National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection

How many people received opioid pharmacotherapy treatment?

On a snapshot day in 2025, 57,740 people were receiving pharmacotherapy treatment for their opioid dependence across Australia. This is a rate of 21 pharmacotherapy clients per 10,000 people. 

Trends in the number of clients receiving treatment shows: 

• a 24% increase between 2011 and 2025 (from 46,446 to 57,740 clients) (Table S1). 

• that the rate of clients receiving opioid pharmacotherapy treatment remained relatively stable nationally when adjusting for population growth (between 20 and 21 clients per 10,000 people each year) (Figure CLIENTS 1; Tables S1–S2). For more information on rates, see NOPSAD collection: Data and methods.

Trend data is incomplete due to no data available in 2023 for Western Australia and 2021 for Queensland.

In 2025, largely consistent with previous years:

• New South Wales had the highest rate of opioid pharmacotherapy clients receiving treatment (29 clients per 10,000 people, or 25,082 clients), followed by the Australian Capital Territory (24 clients per 10,000, or 1,146), and Victoria (20 clients per 10,000 people, or 14,456 clients).
• The Northern Territory remained the jurisdiction with the lowest rate of clients (6 per 10,000 people, or 169 clients) (Figure CLIENTS 1; Table S2).

Client numbers have fluctuated over time within jurisdictions (Table S1). Variation in client numbers may be influenced by system changes, coding practices, and changes in treatment policies or capacity within jurisdictions.

Who received opioid pharmacotherapy treatment?

On a snapshot day in June 2025, the median age of clients across all pharmacotherapy drug types was 46 years, this is an increase from 38 years in 2011. Clients in Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory had the highest median age (47 years) (Table S5).

In 2025:

• 1 in 3 clients (19,136 people) receiving pharmacotherapy were aged 40–49, making it the largest age group
• 1 in 4 (24% or 13,913 clients) were aged 50–59
• 1 in 5 (21% or 12,224 clients) were aged 30–39.

Since 2011, the proportion of clients aged in their 30s and younger has dropped and there has been a steady rise in clients aged 50 and over (Figure CLIENTS 2; Table S6).

The increases in client median age since 2011 and the growing proportion of clients in older age groups continues the trend of an ageing cohort in opioid pharmacotherapy. This is consistent with the pattern observed in other drug treatment services (AIHW 2025). This may be due to:

• Methadone treatment being available in Australia for around 40 years.
• Pharmacotherapy treatment reducing the risk of premature death, resulting in some clients remaining in treatment for decades.
• Clients seeking treatment for the first time at an older age.
• Declines in heroin use among people who inject drugs and the general population in Australia since the early 2000s (AIHW 2024; Sutherland et al. 2023).
• Australia’s ageing population and the emergence of an ageing cohort of people who use drugs (AIHW 2024; Nicholas and Roche 2014; NSW Ministry of Health 2015).

In previous years, methadone was the most commonly prescribed pharmacotherapy drug across all age groups, however by 2025, clients aged in their 30s and under were more likely to receive a buprenorphine formulation, whereas methadone remained more common for clients aged 50 and over (Figure CLIENTS 3; Table S6).

Among clients:

• Under 30, about 1 in 7 (14%) received methadone, whereas around half (53%) of those aged 50 and over did.
• Who received methadone, the median age (50 years) was higher compared to those receiving buprenorphine formulations (median age ranging from 41 to 46 years, depending on the formulation) (Table S5).

On a snapshot day in 2025, 7 in 10 clients (70% or 40,132 clients) receiving pharmacotherapy treatment were male. This has remained largely stable since 2011 and was similar for each of the 4 pharmacotherapy drug types (methadone, buprenorphine, buprenorphine-naloxone and buprenorphine LAI) (Table S7). 

The rate of clients receiving pharmacotherapy treatment was highest among people in their 40s. The peak:

• Age for males was 47 years, while for females it was 46 years.
• Treatment rate for males (90 clients per 10,000 people) was more than double that for females (41 per 10,000) (Figure CLIENTS 4; Table S24).

