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Table DRD-2. Number of drug-induced deaths recorded in EU according to national definitions

Part (i) Total drug-induced deaths, 1995–2011

Country		1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Belgium		132	137	123	48	113	:	:	:	:	74	105	86	:	146	:	:	:
Bulgaria		19	11	16	21	28	41	24	13	15	26	40	29	52	74	38	41	25
Czech Republic	(1)	:	:	:	61	79	80	84	44	55	57	62	42	40	44	49	55	28
Denmark		214	242	256	243	239	247	258	:	:	:	275	227	211	208	222	204	:
Germany		1565	1712	1501	1674	1812	2030	1835	1513	1477	1385	1326	1296	1394	1449	1331	1237	986
Estonia		:	:	4	7	22	31	45	86	36	98	57	68	81	67	133	101	123
Ireland		:	:	:	104	115	113	109	127	108	128	171	189	208	215	216	164	:
Greece	(2)	176	222	232	245	265	304	321	259	217	255	343	276	249	211	235	153	119
Spain	(3)	371	381	321	271	258	254	240	204	274	212	237	218	188	139	181	182	:
Spain	(4)	698	690	711	689	761	705	666	667	643	679	665	518	519	540	442	393	:
France		465	393	228	143	118	247	272	242	231	267	301	305	333	374	365	392	:
Italy		1195	1566	1160	1080	1002	1016	825	520	517	653	653	551	606	517	484	374	362
Cyprus		:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	14	9	7	12	11	12	9	8
Latvia		:	1	5	3	32	42	36	35	12	14	14	17	20	24	19	7	11
Lithuania		9	23	34	32	37	45	35	33	40	38	31	62	72	60	68	51	45
Luxembourg		22	17	9	16	17	26	18	11	14	13	8	19	27	10	14	12	6
Hungary		:	52	47	31	42	38	40	:	32	34	28	25	25	27	31	17	14
Malta		1	2	5	5	5	6	7	8	5	6	8	7	11	8	6	5	4
Netherlands		70	108	108	110	115	131	144	103	104	127	122	112	99	129	139	94	103
Austria	(5)	170	191	136	109	128	167	139	139	163	185	191	197	175	169	187	170	201
Poland		175	179	253	235	292	310	294	324	277	231	290	241	214	244	247	261	:
Portugal	(6)	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	94	56	52	19
Romania		:	:	:	:	:	0	12	3	7	7	6	21	32	33	32	34	15
Slovenia		:	:	13	19	23	19	21	26	22	25	36	26	42	36	28	25	24
Slovakia		:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	23	17	20	17	25	22	20	16
Finland		51	107	98	84	119	134	110	97	101	135	126	138	143	169	175	156	197
Sweden		70	122	133	138	157	194	204	203	188	170	186	172	232	241	267	272	239
United Kingdom (ONS)	(7)	3012	3118	3303	3464	3652	3480	3679	3461	3168	3378	3305	3306	3352	3754	3677	3517	3499
United Kingdom (DSD)	(8)	1341	1440	1552	1726	1946	1918	2165	2034	1788	1877	1980	2036	2231	2569	2481	2334	2250
Croatia		47	33	36	34	48	51	64	52	57	88	84	72	115	87	61	73	59
Turkey		:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	:	26	51	147	159	153	126	104
Norway	(9)	143	195	185	274	237	360	398	291	255	303	234	251	275	263	285	248	:
Totals		6563	7443	6842	7161	7752	8255	8126	6830	6364	6912	7368	7010	7435	8044	7645	6954	:

Notes:

A longer time series, dating back to 1985 for reporting countries, is available in the Supplementary tables section of this Statistical bulletin.

Absolute numbers from different countries are not directly comparable since differences remain in case definition and recording methods.

The national definitions used to report to the EMCDDA and the methods used are described in <a href="https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/stats13/drd/methods">Drug-related deaths — methods and definitions</a>.

National definitions usually refer to acute deaths directly related to drug consumption (‘overdoses’, ‘poisonings’ or ‘drug-induced’). Note that, in a few countries, the figures include also a limited number of cases of deaths indirectly related to drug use (e.g. AIDS, accidents with positive toxicology). See <a href="https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/stats13/drd/methods">Drug-related deaths — methods and definitions</a>. Note in addition that in some countries, statistics published at national level may differ from those presented here, owing to differences of case definition used at national level.

(1) For the Czech Republic, EMCDDA Selection D was used instead of the national definition. National definition includes also poisoning by psychoactive medicines, which accounts for most cases.

(2) From 2005 onwards the numbers used refer to the reported number of deaths.

(3) Data refer to the six major cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Sevilla and Bilbao. Between 1997 and 2000 data for Sevilla are not included. In 2003 and 2004 data for Zaragoza are not included.

(4) Data refer to the whole country.

(5) In the year 2008 the number cases on which no autopsy has been performed tripled (up to 32 cases) and was still 19 in 2009, 17 for 2010 and 24 in 2011 in comparison with previous years. Since this year the number of cases were no autopsy was performed in the official number of drug related deaths is included (201 instead of 177).

(6) Data for 2011 still provisional.

(7) United Kingdom (ONS): Definition used by Office for National Statistics (ONS).

(8) United Kingdom (DSD): Figures from the Drug Strategy Definition (DSD) of drug-induced deaths: it is an extract from the ONS definition that includes cases with drugs controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971. For details refer to the Methods and Definitions Summary document in this Statistical bulletin. The DSD definition is relatively similar to the EMCDDA definition for general mortality registries(Selection B). Only this figure from the United Kingdom (and not the ONS figures) are included in the ‘Totals’ for the EU.

(9) Until 2002 the national definition did not include ‘intentional poisoning’ (ICD codes:X61,X62). From 2003 Selection B has become the national definition.

See also 'General notes for interpreting data' on the <a href="https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/stats13/help">Explanatory notes and help page</a>.

Sources:

<a href="https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/national-reports">Reitox national reports 2012</a>, taken from national mortality registries or special registries (forensic or police). Based on ‘National definitions’ as presented in <a href="https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/stats13/drd/methods">Drug-related deaths — methods and definitions</a>.

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