It’s been revealed more Australians are dying from prescription drugs than illegal street drugs.

Last year alone, there were close to two thousand deaths as a result of prescription pills, a new reports from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has found -  which is a rise of 168 percent in 10 years.

“In 2016 there were 1,808 drug-induced deaths in Australia with benzodiazepines the most common single drug type, identified in 663 drug-induced deaths,” AIHW spokesperson Matthew James said in a statement.

“This is followed by 550 deaths from other opioids (including prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, morphine, and codeine).”