Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
25th
of 46 countries
All-time high
12.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2017
All-time low
10.93 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2020
Years of data
7
2017–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in United Kingdom, 2017–2023

0510152017202020232017: 12.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 12.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 12.3 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 10.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 11 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 12 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 12.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day for antibiotic usage by surveillance category in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.

United Kingdom ranks 25th of 46 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 12.43 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.25 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 3
2020s 11.58 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 10.93 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 22 Italy 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 23 Lithuania 12.67 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 24 Portugal 12.46 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 26 Georgia 11.73 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 27 Maldives 11.49 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  6. 28 Latvia 10.83 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in United Kingdom?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in United Kingdom was 12.36 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 12.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2017.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 10.93 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2020.
How does United Kingdom rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
United Kingdom ranks 25th out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.