Modelled estimate
Medicine doses used worldwide
How many standard medicine doses are used in a day and a year? This counter translates published annual estimates into understandable rates.
Educational model · not medical advice and not a direct real-time measurement
Antibiotics
Estimated global use in 2023
—defined daily dosesAverage antibiotic doses per day—
What is a defined daily dose?
A defined daily dose (DDD) is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a medicine used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical unit, not a pill count and not a personal prescription.
Why are painkillers not a separate live counter?
No recent public source provides a complete, comparable worldwide total for all painkillers. Tablets, injections, liquids and different strengths cannot be added honestly as if they were identical. Antibiotics are shown separately because a peer-reviewed global estimate in DDDs is available.
How the model works
The 2026 total is interpolated between IQVIA’s published 2023 baseline of 3.4 trillion DDDs and its 2028 forecast of 3.8 trillion. The antibiotic figure evenly distributes the 2023 peer-reviewed global estimate of 49.3 billion DDDs. Actual use varies by country, season and therapy.
Data status
Last reviewed: 16 October 2026
Educational model · not medical advice and not a direct real-time measurement