Finland recorded 333 drug-related deaths in 2025, the highest annual total since records began, according to Statistics Finland. The figure represents a 35 percent increase from 2024 and continues a troubling rise in drug-related mortality across the country.
The statistics, published on Thursday, show that drug-related deaths have increased substantially over the past two decades. Finland recorded 138 such deaths in 2006, while the annual total has exceeded 300 in every year of the 2020s so far.
According to Kati Taskinen of Statistics Finland, deaths increased across all age groups in 2025, with particularly sharp rises among younger people.
A total of 64 people aged between 15 and 24 died from drug-related causes last year, representing a 60 percent increase compared with 2024. Statistics Finland noted that drugs account for a significant share of deaths among young people, partly because mortality from other causes is generally low in this age group.
People aged 25 to 34 recorded the highest number of drug-related deaths, with 85 fatalities in 2025. That was 12 more than in the previous year, highlighting the continuing impact of drug-related mortality among young adults.
The figures also revealed a substantial increase in deaths among women. A total of 94 women died from drug-related causes in 2025, an increase of 44 from the previous year. Statistics Finland described the figure as the highest recorded in the history of its drug-death statistics.
The rise was not evenly distributed across Finland, with considerable differences between regions. Helsinki recorded the highest number of drug-related deaths, at 58, followed by Pirkanmaa with 30, Southwest Finland with 28 and North Ostrobothnia with 25.
However, the picture changes when the figures are measured against population size. Päijät-Häme recorded Finland’s highest drug-related mortality rate, with 9.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. This distinction between total deaths and population-adjusted rates shows why regional comparisons require more than a simple count of fatalities.
The 2025 figures point to a worsening drug-death situation in Finland, particularly among people under 25 and women. With annual deaths remaining above 300 throughout the decade so far, the latest statistics provide a stark indication of the scale of the country’s ongoing public health challenge.
