Are men or women in Australia more likely to have used methamphetamine / amphetamine?
Australian men are significantly more likely than women to have used methamphetamine or amphetamine† in their lifetime.
9% of Australian men have used methamphetamine or amphetamine in their lifetime; 1% in the past 12 months; 0.5% in the past month; and 0.3% in the past week.
7% of Australian women have used methamphetamine or amphetamine in their lifetime; 0.9% in the past 12 months; 0.4% in the past month; and 0.2% in the past week.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
Please note: Significance is established as p<0.05. Australians who identify as non-binary or a different gender identity were not able to be included in the current analyses due to small numbers.
† Methamphetamine or amphetamine: The NDSHS asked about the use of methamphetamine and amphetamine (including the street names speed, crystal and ice) in 2022–2023. In 2019 and prior years, the NDSHS asked about the use of “Meth/amphetamines”, which also included the non‑medical use of pharmaceutical amphetamines, such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) and pseudoephedrine based cold and flu tablets. The change represents a break in the timeseries. Results for methamphetamine and amphetamine in 2022–2023 should not be compared to meth/amphetamines results from previous survey waves.