The latest data from the BC Coroners Service shows 150 people died from toxic drugs in October.
It equates to about 4.8 deaths per day, according to the data released Tuesday (Dec. 2), a slight decrease from the 5.3 deaths per day in September. It’s also a slight decrease from October 2024 when there were 163 overdose deaths reported to the coroner service.
Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, there have been 1,538 deaths due to toxic drugs. That’s compared to the 1,997 deaths during the same period in 2024.
The coroners service says that in 2025, deaths among those between the ages of 30 and 59 accounted for 70 per cent of drug toxicity deaths in the province. Seventy-seven per cent of those deaths were male.
Forty-eight per cent of fatal overdoses happened in private residences, compared to 21 per cent outdoors.
The health authorities reporting the highest number of deaths continue to be Fraser and Vancouver Coastal at 448 and 408 deaths, respectively. The two health authorities account for 56 per cent of fatal overdoses in B.C. in 2025.
The BC Coroners Service says fentanyl and its analogues continue to be the most common substance detected in expedited toxicological testing. Sixty-nine per cent of those who died and underwent expedited testing in 2025 were found to have fentanyl in their systems, followed by fluorofentanyl at 53 per cent and methamphetamine at 52 per cent.
Smoking continues to be the most common mode of consumption at 65 per cent, followed by nasal insufflation at 11 per cent, injection at 10 per cent and oral at five per cent.
The coroners service also collects occupation industry data and the two most common industries are: trades, transport and equipment operators; and sales and service.