Australia and New Zealand are now the world’s biggest per-capita users of cocaine, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as global drug use reached an all-time high in 2023.
The findings come from the UN’s World Drug Report 2025, which also shows cocaine production, seizures, and consumption surged across the board, signalling the expansion of organised criminal networks and the growing challenge for global drug enforcement.
America tops in total consumption, but Australia, NZ lead in per-capita terms
While total consumption remains highest in the Americas, it is the populations of Australia and New Zealand that lead in per-capita terms.
The report found that 3% of people aged 15 to 64 in the two countries used cocaine in 2023.
That rate is nearly double the figure in the Americas and almost three times that in Europe.
Wastewater analysis cited in the report suggests most users in the region consume the drug occasionally rather than habitually.
Source: Bloomberg
Criminal networks expand reach amid global instability
The UN warned that criminal drug networks are rapidly adapting to global instability, exploiting weak enforcement, shifting trade routes, and targeting affluent markets.
“Organized drug trafficking groups continue to adapt, exploit global crises and target vulnerable populations,” Ghada Waly, executive director of the UNODC, said in a statement.
“We must invest in prevention and address the root causes of the drug trade at every point of the illicit supply chain.”
Australia’s wealth and geography attract traffickers
Cocaine traffickers are breaking into new regions of Asia and Africa, the report said.
However, Australia’s high street prices for drugs and relative wealth have made it an attractive destination for traffickers for years.
Its vast coastline adds to the difficulty of policing illegal shipments.
In one of the country’s biggest drug enforcement actions, the Australian Federal Police seized 2.34 tons of cocaine in December 2023 during a maritime interception.
Authorities estimated the drugs were worth A$760 million (US$496 million) and equivalent to more than 11 million individual street deals.
Thirteen individuals were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Cannabis and ecstasy are also widely used in the region
The report also highlighted broader drug trends in the region.
Cannabis remains the most widely used drug globally, with 244 million users, or 4.6% of the population aged 15 to 64.
In Australia and New Zealand, cannabis usage exceeds 12%.
The region also leads the world in per-capita use of ecstasy, or MDMA, underscoring a wider pattern of high recreational drug use among young adults.
With global drug use affecting an estimated 316 million people in 2023, the UN report paints a stark picture of an escalating public health and law enforcement crisis, calling for coordinated international responses and stronger local measures.
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