It’s official, the statistics for Euthanasia/ Assisted dying in the Netherlands are now available.

This is what they say, according to NVVE.

In the Netherlands in 2025, euthanasia was performed 10,341 times; 3.8% more than in 2024.

The number of euthanasia reports as a proportion of the total number of deaths was 6% in 2025.

In 2024, this figure was 5.8% according to the 2025 Annual Report of the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees (RTE).

In the vast majority of cases, euthanasia is performed as a result of physical conditions causing unbearable and incurable suffering: in 2025, this accounted for over 85% of euthanasia reports.

These cases predominantly involve:

• cancer
• disorders of the nervous system
• lung diseases and
• cardiovascular conditions

The highest number of reports comes from the 70–80 age group (n=3,346).

There were 3,258 reports from the 80–90 age group.

Increasingly accepted

NVVE director Fransien van ter Beek is not surprised by the latest RTE figures.

‘Every year the figures rise slightly, by a few tenths of a per cent. From 2023 to 2024, the figure rose from 5.4 to 5.8 per cent of the total number of deaths. In 2025, it rose to 6 per cent. The trend shows that the option of euthanasia is becoming increasingly accepted and utilised. We believe this is important: people must, if they so wish, be able to decide for themselves how they die.’

Special categories

With the publication of the RTE figures, special attention is always paid to the so-called special categories. These are euthanasia in cases of dementia, a combination of age-related conditions, and mental health conditions.

In 2025 there were:

• 499 reports of euthanasia in cases of dementia (up from 427 in 2024).
• 475 reports of euthanasia resulting from a combination of age-related conditions (up from 397 in 2024).
• 174 cases of euthanasia for the reason of mental illness (down from 219 in 2024). Interestingly, none of these cases involved a minor.

Couple euthanasia

There is also particular interest each year in couple euthanasia, especially since it became known that former Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife underwent simultaneous euthanasia in early 2024.

In 2024, 54 couples underwent joint euthanasia; this rose to 60 (married) couples last year.

To be eligible for joint euthanasia, both partners must individually meet the conditions for euthanasia.

Injection or drink?

It is also striking that fewer people are opting for assisted suicide each year.

Under the Euthanasia Act, there are two options for a self-chosen end of life.

A doctor can actively end a person’s life by administering an injection (euthanasia on request) or by providing the patient with a drink (assisted suicide).

In 2025, 175 people opted for the latter, amounting to 1.7 per cent of the total. In 2018, this figure was still 3.4 per cent.

Van ter Beek:

‘The NVVE’s impression is that doctors often automatically opt for the injection, whilst there is also a strong case for the drink. This can be less stressful for the doctor, the patient does it entirely themselves, and it can strengthen loved ones in the conviction that their loved one truly wants this. We have no opinion on which is the best method. However, we do believe it is important that there is good information available and that doctor and patient decide together what is the best choice in each specific case.’