This analysis is based on unit record data and does not include data from Victoria and Queensland, as this data was unavailable.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people

On a snapshot day in June 2025, there were 7,043 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) clients receiving pharmacotherapy treatment in Australia (Table S9). This represents 12% of all clients and is a rate of 67 clients per 10,000 First Nations people. 

Of those First Nations clients whose pharmacotherapy drug type was reported:

• 3 in 10 (30% or 2,097 clients) received methadone as pharmacotherapy. 
• 1 in 8 received buprenorphine (15% or 1,036 clients), 
• Over 2 in 5 (45% or 3,173 clients) received buprenorphine LAI or received buprenorphine-naloxone (10% or 737 clients) (Table S9). 

By jurisdiction: 

• The Australian Capital Territory (123 clients per 10,000 First Nations people, or 128 clients) had the highest rate of First Nations opioid pharmacotherapy clients, 
• New South Wales (115 clients per 10,000 First Nations people, or 4,197 clients). 
• Northern Territory had the lowest rate of First Nations clients (6 clients per 10,000, or 44 clients) (Table S9). 

For more information on rates based on Indigenous status for First Nations clients in 2025, see NOPSAD collection: Data and methods.

What opioid pharmacotherapy treatments did clients receive?

On a snapshot day in June 2025, 3 in 5 clients (60% or 34,665 clients) received a buprenorphine formulation as pharmacotherapy treatment. This was higher than the number of clients receiving methadone (40% or 23,075 clients) (Figure CLIENTS 5; Table S4). This continues a long-term trend where the proportion of clients receiving methadone has fallen and the proportion receiving buprenorphine drug formulations has risen.

By individual medication type, methadone continued to be the most common pharmacotherapy drug in several states and territories except for Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Buprenorphine LAI was the most common pharmacotherapy drug in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory (42%, 39%, 57% and 58% of clients, respectively) (Figure CLIENTS 5; Table S4).

How did clients interact with the opioid pharmacotherapy treatment system?

Clients interact with the pharmacotherapy treatment system in a number of ways. A client’s status may differ according to whether they are:

• receiving treatment for the first time in the 12 months since the previous snapshot day (new client)
• re-entering treatment after previously ceasing an episode of care (re-admission)
• continuing treatment (ongoing), or
• transferring from another state or territory (interstate transfer).

Across the 5 jurisdictions with available data, clients were most commonly continuing treatment in 2025:

• 2 in 3 clients (65% or 29,009) were classed as ongoing, while a further 15% (6,417 clients) were new to treatment
• 7.7% (3,243) clients were re-entering treatment. 
• The proportion of clients re-entering treatment ranged from 1.7% in Tasmania to 16% in the Australian Capital Territory (Figure CLIENTS 6; Table S11).

In 2025, client status data were available for most states except for Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia due to the implementation of new systems. Clients from these states are presented as ‘Not reported’.

What drug of dependence did clients receive opioid pharmacotherapy treatment for?

Clients can receive pharmacotherapy treatment for a range of opioid drugs. These include illicit opioids (such as heroin), and pharmaceutical opioids (such as oxycodone) available by prescription or through illicit means. From 1 February 2018, all over-the-counter (non-prescription) codeine-containing medicines for pain relief, cough and colds became available by prescription only.

In 2025, around 3 in 10 clients (28% or 16,407 clients) reported ‘heroin’ as their opioid drug of dependence. ‘Buprenorphine’ (4.5% or 2,574 clients) and ‘oxycodone’ (3.9% or 2,274 clients) were the next most commonly reported drugs of dependence (Figure CLIENTS 7; Table S10). 

In 2025:

• Nearly 3 in 5 clients (48% or 27,551 clients) reported an opioid drug of dependence in 2025, while the remainder (52%) were ‘Not stated/not reported’. The proportions ranged from 0% of clients in Northern Territory to 47% in New South Wales.
• Heroin was the most common drug of dependence in all states and territories with available data, except Tasmania and the Northern Territory. 
• ‘Other pharmaceutical opioids’ were the most common drug of dependence in Tasmania and the Northern Territory (Table S10).