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The links above give access to the tables in the bulletin, the supplementary downloadable tables and the associated graphics in the section dealing with drug-related deaths, as well as to a description of the methods and definitions used in compiling this data. A brief overview is provided below. See also the side navigation bar for links to all chapters.
These tables report the number and characteristics of drug-related deaths recorded in the EU countries according to national definitions of 'drug-related deaths'. In this report, the term ‘drug-related death’ refers to those deaths caused directly by the consumption of one or more drugs and that occur, generally, shortly after the consumption of the substance(s). These deaths are known as ‘overdoses’, ‘poisonings’ or ‘drug-induced deaths’. Opiate overdose is one of the leading causes of death among young people in Europe, particularly among males, and, as national reports suggest, also in urban areas. It should be borne in mind that drug use is related to other causes of mortality, such as infectious diseases, accidents, etc. See the section on Methods and definitions for more detail on this matter.
Tables DRD-1 to DRD-4 deal with data supplied by each of the Member States that made information available.
The recorded characteristics of the deceased, reported in Table DRD-1 part (i), are the mean age at death and the percentages of those aged less than 15, 25, aged 35 or more and aged 65 or more. Opiates reported in the toxicology and population rates are represented in DRD-1 part (ii). The information is presented for the most recent year available and, as comparison, for 1990 or nearest reported year.
Table DRD-2 reports the total number of drug-related deaths recorded in each country in each year from 1985 onwards, with an indexed time series, and also the numbers of drug-related deaths from1990 onwards by gender and the total number of drug-related deaths under the age of 25 years old from 1990 onwards.
Table DRD-3 reports the total number of drug-related deaths recorded in each country in each year from 1990 onwards according to EMCDDA standard definition ‘Selection B’ (for General Mortality Registries), and Table DRD-4 according to EMCDDA standard definition ‘Selection D’ (for special registries).
Table DRD-0 gives the references and sources relevant to the tables.
Summary points
Opiates are present in most cases of ‘drug-related deaths’ due to illegal substances reported in the EU.
Figure DRD-1, Table DRD-1 part (i), Table DRD-1 part (ii).
The majority of overdose victims are men, accounting for 60 to 100 % of cases depending on the country, with most countries ranging between 75 and 90%. Most victims are in their twenties or thirties, with a mean age in the mid thirties (range between 22 and 45 years).
Figure DRD-6, Table DRD-1 part (i), Table DRD-2 part (ii), Table DRD-2 Part (iv).
Since 2000, many EU countries have reported decreases in the numbers of drug-related deaths, although figures are still high from a longer term perspective. Only 10 countries reported information for 2003, and inferences for the EU should be made with caution. On this basis, some decrease is suggested in 2003 but the picture is much less clear than the decrease observed from 2000 until 2002.
Table DRD-2 part (i), Table DRD-2 part (ii), Table DRD-3, Table DRD-4.
Drug-related deaths among people younger than 25 years have been decreasing almost steadily since 1996 in the old Member States, indicating a possible decrease in the number of young injectors in those countries.
Table DRD-2 part (v), Figure DRD-9.
Opiate users (mainly those who inject) have an overall mortality that is up to 20 times higher that the general population of the same age due to overdose, violence, diseases (AIDS and others), etc.
For the time being, deaths involving ecstasy remain relatively unusual compared with opiate deaths, but in some countries they are not negligible and monitoring of these deaths needs improvement. Reporting of ecstasy deaths is not harmonised, and sometimes the exact role that ecstasy played in the fatal outcome is not clear.
Despite the limitations of the information, in the countries that were able to make the differentiation, cocaine seemed to have played a determinant role in between 1% and 15 % of the reported drug-related deaths, which could account for several hundreds of deaths per year in Europe.