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Euthanasia accounted for nearly 6% of all deaths in the Netherlands in 2024, up from 1.9% of deaths in 1999, according to new research commissioned by the health ministry.
The report was put together by Radboudumc, UMC Utrecht, and Amsterdam UMC.
In 2024, 9,958 people died by euthanasia. In 1999, that number was 2,216.
The majority of people were over the age of 60. In 2024, only 45 people under the age of 30 had euthanasia.
More than half, 54%, of people who had euthanasia in 2024 had terminal cancer. There has been an increase in patients with chronic illnesses and mental health problems the research found.
Researchers attribute some of the increase to an aging population, but also to changing norms around personal choice. “There is a stronger emphasis on autonomy and quality of life (and dying),” the report says.
Another factor the researchers found was increased awareness of euthanasia. Former prime minister Dries van Agt died at age 93, together with his wife, by euthanasia in 2024, an event which got significant media attention.
Earlier this year, a child under the age of 12 has died through euthanasia for the first time since the law was changed two years ago.
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