Who are kratom consumers?
Working adults in their 30s and 40s, most of them managing pain. Not the picture the headlines paint.
The short answer
The typical American kratom consumer is employed, in their 30s or 40s, has at least some college, and uses kratom the way other people use coffee or ibuprofen: for energy, for everyday pain, or to stay off something worse. That profile has held steady across every major survey since 2020.
What the surveys show
Johns Hopkins, 2020
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine surveyed 2,798 kratom users. The average age was 40; 61 percent were women; about 84 percent had at least some college. Ninety-one percent used kratom for pain, 67 percent for anxiety, 65 percent for depression, and 41 percent to manage opioid withdrawal. Of those using it for withdrawal, 35 percent had gone more than a year without prescription opioids or heroin. Fewer than 3 percent met criteria for moderate or severe kratom-related substance use disorder, and only 1.9 percent reported a side effect serious enough to need medical care.
"There seems to be relatively low rate of abuse potential, and there may be medical applications to explore."Johns Hopkins Medicine, on the 2020 user survey
University of Florida, 2025
A nationally representative survey of 11,545 U.S. adults published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (Grundmann et al., March 2025) identified 1,049 current kratom consumers. Compared with non-users, they skewed male (55 percent), younger (64 percent between 30 and 49), and had higher household incomes; 60 percent were employed full time and another 18 percent were self-employed or working part time. Their reasons for use: pain relief (58 percent), relaxation and stress relief (54 percent), and an energy boost (50 percent). Capsules, gummies and powders were the most common forms.
NIDA
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that consumers most often cite pain, opioid withdrawal and cravings, anxiety and depression, and fatigue, and that most give more than one reason. Past-year use in the U.S. is about 1.7 million people aged 12 and older.
Who is not using kratom
Teenagers, for the most part. Only 0.44 percent of U.S. adolescents report ever trying it. Kratom is bitter, expensive, and produces no euphoric high, which makes it an unattractive choice for anyone seeking one. The KCPA's age limit and behind-the-counter rules close the remaining gap.
Veterans
Veterans are a visible part of the kratom community. Advocate Stories keeps a dedicated Veterans section, and AKA's state testimonial packets include a law-enforcement compilation.
Kratom saved me from being just another casualty of the opioid epidemic.
Jourdain · LouisianaVeteran · Heroin recovery, back painI am able to live a pain free life with Kratom without being a pain med addict.
Rhonda · GeorgiaVeteran, retired nurseRead more in their own words, or at Advocate Stories, organized by state and with a Veterans section, or watch consumer testimonials on the AKA YouTube channel.