Deaths by medical end-of-life decision; age, cause of death
| Age | Cause of death | Periods | Total deaths (number) | Without end-of-life decision Sudden and unexpected death (number) | Without end-of-life decision Not sudden and unexpected death (number) | With end-of-life decision Withholding medic.treatm.hastening death (number) | With end-of-life decision Explicit intention of hastening death Total explicit intention of hastening .. (number) | With end-of-life decision Explicit intention of hastening death Euthanasia (number) | With end-of-life decision Explicit intention of hastening death Assisted suicide (number) | With end-of-life decision Explicit intention of hastening death Ending of life without explicit request (number) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Total causes of death | 2021 | 170,972 | 22,195 | 57,073 | 20,640 | 9,799 | 9,038 | 245 | 517 |
| Total | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | 440 | 92 | 98 | 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 67,590 | 10,125 | 21,410 | 10,426 | 1,782 | 1,590 | 76 | 116 |
| 0 year | Total causes of death | 2021 | 595 | 111 | 143 | 200 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 0 year | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | 440 | 92 | 98 | 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 year | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | ||||||||
| 1 to 16 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 278 | 130 | 53 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | ||||||||
| 1 to 16 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 178 | 87 | 28 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 to 64 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 22,721 | 5,068 | 6,122 | 2,635 | 1,809 | 1,660 | 0 | 148 |
| 17 to 64 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | ||||||||
| 17 to 64 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 6,590 | 2,163 | 1,532 | 1,230 | 272 | 272 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 54,916 | 7,856 | 17,898 | 6,512 | 5,072 | 4,708 | 200 | 164 |
| 65 to 79 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | ||||||||
| 65 to 79 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 17,070 | 3,697 | 4,566 | 2,680 | 704 | 644 | 31 | 29 |
| 80 years or older | Total causes of death | 2021 | 92,366 | 9,030 | 32,856 | 11,237 | 2,913 | 2,669 | 45 | 198 |
| 80 years or older | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | ||||||||
| 80 years or older | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 43,753 | 4,178 | 15,284 | 6,469 | 805 | 673 | 45 | 87 |
| Source: CBS. | ||||||||||
Dataset is not available.
The survey of medical end-of-life decisions presents information on medical end-of-life decisions by attending physicians. For this survey, a random sample is taken from death certificates at Statistics Netherlands on persons listed in the Dutch population register who died in the months August to November inclusive of the survey year. The sample is raised to an annual figure.
This table concerns deaths by medical end-of-life decisions, cause of death and age.
Data available from: 2010, 2015 and 2021
Status of the figures:
All data are definite.
Changes as of 26 May 2023:
- Figures for 2021 have been added.
- In 2021, there were 96 deceased persons with unknown 'medical end-of-life'. These were only added to the total. The underlying numbers therefore do not add up to the total.
When will new figures be published?
The survey takes place every five years. In 2020, the survey was postponed by one year due to the high workload in the healthcare sector on account of COVID-19. As a result, there is a one-off six-year interval between 2015 and 2021.
Description topics
- Total deaths
- Total number of deaths
The weighting for 2021 was done when the final figures had not yet been established. As a result, there are 96 deaths with unknown 'medical end-of-life decision' in 2021. The total matches the figures in other StatLine tables on causes of death. The underlying categories of this survey do not exactly add up to the total for 2021. - Without end-of-life decision
- Sudden and unexpected death
- A person’s sudden and unexpected death which is assumed not to have involved any medical end-of-life decision.
- Not sudden and unexpected death
- With end-of-life decision
- Withholding medic.treatm.hastening death
- Withholding or withdrawing medical treatment with the explicit intention of hastening death
- Explicit intention of hastening death
- Administering, supplying, or prescribing drugs with the explicit intention of hastening death, resulting in the patient’s death
- Total explicit intention of hastening ..
- Total administering, supplying, or prescribing drugs with the explicit intention of hastening death, resulting in the patient’s death
- Euthanasia
- Assisted suicide
- Ending of life without explicit request
- Ending of life without explicit patient request