Euthanasia cases in the Netherlands rose by 10 per cent in 2024, according to official figures. [1] Almost 10,000 people were euthanised last year compared to 9,068 in 2023. Since its introduction the number of Dutch opting for euthanasia has been rising rapidly, and the grounds under which it is offered have kept expanding.
There has also been a notable increase in the number of people choosing euthanasia for psychiatric reasons, with 219 such cases in 2024, up from 138 in 2023, and a dramatic leap from just two back in 2010.
This has prompted the regulatory body to call on doctors to exercise “great caution” when handling such requests.
Six cases in 2024 were found to have fallen short of due care. One case involved a doctor who granted euthanasia to a woman in her 70s, despite failing to consult a psychiatrist. The woman had suffered a spinal fracture and could no longer meet her obsessive-compulsive urge to clean, leading her to request euthanasia.
Damiaan Denys, professor of psychiatry at Amsterdam University Medical Center, expressed concern over the growing number of young people opting for euthanasia due to mental health issues, “especially in young people under 30”.