Overdose deaths continue to decline in Nashville
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Overdose deaths continued a steady decline in Nashville in 2025, reaching the lowest point in a decade at the end of the year.
Why it matters: The numbers are an encouraging sign of progress in the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis. But they also show there is a long way to go.
The big picture: Fatal drug overdoses have climbed nationwide for years, driven in large part by the opioid epidemic, which hit Tennessee particularly hard.
- They skyrocketed to a new peak during the during the COVID pandemic. But local figures have begun to tick down more recently, as an influx of funding from opioid settlements bankrolled new treatment and prevention efforts.
By the numbers: Suspected overdose deaths in Nashville topped 700 for three consecutive years from 2021-2023, according to city data.
- There were 530 overdose deaths reported in 2024, and 428 last year.
Zoom in: Quarterly figures offer more insight into the scale of the trend.
- Health officials reported 68 suspected overdoses in the last quarter of 2025. That is the lowest quarterly count since the spring of 2016, according to the Metro health department data.
Zoom out: The data also shows nonfatal overdoses in Nashville have declined.
- The city logged 2,586 emergency department visits for suspected overdoses in 2020. That figure has fallen in the years since, hitting 1,146 in 2025.
Caveat: The most recent data on suspected overdose deaths is provisional, and includes cases that are still under investigation.
- Tallies could shift as that work continues. But officials are optimistic.
The latest: Metro health director Sanmi Areola noted the momentum in his latest report to the board of health.
Between the lines: Progress is coming in tandem with outreach. A major prong of state and local work has been expanding access to naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
- The health department recently expanded a program placing naloxone vending machines around the city after overwhelming demand.
Reality check: Even with the decreases in fatal overdoses, the long-term rate remains disproportionately high in Nashville and the rest of Tennessee compared to the nation.
- The health department noted that in 2024, emergency medical crews in Nashville responded to an overdose call every two hours, on average.
What's next: Areola said last month that the city is preparing to distribute another wave of opioid response grants to nine local organizations. The grant contracts, which are still in the works, will range from $42,000 to $1.5 million.