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Deaths as a result of drug overdoses in Portugal amounted to ** in 2019, which is the second highest number of annual deaths reported in the provided time interval. In 2011, drug deaths fell to only **, before reaching ** just four years later. In 2020, drug-induced deaths were counted at **. In 2021, there were ** deaths by overdose, the highest value recorded.

Low death rate compared to Europe

When compared with the rest of Europe, Portugal has a fairly low incidence of drug deaths. A rate of ** drug deaths per million population (pmp) means that Portugal only had a higher drug death rate than a few countries in the continent, and a significantly lower rate than the ** deaths pmp in Norway, which is the highest in Europe. In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize the consumption of drugs. The low amount of drug deaths in Portugal is usually attributed to this policy of decriminalization.

Breakdown of drugs consumed

The class of drugs that caused the highest share of individuals seeking treatment in Portugal, in 2021, were cannabis, with approximately ** percent of Portuguese drug treatment entrants seeking treatment primarily due to the use of this drug class. With a slightly lower share, opioids caused **** percent of drug treatment entries in Portugal. In 2022, Portugal had approximately * individuals in opioid substitution treatment, which was the sixth-highest in Europe.