How has the number and proportion of cocaine treatment episodes in Australia changed over time?
The proportion of treatment episodes in Australia for which cocaine was the principal drug of concern was 0% in 2013-14, compared to 1% in 2023-24. The number of treatment episodes for cocaine was 550 in 2013-14 compared to 3,166 in 2022-23.
In Australia, cocaine was the principal drug of concern in 0.3% of treatment episodes in 2014-15, 0.3% in 2015-16, 0.4% in 2016-17, 0.7% in 2017-18, 0.8% in 2018-19, 1% in 2019-20, 1% in 2020-21, 1% in 2021-22, 1% in 2022-23, and 1% in 2023-24.
In Australia, there were 558 treatment episodes where cocaine was the principal drug in 2014-15, 668 in 2015-16, 776 in 2016-17, 1,451 in 2017-18, 1,756 in 2018-19, 2,086 in 2019-20, 2,517 in 2020-21,2,180 in 2021-22, 2,100 in 2022-23 and 3,166 in 2023-24.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2025). Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia 2023-24.
Please note: No statistical significance testing has been conducted on these data. As a result, no inferences can be made about whether the reported proportions are significantly different from one another. From 2022-23, cocaine and MDMA have been grouped together.
Percentages may not tally to 100% due to rounding.
Principal Drug of Concern: The main substance that leads an individual to seek treatment from an alcohol and drug treatment agency (as stated by the individual).
Treatment Episode: A period of contact between a client and a treatment provider. Only ‘closed’ treatment episodes are included in the data used here. An episode is closed if there is a change in the principal drug of concern, main treatment, or service delivery setting; if the treatment ends; or if the patient is imprisoned or dies.