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FACT BRIEF

Does fentanyl kill more than 100,000 Americans every year?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

Drug overdoses kill more than 100,000 people annually in the U.S., but fentanyl accounts for only about 70% of that amount.

An estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2023, down 3% from 111,029 in 2022, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

An estimated 74,702 deaths from synthetic opioids — mainly fentanyl — occurred in 2023, down 2% from 76,226 in 2022.

Fentanyl is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pain relief. Often abused, it is 50 times more potent than heroin.

Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde, blaming President Joe Biden, claimed that fentanyl “is killing over 100,000 Americans every year.”

Hovde, who is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, made the claim July 16, 2024, at the Republican National Convention.

In Wisconsin, synthetic opioid deaths set records under President Donald Trump and under Biden. They reached 1,337 in 2022 before dropping to around 1,300 in 2023.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Center for Health Statistics U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease in 2023, First Time Since 2018
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl
Eric Hovde Eric Hovde Speech at the 2024 RNC Convention
Wisconsin Watch Did Wisconsin opioid ODs hit records before Biden was president?
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.