Each year, between 200 and 300 people die due to drugs in Finland – some of them young adults. In 2024, there were a total of 247 drug-related deaths. Of those who died, 197 were men and 50 were women. The most common age group was 40–44-year-olds. Forty of those who died were under the age of 25. Most drug-related deaths are accidental poisonings and could be prevented with timely support and treatment.
Why is this important?
- The number of drug-related deaths has increased in Finland throughout the 21st century.
- The average age of those who die due to drugs in Finland is significantly lower than elsewhere in Europe. In Finland, people die from drugs at a young age.
- Drug-related deaths have become the most common cause of death among young men, surpassing road traffic accidents.
- Most drug-related deaths are preventable – but this requires political will and concrete action.
Multiple factors behind drug-related deaths
The high number of drug-related deaths in Finland is linked to several factors, such as high-risk patterns of use (injecting drug use) and polysubstance use, where death results from combined poisoning caused by multiple substances (buprenorphine, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and alcohol).
Problematic drug use is often associated with multiple contributing factors, including untreated mental health problems, traumatic experiences, unstable housing conditions, psychological distress and hopelessness, intergenerational disadvantage, and social isolation.
"Support provided at an early stage, accessible and coordinated services and sustained engagement can prevent people from ending up in situations where the risk of death increases. Treating mental health problems is also of primary importance in order to prevent the deepening of substance use cycles and their serious consequences," says Sanna Kailanto, Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Harm reduction and access to treatment reduce deaths
The most important measure to prevent drug-related deaths is to ensure the availability of low-threshold substance use and addiction services across the country. Currently, around half of the wellbeing services counties provide outreach and street-based work targeted at people who use drugs.
Rapidly accessible, high-quality social and health care services, together with cooperation with communities, are an absolute prerequisite for reducing drug-related deaths and other harms caused by drug use.
For example, health counselling services are a statutory harm reduction activity of the wellbeing services counties. Through this work, it is possible to reach people who inject drugs and to prevent harms, diseases and deaths related to drug use.
"Services must be adequately resourced and developed so that care and support are individualised, timely and of high quality. When a person gains access to treatment without unnecessary delay, retention in treatment improves and the risk of death decreases," Kailanto notes.
Cooperation and information exchange strengthen effectiveness
Preventing drug-related deaths requires smooth and up-to-date information exchange between people who use drugs, authorities and third-sector actors, so that information about risks, services and support needs reaches all parties in a timely manner.
There is no single measure or method that alone can solve the problem of drug-related deaths.
"Preventing drug-related deaths requires cooperation between actors, smooth information flow and continuity as part of the service system. When responsibility is shared and structures are in place, help reaches people in time," Kailanto says.
Information exchange, harmonised practices and a clear division of responsibilities between different actors are key. In addition, it is important to monitor effectiveness – which measures lead to a reduction in deaths and where improvements are needed.
The goal is to reduce the harms caused by drug use to the individual, their loved ones, communities and society as a whole.
Alongside efforts to prevent drug-related deaths, more attention should be paid to preventing the initiation of substance use at the community level and to providing early support within services.
Reducing stigma facilitates access to treatment
Prejudices and negative attitudes related to people who use drugs, and the services intended for them must be dismantled so that people feel safe to seek help.
"It is extremely important to emphasise more strongly that substance dependence is a disease that requires treatment, that treatment exists, and that recovery from substance dependence is possible. People’s motivation to seek treatment improves when they are not labelled as criminals but are instead encountered as citizens in need of help and support," says Inari Viskari, Senior Planning Officer.
"In practice, this means, among other things, trained staff, respectful encounters and structures that ensure the voices of service users are heard. As trust increases, help-seeking and engagement in treatment also increase."
There are effective ways to help people who use drugs and to reduce harms (in Finnish)
Alongside more effective prevention of drug-related deaths, greater attention should be paid to preventing the initiation of drug use at the community level and to providing early support through services.
Drug use and attitudes towards drugs among Finns
The statistics describe drug use as well as opinions and attitudes towards drugs among the adult population in Finland.