Victoria's overdose deaths outpace road fatalities, hitting decade high
In 2025, Victoria recorded 632 drug overdose deaths, more than double the 291 road deaths, marking the highest overdose toll in ten years.
According to a Victorian Coroners Court release, 632 people died from drug overdoses in 2025, the highest figure in a decade and more than twice the 291 road fatalities recorded by the Transport Accident Commission. Illicit substances—including heroin, methamphetamine and GHB—were involved in 66.9% of overdose deaths, pushing illegal drugs ahead of pharmaceuticals as the primary cause. Greater Geelong reported the most deaths at 45, surpassing Melbourne's 41 for the first time.
Coroner Simon McGregor has previously called for a safe injecting facility after a 33-year-old woman's death in St Albans Park highlighted rising heroin use. Scott Drummond, interim chief executive of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association, urged policymakers to fund more harm-reduction and treatment options, warning the annual death count could approach or exceed 700 without action.
Why it matters
The surge in overdose deaths signals a worsening public-health crisis that demands urgent policy and funding responses.
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