FINLAND: Drug-related deaths among youth nearly doubled in 2023

28.11.2024 - The number of drug-related deaths in Finland reached a record high in 2023. A total of 310 people died from drug-related causes, 60 more than in 2022, according to mortality statistics released on Thursday by Statistics Finland.

The highest number of drug-related deaths occurred in the 15–24 age group, which also saw the largest increase in deaths.

"Last year, 91 young people under the age of 25 died from drug-related causes. This is the highest number recorded since monitoring began in 2006," says Kati Taskinen, an actuary at Statistics Finland.

Drug-related deaths among youth increased by 40 compared to the previous year. Over the past decade, the number of deaths in this age group has risen by more than 60.

"In 2023, one in four deaths among 15–24-year-olds was caused by drugs," Taskinen notes.

More than 80% of those who died from drug-related causes last year were men.

"The increase in drug-related deaths was entirely among men. The number of men who died from drug-related causes rose by 61 compared to the previous year," Taskinen explains.

Most drug-related deaths were caused by accidental poisonings. A total of 191 people died from accidental overdoses, 40 more than in 2022.

Deaths linked to long-term drug use or addiction also increased. In 2023, there were 66 deaths associated with drug dependency, 16 more than in 2022 and nearly three times the number recorded a decade ago.

Statistics Finland uses the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) definition of drug-related deaths.

Alcohol-related deaths also increased

In 2023, a total of 1,727 people died from alcohol-related diseases and accidental alcohol poisonings, 63 more than in 2022. Age-standardized alcohol mortality increased by 1.8% compared to the previous year.

For women, age-standardized mortality due to alcohol-related diseases and poisonings increased by more than 5% compared to the previous year, while for men, the increase was less than 1%.

"The gap between men and women in alcohol mortality has narrowed, but men still have significantly higher mortality rates. Last year, age-standardized alcohol mortality for men was three times higher than for women," says Airi Pajunen, senior actuary at Statistics Finland.

For the first time in 2023, more people aged 65 and older died from alcohol-related causes than those of working age. At the beginning of the 2000s, only 15% of alcohol-related deaths occurred among people aged 65 or older.

Substance use contributed to accidental deaths

Substances were listed as a contributing factor on death certificates for 268 accidental deaths last year.

Intoxication was particularly significant in drowning incidents and deaths due to extreme heat in saunas. In 40% of these cases, intoxication was a contributing factor.

Among those who died from suffocation, fires, or exposure to cold, more than one in three had intoxication listed as a contributing factor.

"The involvement of substances in accidental deaths appears to have declined over the past 15 years. Last year, substances contributed to one in ten accidental deaths," Taskinen notes.

Cardiovascular diseases and cancer remain leading causes of death

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in Finland, accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths in 2023. The long-standing decline in mortality from these diseases continued, with age-standardized mortality decreasing by 2.1% compared to the previous year.

"Mortality from coronary heart disease, for instance, has significantly decreased since the early 2000s. This is evident even in the total number of deaths, despite an aging population. In 2000, nearly 13,000 people died from coronary heart disease, compared to about 8,500 last year," Pajunen explains.

Cancer was the second most common cause of death, with a slight increase in cancer-related mortality compared to the previous year.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were the third most common cause of death, accounting for nearly one in five deaths in 2023.

"The number of deaths caused by memory-related diseases had been increasing for two decades, but now the growth seems to have halted, at least temporarily. Age-standardized mortality from these diseases decreased by over 2% last year," Pajunen says.

Over 2,200 people died from COVID-19 in 2023. The number of COVID-related deaths nearly halved compared to 2022.

According to the mortality statistics, no deaths in 2023 were attributed to adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccinations.