Lisbon, 25 February 2025
New survey results released today by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) reveal the current drug use habits of over 66 000 Europeans (1). Adults from 31 countries responded to the European Web Survey and Drugs, which ran in 30 languages between May and July 2024. More than 100 partners took part in the initiative, including the Reitox network of national focal points, universities and civil society organisations. The responses showed cannabis to be the most consumed substance overall, while polysubstance use is increasingly widespread.
The findings are presented today in online factsheets, featuring source data and interactive data explorers. These relate to 24 EU Member States and Norway, where 61 732 participants responded to the survey, and the EUDA’s Western Balkan partners, where 4 442 respondents took part (see Methodology)(2). The Western Balkan partners participated in the survey for the second time through the agency’s technical assistance project (IPA8).
Targeted at people aged 18 and over who have used drugs in the past year, the web survey aims to improve understanding of patterns of drug use in Europe and help inform future drug policies and interventions. It is one of the EUDA’s leading-edge data-collection tools. This is the fifth round of the survey, which began in 2016.
Key findings from over 66 000 Europeans — cannabis leads, but other drugs also prevalent
Survey respondents from the EU-24 and Norway reported cannabis as their most frequently used illicit drug — 59 % of them reported use in the last year, followed by MDMA/ecstasy (30 %) and cocaine (29 %). For other drugs, a similar proportion reported last-year use: magic mushrooms (18 %), amphetamine (17 %) and new psychoactive substances (NPS) (16 %). Meanwhile, 14 % of respondents reported ketamine use in the past 12 months.
These results are partly mirrored in the responses from the Western Balkan partners (Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia). Here, cannabis use was again reported most often, with 42 % of respondents having used it in the past year. Benzodiazepines without a prescription (22 %) ranked second, followed by cocaine (21 %). Reported use of MDMA/ecstasy (14 %) and amphetamine (12 %) was lower compared to the survey responses from the EU-24 and Norway.
Widespread polysubstance use — for many, one drug is not enough
Across both regions, the most common pattern of drug use reported through the survey was polysubstance use, the use of two or more psychoactive substances (licit or illicit), simultaneously or sequentially. Respondents from the EU-24 and Norway indicated that cocaine powder was the drug they most frequently consumed with at least one other substance, including alcohol or tobacco. Only 4 % of participants reported using cocaine on its own during their last use. In contrast, cannabis users had the lowest rate of polysubstance use, with one third stating that they had taken the drug on its own the last time they consumed it.
In the Western Balkans, survey respondents reported cocaine powder and crack cocaine as the drugs that they had most frequently consumed with at least one other substance, including alcohol or tobacco. Only 3 % of participants reported using one of these drugs on its own during their last use. Meanwhile, cannabis and ketamine had the lowest rates of polysubstance use, with a quarter of participants indicating they had taken one of these drugs on its own the last time they consumed it.
Motivations for drug use — understanding the ‘why’
Among respondents from the EU-24 and Norway, over 75 % of those who reported to have used MDMA/ecstasy, ketamine and/or cocaine powder said they did so ‘to get high/for fun’. More than half of those who reported using NPS, amphetamine, crack cocaine and/or methamphetamine, cited the same reasons. Additionally, 51 % of those who used amphetamine and 44 % of those who used methamphetamine said they took them ‘to stay awake’. Meanwhile, over 60% of those who used methamphetamine, cannabis and/or CBD/low-THC indicated they did so ‘to reduce stress’ or ‘to relax’.
Participants from the Western Balkans, reported similar motivations for drug use. Around 84 % of the respondents who reported MDMA/ecstasy use, and over 50 % who reported the use of cocaine powder, amphetamine, ketamine and/or crack cocaine, stated that they had used these drugs ‘to get high/for fun’. Over 65 % of those reporting use of cannabis and/or CBD/low-THC, stated that that they had used these substances ‘to reduce stress’ or ‘to relax’. Although numbers were very low, around half of respondents who reported heroin use in this region cited ‘dependence’ as their main motivation.
Settings: most drug use occurs at home
Most of the substances covered in the survey — cannabis, amphetamine, methamphetamine, heroin, NPS, and ketamine — were reported to be consumed at home. However, there were notable exceptions. The majority of survey participants who reported using MDMA/ecstasy did so at music festivals or parties (79 % in the EU-24 and Norway, 81 % in the Western Balkans), while cocaine powder was primarily used in bars or clubs (68 % and 71 %, respectively).
EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel says: ‘Web surveys are a key contributor to our monitoring of Europe’s drugs problem, offering timely insights to strengthen our preparedness. These surveys help us reach a vast audience through diverse channels, with social media playing a crucial role. Today’s results reveal the wide variety of drugs available across Europe and provide valuable information on emerging trends and changing patterns of use. An impressive 100 organisations joined us this time in building, translating and disseminating the survey, establishing this as an invaluable tool to help tailor our responses and inform future drug policies.’
The data presented today refer to a self-selected sample who have used at least one illicit drug in the 12 months prior to the survey. While web surveys are not representative of the general population, when carefully conducted and combined with traditional data-collection methods, they can help paint a more detailed, realistic and timely picture of drug use and drug markets in Europe.
Notes
(1) See European Web Survey on Drugs 2024 webpage. Country recruitment strategies consisted of a mixture of social media campaigns, press releases and contacts with drug-related networks.
(2) See factsheets: EU-24 + Norway and Western Balkans. The 24 EU participating countries were: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. A third factsheet covers Methodology and includes four additional partners (Switzerland, Lebanon, Palestine**, Ukraine), bringing the total number of participants to 67 071. Over 80 % of the total number of participants learned about the survey via social media.
* Kosovo: This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
** Palestine: This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
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Source – EUDA