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Methamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at record highs, new wastewater monitoring reveals.

On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025.

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It found that consumption of crystal meth, also known as ice, was at its highest recorded level since the program began in 2016, rising from 8,405 tonnes to 15,971 tonnes, exceeding previous annual averages across capital cities and regional areas. Australia became the second highest consumer of meth in the world, trailing only the US, according to the Sewage Core Group Europe (Score) of 34 nations, which oversees international standards for wastewater testing.

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Cocaine consumption also reached record highs nationally – with 7,985 tonnes consumed in 2024-25 – as did ketamine. Heroin consumption reached record levels in cities.

Acic’s chief executive, Heather Cook, said the wastewater findings showed “persistent, elevated demand for major drugs across jurisdictions” and pointed to “clear signals of emerging substances entering the Australian market”, including synthetic opioids.

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“The data reinforces the critical need for sustained, coordinated national responses,” Cook said.

“These aren’t abstract figures – they represent real harm and real consequences playing out in hospitals, homes and communities across the country.”

In the year to August 2025, the total estimated consumption of meth, cocaine, MDMA and heroin increased by a record 26.8 tonnes, amounting to a 21% increase on the previous year. The largest annual increases were for meth (23%), heroin (23%) and cocaine (20%).

The total market value of the four major illicit drugs (meth, cocaine, MDMA and heroin) increased from $11.5bn in 2023-24 to a record $14.3bn, with meth representing 77% of total expenditure.

When comparing average doses per 1,000 people per day, Australia was the fifth highest global consumer of meth, cocaine, MDMA and heroin according to Score, behind the US, Chile, Belgium and the Netherlands.

While cannabis remained Australia’s most consumed illicit drug, usage decreased nationally between 2024 and 2025, the report found.

Cook said the report was a “stark reminder” that Australia remained a “lucrative target for transnational crime”.

The report noted the world had experienced record levels of cultivation and manufacturing of cocaine and meth, particularly in the Americas and south-east Asia, which almost exclusively supplies Australia’s heroin market.

“Our intelligence continues to show that serious and organised crime groups are not only persistent but highly innovative,” Cook said. “The scale of the markets, reflected in the wastewater data, shows just how determined these groups are to maintain supply.

“This is a national challenge, and one that demands constant vigilance, evolving tools and strong collaboration across all jurisdictions.”

Regional areas continued to consume meth, cannabis and oxycodone at higher levels than capital cities, while cocaine, heroin and ketamine use was consistently higher in urban areas. Sydney recorded the highest ketamine use of any area.

Tasmania recorded the largest annual increase in meth use (38%), followed by the Northern Territory (36%) and the Australian Capital Territory (30%), while cocaine use rose by 36% in the NT and 33% in Western Australia.

The largest annual spikes were for heroin use in the NT, which rose by 50%, and MDMA use in New South Wales (49%).

Nicotine use increased by 4% nationally in the year to August 2025, the report found, while alcohol consumption increased in the regions and decreased in capital cities.