How Prevalent Is Recreational Ketamine Usage Amongst UK Women Vs Men?
Recreational drug use trends come and go, and one of the fastest-growing controlled substances in the UK at the moment is ketamine. In the last decade, the number of people taking it has more than tripled, according to ONS data. Its popularity is partly down to the fact that it is currently only a Class B drug, and so carries more lenient penalties for possession and supply.
But is there a gender divide in terms of who’s using it? Here’s a quick look at the data on ketamine’s worrying surge in the UK, and what proportion of men and women are causing this.
A Rising Concern
Between 2015 and 2025, the number of UK adults who admitted to taking ketamine in the last 30 days rose by 252%. In the same period, many Class A drugs like Ecstasy and Heroin actually saw a decline in usage.
Aside from the legal repercussions, this is a healthcare crisis. Many hospitals across the country report a significant spike in admissions due to ketamine’s damaging side effects, which include causing permanent harm to the bladder.
With more people seeking a safe path to stop taking the drug, a number of UK ketamine detox clinics have arisen to support their journey to sobriety. Ten years ago, this simply wasn’t necessary. It’s a reflection of just how serious this trend has become.
Age & Gender Data
The most significant data on ketamine usage in the UK comes from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which found that, as well as increasing its prevalence among the population as a whole in the last 10 years, the drug has become particularly entrenched in youth culture.
Use among those aged 16-24 increased from 0.8% in 2013 to 3.8% in 2023. That’s about 220,000 young people taking ketamine regularly. And since this is from a self-reported study, analysts actually think the true number may be much higher, as it’s down to individual respondents to admit their recreational drug habits.
For gender divide data, the NHS’s 2024 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey provides some insights. For women, 0.7% admitted to ketamine use over the last 12 months, making it the third most prevalent drug behind cocaine (1.2%) and cannabis (6.1%). It did not rank in the top 3 for male respondents.
Another dataset, this time from Manchester Metropolitan University, shows that the gap in usage among young people in particular is very small. 61% of under-18 males questioned said they’d used ketamine, while 62% of females in the same age group admitted the same.
The Prevalence Problem
Whichever way you cut it, recreational ketamine use is already relatively common in the UK, and its popularity continues to increase, with the associated health complications to go with it. Hundreds of thousands of young people, both men and women, are regular users. Many will become dependent on it.
Campaigners are calling for ketamine to be reclassified as a Class A drug, in recognition of its potential to cause harm. The usage data, combined with the demand for detox clinics, suggests this is sensible.
Poppy Watt