In 2017, over 1.4 million children in the U.S. were living with a parent who had opioid use disorder. This statistic shows the number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in the United States in 2017.
Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017
(in thousands)
Characteristic
Number of children in thousands
Children living with a parent with opioid use disorder
1,435
Children who have been removed from their home and live in foster care or with relatives
325
Children who have had a parent die due to opioid overdose
240
Children who have opioid use disorder themselves or have accidently ingested opioids
170
Children who have a parent in long-term imprisonment due to opioids
Estimates have been adjusted to account for underreporting of opioid use in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health
and on death certificates.
To arrive at a nonduplicative count of the number of children affected, estimates have been adjusted to remove doublecounting between categories. The unadjusted numbers are: 280,000 children who have experienced a parent death due to
opioids; 15,000 children who have a parent imprisoned for possession of heroin; 353,000 children removed from home; and
194,000 children who have OUD themselves or who accidentally ingested opioids.
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United Hospital Fund. (November 12, 2019). Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017 (in thousands) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/
United Hospital Fund. "Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017 (in thousands)." Chart. November 12, 2019. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/
United Hospital Fund. (2019). Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017 (in thousands). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/
United Hospital Fund. "Number of Children Affected by The Opioid Epidemic in Select Ways in The United States in 2017 (in Thousands)." Statista, Statista Inc., 12 Nov 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/
United Hospital Fund, Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017 (in thousands) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Number of children affected by the opioid epidemic in select ways in the United States in 2017 (in thousands) [Graph], United Hospital Fund, November 12, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1221797/number-of-children-affected-by-opioid-epidemic-us/
