Euthanasia is no longer a clinical exception in Western Europe. The latest data show that it has become a routine cause of death in several countries.
In the Netherlands, it already accounts for 6% of all deaths; in Belgium, around 4%; in Luxembourg, roughly 0.7%; and in Spain, still in an early phase, close to 0.1%. The difference is not in the direction but in the speed of the process—in what is commonly described as a “slippery slope.”
Luxembourg operates on a different scale, with small but stable figures—between 20 and 35 cases per year within a population of around 690,000—while Spain shows the typical pattern of newly legalised systems: rapid growth from a low base. From fewer than 300 euthanasia deaths in 2022 to 426 in 2024, an increase of nearly 50% in two years.
The institutional framework explains part of this divergence. The Netherlands and Belgium have been applying euthanasia laws for more than two decades, with mandatory reporting systems. Spain has barely reached three years since legalisation in 2021. Portugal passed its law in 2023, but it still lacks a consolidated statistical series. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland operate under assisted suicide models, with less robust reporting. In this field, Europe has no common policy; it has different national models advancing in parallel.
The point of friction emerges when the data intersect with individual cases. In Spain, the case of Noelia—a 25-year-old woman subjected to euthanasia after a legal process that pitted her expressed will against her family’s opposition—has reignited the debate.
Álvaro Vallarés, a lawyer involved in the case, argues that “Noelia embodies a system that ignores the needs of people who require help or support.” His reading points to a deeper issue: the system’s ability to distinguish between treatable suffering and irreversible conditions.
From a European legal perspective, Grégor Puppinck, Director of the European Centre for Law and Justice, warns of a broader drift. In his view, the case shows that “euthanasia can be extended to situations of psychological suffering, not only physical,” raising questions about the effective control of procedures.
The political debate on legalisation is currently centred in France. Laurence Trochu, a Member of the European Parliament from Rassemblement National, frames it in structural terms: euthanasia is not merely an individual matter but a decision that defines the model of society, warning that it risks becoming an “institutional response to vulnerability.”
The data support that interpretation. In terms of incidence, the Netherlands now exceeds 50 euthanasia deaths per 100,000 inhabitants; Belgium is approaching 40. Spain has yet to reach 1 per 100,000, but its growth rate is the fastest. Convergence is not immediate, but the trend is consistent.
The next step, already visible in the countries where the practice has the longest history and is most entrenched, is the expansion of the legal scope. In the Netherlands and Belgium, debates are underway on euthanasia in cases involving psychiatric illness or cognitive decline. The concept of ‘unbearable suffering’ becomes the central interpretative axis. When the category is broad—and at times vague—the system tends to expand by design.
The projections are relatively clear. If the Netherlands has moved from 3% to 6% of deaths in a decade, and Belgium is approaching 4%, the likely scenario in Western Europe is a stabilisation between 3% and 6% in countries with consolidated legislation. Spain remains in the early phase of that curve.
Are we witnessing the integration of death as a routine component of European healthcare systems? For now, at least where it has been legalised, that appears to be the direction of travel.
Javier Villamor is a Spanish journalist and analyst. Based in Brussels, he covers NATO and EU affairs at europeanconservative.com. Javier has over 17 years of experience in international politics, defense, and security. He also works as a consultant providing strategic insights into global affairs and geopolitical dynamics.
