Germany: ‘shock’ rise in drug deaths

The number of drug-related deaths remains at a record high in Germany. And the victims are getting younger. Many deaths are related to new and increasingly dangerous substances such as synthetic opioids. In 2025, 2,150 people died as a result of taking drugs. Roughly 1 in 4 were under 30 (528), up 53% from 2021, and 106 were under 20, almost double the number in 2021.