💊 The 35 Countries With the Highest Antibiotic Use - Voronoi
Oct 10, 2025
💊 The 35 Countries With the Highest Antibiotic Use
Key Takeaways
Iran has the highest rate of antibiotics use, last measured at 68 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants (DDD) in 2022.
A DDD is a typical adult’s one-day treatment (for a drug’s main use).
A recent study found that nearly half of all hospital antibiotic prescriptions in Iran are considered irrational (not medically justified).
Self-medication remains a major driver of antibiotic misuse, fueling the world’s highest rates of antimicrobial resistance.
In comparison, the U.S. DDD stood at 22 (*from a different source), and Germany at 10.
Wide disparities in antibiotics volumes suggest both overuse in some regions (raising antibiotic resistance concerns) and potential underuse in others (suggesting inadequate access to essential medicines).
Visit the dataset tab for antibiotics use for all countries collected by the source.
