Frequently asked questions (FAQ): drug-induced deaths in Europe

Page last updated: 29 August 2025

This page provides answers to the questions most often asked about drug overdose deaths in Europe. Also known as ‘drug-related deaths’ or more specifically ‘drug-induced deaths’, they are deaths directly attributable to the use of illicit drugs. The information presented here is based on the latest data from the 27 Member States of the European Union and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) affiliates Norway and Türkiye. It draws on contributions from specialists from these countries, as well as on information provided by the countries in an annual reporting exercise.

Introduction

The latest European Drug Report (EUDA, 2025) estimated that around 7 500 deaths involving one or more illicit drugs were reported in 2023 in the European Union. This estimate rises to around 8 100 deaths when Norway and Türkiye are included. Men accounted for 4 out of every 5 drug-induced deaths. It should be noted that the data for 2023 are provisional and are an underestimate, due to reporting delays and other limitations in reporting capacity apparent in some countries.

All these deaths were premature, predominantly affecting people in their thirties and forties, representing decades of life lost.

Opioids, often heroin, were involved in two thirds of the drug-induced deaths reported in Europe, although this is not true for all countries. Opioids used in agonist treatment can also be found in post-mortem analyses in some countries. Deaths related to opioid medications, such as oxycodone and tramadol, are also reported. Available data from 16 EU Member States indicate that the number of deaths related to fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives remained relatively stable in 2023, the year with the most recent data, when the drugs were linked to 153 overdose deaths compared with 159 in 2022. Some of these fatalities might be associated with diverted medicines rather than with illicit fentanyl. Other potent synthetic opioids, notably nitazenes (identified since 2019), are involved in deaths in several countries, including Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway and Sweden, with peaks in the number of deaths reported in 2023-24 in these countries. Deaths related to stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines have been reported in recent years in several countries. Most drug-induced deaths involve polydrug use. For all these substances, we expect that the presented numbers are an underestimation of the real numbers.

Aim and objectives

This page aims to provide answers to the main questions related to the nature and scale of the drug-induced deaths problem in Europe. Enhancing the monitoring and responses to these deaths is a priority of the European Union drugs action plan 2020-2025 and of the EUDA. These pages present the most recent epidemiological data and highlight the gaps in the information related to drug-induced mortality in Europe.

We are updating this page to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on 31 August 2025.

What this page contains

This page contains up-to-date information on drug-induced deaths in the 27 EU Member States, Norway and Türkiye, focusing on selected recent concerns and threats, the demographics (who is dying) and the time trends. It also summarises the common situations that increase the risk of drug-induced deaths and presents an overview of the current state of interventions aimed at preventing these deaths. In addition, background information is given on the methodology, the sources of information and their limitations, together with references and links to resources.

Questions

List of figures

A list of all figures in this publication is available below.

• Overdose situation
  • Figure 1.1. Year of most recent drug-induced data, in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.2. Drug-induced deaths among adults (15-64) in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.3. Drug-induced mortality rates stratified by age and sex (deaths per million population), in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2010-2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.4. Drug-induced mortality rates per million among adults (15-64) in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye: selected trends
  • Figure 1.5. Drug-induced mortality rates per million among adults (15-64), females, males and total, in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.6. Proportion of males among drug-induced deaths in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.7 Distribution of drug-induced deaths by age band in the European Union in 2013 and 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.8. Number of drug-induced deaths by age group and sex in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.9. Proportion of drug-induced deaths among older (40+ years) people in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.10. Proportion of drug-induced deaths among younger (under 30 years) people in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.11. Proportion of drug-induced deaths with opioids involved in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.12. Countries included in the south-east and north of Europe for this trend analysis
  • Figure 1.13. Indexed trends in the number of deaths in selected countries in the south-east of Europe, 2014-2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 1.14. Indexed trends in the number of deaths in selected countries in the north of Europe, 2014-2023 (or most recent data available)
• Preventing overdose deaths
  • Figure 2.1. Number of countries implementing harm reduction interventions in the European Union, Norway and Türkiye, up to 2024
• Methodology
  • Figure 3.1. Sources used by the countries to report drug-induced deaths to the EUDA, European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 3.2. Sources preferred by the countries to report drug-induced deaths to the EUDA, European Union, Norway and Türkiye, 2023 (or most recent data available)
  • Figure 3.3. Mortality cohort studies among people using drugs in Europe: countries with studies conducted since 2010 or earlier

PDF version of this publication

This publication was designed as a digital-first product, structured by sections, and optimised for online reading. Within each chapter, you may download a PDF version of the page. We are also making available here  a PDF version of the full publication. Please note that some errors may have occurred during the transformation process and that it is possible that this version does not contain all corrections made since the report was first published (please check the last updated date).

Frequently asked questions (FAQ): drug-induced deaths in Europe PDF version

Resources and references

This section provides a selection of EUDA resources along with the details of the works cited in the text.

More information and resources

• More resources on the topics covered by this publication may be found in the Drug-related deaths and mortality topic hub page.
• For further methodological information and the most recent EUDA data in this area, consult the Statistical Bulletin 2025 – methods and definitions for overdose deaths.
• The European network of drug-related deaths experts supports the EUDA’s work on the DRD key epidemiological indicator. The network meets each year to share and discuss new data, studies and experiences at regional, national and European level (the detailed findings of the 2021 meeting were published as a conference proceedings).

References

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Source data

Links to all source data tables used in the report to create data visualisations may be found at the bottom of each chapter, as well as, in most cases, beneath each graphic. The entire source data set for the report, including data for tables which appear within the report, may be found using the link below. All data provided may be reused under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. This means that reuse is allowed provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated.

Complete set of source data tables for the Frequently asked questions (FAQ): drug-induced deaths in Europe.

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Recommended citation: European Union Drugs Agency (2025), Frequently asked questions (FAQ): drug-induced deaths in Europe, https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/topic-overviews/drug-induced-deaths-faq_en