growing concern in multiple regions due to their high potency and widespread availability.

Low production costs and easier trafficking logistics are enabling rapid expansion of the synthetic drug trade, especially in areas where enforcement is stretched thin.

The UNODC expressed deep concern about the expanding footprint of both cocaine and synthetic drug markets, warning that enforcement and prevention efforts are struggling to keep up with the evolving landscape.

The agency called for urgent international collaboration, stronger monitoring systems, and improved harm-reduction strategies, especially in emerging trafficking corridors such as West Africa and the Caribbean.

As the illicit drug economy evolves, the UN’s warning is clear: without immediate action, the cocaine boom will continue to fuel violence, corruption, and public health crises across the globe.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook