European Drug Report 2026: Trends and Developments

The European Drug Report 2026: Trends and Developments presents the European Union Drugs Agency’s latest analysis of drug use, related health harms, treatment, harm reduction and drug supply in Europe. Drawing on information from EU Member States, Norway and Türkiye, it reviews developments up to the end of 2025, although many annual national datasets relate to 2024.

The report finds that drug availability remains high across all substance types, with markets becoming more complex as established drugs intersect with new psychoactive substances, high-potency products, drug mixtures, and diverted or falsified medicines. It highlights particular concern about potent synthetic opioids: in 2024, ten countries detected more than 50,000 tablets containing nitazenes, compared with just 380 in 2022.

Although an estimated 505,000 people in the European Union received opioid agonist treatment in 2024, provision remains below minimum levels recommended by the World Health Organization in some countries. Take-home naloxone programmes were available in 19 European countries by 2025, but access to needle and syringe programmes, drug checking, drug consumption rooms and services in prisons continues to vary considerably.