evidence: Fentanyl overdose death rates 'more than tripled' in recent years, CDC report shows The rate of fatal overdoses involving fentanyl skyrocketed in the U.S. between 2016 and 2021, new data show. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl increased by 279% in the U.S. between 2016 and 2021, according to newly released data.