The number of patients prescribed narcotics last year hit an all-time high since records began in 2018.

The food and drug safety ministry released related statistics on Wednesday in its annual disclosure that began in 2019 after a comprehensive narcotics management system was introduced the previous year.

In 2022, 19-point-46 million patients were prescribed such drugs, up by 620-thousand from the year before with anesthetics accounting for the largest portion at eleven-point-two million patients, followed by hypnotic sedatives, anti-anxiety drugs and painkillers.

By age, patients in their 50s were the most prevalent at four million, while those 40 and above accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total, a statistics the ministry attributed to the abundant use of anesthetics such as Propofol and Midazolam in health checkups and simple surgical procedures.

As for the volume of prescribed drugs, last year marked the second-highest level to date.