European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top-level findings, 24 EU countries and Norway

Introduction

This data factsheet presents insights from the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024. It provides an overview of key data from 61 732 individuals aged 18 or older who use drugs and live in one of 24 EU countries or Norway. The survey was conducted across 24 EU and 11 non-EU countries or territories between May and July 2024.

Click here for more information on the methodology of the European Web Survey on Drugs.

Last update: 25 February 2025

In summary

A total of 61 732 respondents participated from 24 EU countries or Norway. Analysis of respondents’ answers revealed these key findings on their drug use in the past 12 months.

• Cannabis was the drug most commonly used, reported by 59 % of respondents, followed by MDMA/ecstasy (30 %) and cocaine (29 %).
• Less than 3 % of respondents reported receiving treatment to manage or quit using any drug.
• Polysubstance use was the most commonly reported pattern for all drugs in respondents’ last consumption. Cocaine powder was the most frequently consumed drug alongside at least one other substance, including tobacco and alcohol.
• To get ‘high’/for fun, to relax and to stay awake were the most commonly reported reasons for using drugs.
• Home was the most frequently mentioned setting for drug use.

Drug use and treatment received in the last 12 months

Cannabis was the drug most commonly used, with 59 % of respondents reporting its use in the past 12 months. This was followed by MDMA/ecstasy, used by 30 % of respondents, and cocaine, used by 29 % of respondents.

Comparable proportions of respondents reported using magic mushrooms/truffles (18 %), amphetamine (17 %) and new psychoactive substances (16 %) in the last 12 months, followed by ketamine (14 %) and semi-synthetic cannabinoids (14 %).

Less than 3 % of the respondents reported receiving treatment to manage or quit using a specific drug in the last 12 months. The drug for which the highest proportion of respondents receiving treatment was cannabis (2.6 %), followed by cocaine (1.6 %) and heroin and other opioids (1.4 %).

Polysubstance use in the last 12 months

Polysubstance use, the use of two or more substances on the same occasion, was reported across all drugs. Cocaine powder was the drug most frequently consumed alongside at least one other substance. Only 4 % of respondents indicated using it with no other substance in the last use, including tobacco and alcohol. On the other hand, cannabis was the drug with the lowest proportion of polysubstance use. A third of respondents answered that the last time they used cannabis they did not use any other substance.

Motivation for drug use in the last 12 months

More than 75 % of the respondents who used MDMA/ecstasy, ketamine or cocaine powder reported that they used the drug to get ‘high’/for fun. The same reason was given by more than half of the respondents who used new psychoactive substances, cannabis, amphetamine, crack cocaine or methamphetamine.

More than 60 % of those who used cannabis or heroin indicated that they used the drug to reduce stress or to relax.

In addition, 51 % of those who used amphetamine and 44 % of those who used methamphetamine also reported that they used the drug to stay awake.

Setting for drug use in the last 12 months

Home was the most common setting for the use of most drugs during the previous 12 months. This was particularly so for those who used heroin or cannabis (92 %).

On the other hand, the preferred setting for MDMA was music festivals or parties (79 %), while cocaine powder was most commonly used in bars or clubs (68 %).

Patterns of use and sources of acquisition

Notes

• The analysis here covers 24 EU countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden. Norway was also included in the analysis.
• The web survey was also carried out in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo¹, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia as part of the EUDA IPA8 project, and in Ukraine, Lebanon and Palestine² as part of the EUDA-EU4MD project. Factsheets covering these project beneficiaries are published separately.

¹ Kosovo: This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

² Palestine: This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

While web surveys are not representative of the general population, when carefully conducted and combined with traditional data-collection methods, they can help paint a more detailed, realistic and timely picture of drug use and drug markets in Europe. As such, they are a key ingredient in the EUDA’s responsiveness to an ever-shifting drug problem.

For more detailed information on the project, please see our dedicated page on the European Web Survey on Drugs.

Related resources

• European Web Survey on Drugs 2024 landing page
• European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top-level findings, Western Balkans
• European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: methodology
• European Web Survey on Drugs topic hub page (outputs, news, etc.)
• European Web Survey on Drugs project page

Recommended citation

Recommended citation: European Union Drugs Agency (2025), European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top-level findings, 24 EU countries and Norway, https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/data-factsheet/european-web-survey-drugs-2024-top-level-findings_en

Source data

The complete set of source data for the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024: top-level findings, including any additional metadata and methodological notes, is available in our data catalogue.