NETHERLANDS SEES 10 PERCENT RISE IN EUTHANASIA CASES IN 2024

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM • New reports indicate a significant increase in euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands, with cases involving psychiatric conditions quintupling since 2022. While experts attribute the overall rise to greater societal acceptance, they are urging caution in evaluating requests from younger patients with psychiatric issues.

Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2025 – Data released today (March 24) by the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees (RTE) in the Netherlands shows a 10 percent increase in the number of euthanasia deaths, rising from 9,064 in 2023 to 9,958 in 2024. While 86 percent of individuals involved suffered from advanced physical ailments such as cancer, 216 people chose to end their lives due to psychiatric reasons, up from 138 in 2023.

While the NVVE, the Dutch Society for a Dignified End of Life, believes the increase is due to greater societal acceptance of the practice, asserting that the country employs very scrupulous euthanasia procedures, RTE experts have urged doctors to exercise greater caution in cases involving psychiatric disorders, especially for younger patients.

The Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2002. The law stipulates that only a doctor can end a patient's life, and only if several conditions are met, including the patient's explicit will and the absence of reasonable alternatives. The conditions of suffering that permit such an option must be irreversible and can also include dementia and certain mental illnesses.