In 2025, 4,486 euthanasia registration documents were received and reviewed by the Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia , marking a 12.4% increase compared with 2024. Euthanasia accounted for 4% of all deaths recorded in Belgium in 2025, , compared to 3.6% in 2024 (source: StatBel, 26.02.2026).
3,379 registration documents were written in Dutch and 1,107 in French. The increase in the number of registration documents written in French (16.6%) is proportionally higher than that of Dutch-language documents (11.1%). Nevertheless, there remains a significant gap between Dutch-language documents (75.3%) and French-language documents (24.7%).
Most patients concerned were over 70 (73.7 %), of which 45 % were over 80. Euthanasia in patients under the age of 40 remained rare (1.4%).
One euthanasia case involving a minor patient was declared in 2025, bringing the total number of cases to seven since the extension of the law to minors in 2014.
As for the locations where euthanasia is performed, most continue to take place at the patient’s place of residence (67.1% in total—home, including assisted-living flats, service flats, and nursing homes combined), confirming patients' tendency to wish to remain in a familiar environment. The proportion of euthanasia cases carried out in nursing homes shows a slight increase (18.6%, one point more than in 2024). A slight decrease is observed in euthanasia carried out at home (48.5%, versus 50.4% in 2024). The percentage of euthanasia carried out in hospitals remains stable (30.9%, including 6.4% in palliative care units).
The main pathologies that prompted requests for euthanasia remained as follows:
- Cancers (49.9% of cases), proportionally decreasing (-4.2% compared with 2024).
- Polypathologies (29.6%) – continuing to increase (+2.7% compared with 2024).
- Neurological diseases (8.2%) – stable.
- Respiratory diseases (3.3%) and cardiac diseases (2.4%) – stable.
Euthanasia for psychiatric conditions (1.6%) and cognitive disorders remain rare (1.7%), although there is a slight increase compared with 2024 (1.4%).
In 75.1% of cases, death was expected in the short term. Euthanasia for patients for whom death was not expected in the short term continues to increase (1,117 cases in 2025, compared to 932 in 2024), mainly for patients affected by polypathologies.
Regarding suffering:
- 86% of patients were experiencing both physical and psychological suffering (compared with 82.3% in 2024).
- 12.1% were experiencing physical suffering only. (compared to 15.8% in 2024).
- 1.9% were experiencing psychological suffering only. (same proportion as 2024).
Note: psychological suffering should not be confused with psychiatric conditions. It may also be caused by a somatic disease: for example, in the case of cancer, pain may be adequately relieved by treatment whereas psychological suffering related to loss of autonomy or dignity may persist.
Thiopental (49.9%) and propofol (49.5%) remain the two most used anaesthetic products, although doctors continue to mention logistical difficulties linked to the use of thiopental (it is expensive, non-refundable and packaged in boxes of 10 doses).
General practitioners are the primary representatives of patients who want to request euthanasia and are the main practitioners who carry out the procedure.
The number of euthanasia cases carried out on the basis of an advance declaration of euthanasia continues to decline compared with 2024 (6 cases in 2025 versus 9 in 2024 and 19 in 2023).
The Commission highlighted that the registration documents received met the essential requirements of the law:
- Voluntary, considered and repeated request made without external pressure.
- Serious and incurable medical condition, where the patient is in a medical situation without a medical solution.
- Constant, unrelievable and unbearable suffering caused by this condition.
No cases were forwarded to the Public Prosecutor.
The detailed figures for 2025 are available below.
