Belgium reports 17 per cent rise in euthanasia deaths

A record number of people were euthanised in Belgium last year, new figures have revealed.

The Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia documented a 16.6 per cent increase in the number of registered cases from 2023 to 2024.

Reported euthanasia deaths in the country have more than doubled in ten years, from 1,924 in 2014 to 3,991 in 2024.

Child

Such deaths accounted for 3.6 per cent of all Belgium’s recorded deaths in 2024, a 0.5 per cent rise on the previous year.

Just over half of these deaths were carried out by doctors in patients’ homes, 30.2 per cent in hospitals, and 17.6 per cent were conducted in rest and care homes.

While most patients were over 70 years of age, 50 people who died were under the age of 40, and one reported death was of a child.

The number of people killed by euthanasia for whom death was not expected in the short term continues to rise, from 713 cases in 2023 to 932 in 2024. All but two of the 55 patients with psychiatric conditions who died by euthanasia last year did not have a terminal diagnosis.

Euthanasia tourism

For the first time since euthanasia was legalised in Belgium, official statistics have reported the number of foreign nationals who travelled to Belgium to die.

The main country of origin was France (106), but people also travelled from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Portugal and England.

The Commission has called for increased Government funding to meet the “constant increase in registration documents”.

Leadbeater Bill

In November 2024, MPs voted by 330 to 275 in support of the principle of Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill intends to allow those in England and Wales deemed to be terminally ill and with less than six months to live to receive help to kill themselves.

The Committee tasked with scrutinising the Bill has been widely criticised for being unfairly stacked with supporters of assisted suicide, for excluding key opponents from presenting evidence in person, and for rejecting amendments to protect the vulnerable.

Leadbeater’s proposals have sparked fierce opposition from parliamentarians, medical experts, legal professionals, commentators and religious groups.