Drug-related deaths in Sweden 2008-2021

The number of drug-related deaths in Sweden decreased in 2021 compared to the previous years, and amounted to 9.6 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants. Higher death figures were among men, at 10.7 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants compared to 7.3 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.