Preventing overdose deaths in Europe (Perspectives on drugs)

More than 9 000 lives were reported to be lost to drug overdoses in Europe (28 EU Member States, Turkey and Norway) in 2016, the latest reporting year, and this is an underestimate. Reducing drug-related deaths therefore remains a major challenge for public health policy. This analysis describes some of the factors that increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and a number of interventions developed to prevent these events.

Part of the ‘Perspectives on drugs’ (PODs) series, launched alongside the annual European Drug Report, these designed-for-the-web interactive analyses aim to provide deeper insights into a selection of important issues. It should be noted that this publication is updated as new information and analysis becomes available. To consult previous versions, please contact the EMCDDA.

Note that the online version contains additional interactive or audiovisual material not available in the PDF version.