British Columbia recorded 1,826 illicit drug overdose deaths in 2025, marking a 21 percent decline from the previous year and nearly 30 percent below the 2023 peak. This represents the first time since 2020 that annual overdose deaths in the province have dipped below 2,000, signaling a profound yet encouraging shift in the ongoing crisis.
Demographics and Drug Trends
Among the victims, 77 percent were male, with approximately half of the fatalities occurring indoors. Fentanyl appeared in 69 percent of cases, though its prevalence continues to decrease. Other substances detected include fluorofentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Drug deaths across British Columbia have steadily declined since the 2023 high, mirroring a broader downward trend throughout much of North America.
Expanded Naloxone Access Announced
The latest figures emerged alongside an announcement from Health Minister Josie Osborne expanding access to nasal naloxone, a nasal spray that temporarily reverses overdoses. “We are taking urgent action to expand these critical services and to do everything we can to help people connect to the care they need,” Osborne stated. “This investment in nasal naloxone is an important piece of that puzzle.”
The province allocates $50 million over two years, including $18 million dedicated to nasal naloxone this fiscal year and $32 million for both nasal and injectable forms. Nasal kits will soon reach 150 community sites and expand to all 2,400 take-home naloxone locations starting in April. This will make nasal naloxone about half of the more than 400,000 kits distributed annually.
Injectable take-home naloxone kits have already prevented nearly 40,000 deaths from January 2019 to October 2025, according to health ministry data. “That is thousands of lives saved over the past six years,” Osborne noted during a press briefing at the legislature.
Expert Insights on Impact
Chloe Goodison, executive director of the NaloxHome Society, highlights the benefits of additional nasal kits. “They will make it easier to save lives,” she said. Drug poisoning remains the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 10 to 59, and nasal naloxone offers a user-friendly option that youth feel comfortable carrying and administering in emergencies.
Since the public health emergency declaration in April 2016, more than 16,000 people have died from overdoses in the province.
