Ageing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habit

From pub toilets and private parties to football terraces and far-right marches, cocaine has become a familiar presence across modern Britain. Deaths linked to the drug have risen to record levels, while its supply supports a multibillion-pound criminal industry. But who is using the drug, and how has the picture changed?

The figures do not necessarily show millions of new users but highlight an established market in which some people take more cocaine, more often – and face greater harm as they grow older. In June this year, scientists at the Home Office published a new experimental estimate of cocaine consumption. Samples taken from sewage suggested that cocaine use rose by 26% between 2021 and 2025. They estimated that people in England consumed 123,000 kg of cocaine in 2024-25: the equivalent of roughly 2.5 billion lines, with an estimated street value of £9.8 billion.

However, crime survey data suggests the number of people reporting cocaine use in the past year has remained flat or fallen slightly since the pandemic. One explanation is that a similar or smaller number of people are using the drug more frequently. Another is that the survey excludes people who are homeless or living in institutions, and some respondents may be reluctant to admit to illegal drug use.

Dr Josh Torrance, a specialist in drug markets, states that wastewater analysis can reveal use that surveys miss. He noted, "People are often not honest about their drug use with strangers."

Although sewage estimates have substantial margins of error, the direction of travel is broadly accurate. For several years, the market offered cocaine at falling prices. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that wholesale prices dropped below pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and reached "historically low levels" in 2025. However, it has seen signs that wholesale prices are rising again in 2026.