Cocaine demand and supply are skyrocketing around the world, and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets, including in Afghanistan, where the drug is currently produced, according to a United Nations report released Sunday.

Cultivation of coca bush and total production of cocaine reached an all-time high in 2021, the most recent year for which data are available, and the global number consumers cocaine, which is valued at 22 million that same year, continues to rise, according to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its World Drug Report, which is published annually.

However, according to the report, cocaine seizures grew faster than production, limiting the overall supply to some extent. In the mid-2000s, the upper limit of the estimated total supply was higher than it is now.

There is currently a sustained increase in both supply and demand for cocaine worldwide, which is already being felt around the world and is likely to stimulate the development of new markets beyond traditional boundaries.

“While the global cocaine market is still concentrated in the Americas, Western and Central Europe (with very high prevalence also in Australia), in relative terms it appears that the fastest growth, albeit from very low initial levels, is occurring in developing countries. markets in Africa, Asia and South-Eastern Europe.

Although almost 90% methamphetamine was seized in two regions (East and Southeast Asia and North America), seizure data suggests that these markets have stabilized at a high level, although turnover has increased elsewhere, such as the Middle East and West Africa, according to the report. .