Cases of euthanasia in Belgium have reached yet another record high, with 3,991 people opting to end their life in this way in the country.
The number of cases has risen almost every year, since legalisation of the practice in 2002.
Euthanasia now accounts for 3.6% of all deaths in Belgium.
The vast majority of those undergoing the procedure were aged 70 and over, with over half suffering some form of cancer. Nearly half (43%) of those opting to end their own lives were 80 years old or over.
Belgium also permits minors to undergo assisted suicide, although this remains a rarity. Last year one minor was euthanised, bringing the total number of minors killed in this way to six. The law permitting euthanasia was extended to minors in 2014.
More than three quarters of those undergoing euthanasia were terminally ill. More than 80% said that physical and psychological suffering were a cause for their decision, with the rest experiencing only physical pain or, very rarely, just psychological suffering.
Less than 1% of those killed via euthanasia were from abroad. Of the 120 foreigners who underwent the process last year, nearly all were French or Belgians living abroad. There were however also two people each from the Netherlands and Germany, and one person each from Spain, Hungary, Portugal and England.
2024 was the first year for which statistics were kept for foreigners being euthanised. As such it is difficult to get a clear picture of the trend in this area, however some experts believe that the numbers are increasing.
According to the Belga News Agency, Wims Distelmans, a professor of palliative care at the Federal Control and Evaluation Commission on Euthanasia (FCCE), said that the number of patients coming to Belgium for euthanasia from abroad is "progressively increasing”.
The British Parliament is currently considering liberalising the law on assisted dying. Critics of the proposed bill are concerned that there are not enough safeguards to protect seriously ill or vulnerable people from being pressured into ending their own lives.
