The number of drug-related deaths in Sweden decreased in 2023 compared to the previous year, and amounted to around 9.4 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants. Higher death figures were among men, at 11.55 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants compared to 7.27 among women.
Most deaths from opioids
According to the Public Health Agency in Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), the most common cause of death is overdosing, and in almost all cases from the use of opiates (types of opioids). Opioid users were the most common drug treatment entrants for specialized drug treatment care in Sweden in 2017. The gender distribution among these entrants consisted of 67 percent men and 33 percent women.
Cannabis use is the most common drug use
Opioids are the most common cause of drug-related deaths, but cannabis is the most commonly used drug. In a survey from 2018 on cannabis use, seven percent of women and 11 percent of men aged between 16 and 29 years stated that they had used cannabis within the last twelve months.
Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023
(per 100,000 inhabitants)
Characteristic
Number of drug-related deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants
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Socialstyrelsen. (June 25, 2024). Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 inhabitants) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/
Socialstyrelsen. "Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 inhabitants)." Chart. June 25, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/
Socialstyrelsen. (2024). Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 inhabitants). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/
Socialstyrelsen. "Number of Drug-related Deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 Inhabitants)." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/
Socialstyrelsen, Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 inhabitants) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of drug-related deaths in Sweden from 2008 to 2023 (per 100,000 inhabitants) [Graph], Socialstyrelsen, June 25, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/529470/sweden-number-of-drug-related-deaths/
