Over-50s are most likely to overdose

Australia’s Penington Institute Overdose Snapshot 2026 showed that, on average, 7 people died every day from a drug-related overdose, 80% being unintentional. For the 1st time in a decade, this year’s report showed people aged 50-59 years made up the highest proportion of unintentional deaths: 25.5%. People 40-49 years old are a close second at 25.4%.