Deaths by medical end-of-life decision; age, cause of death
| Age | Cause of death | Periods | Without end-of-life decision Total without end-of-life decision (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 Total with end-of-life decision (number) | With end-of-life decision Withhold.medic.treatm.possible hasteni.. (number) | With end-of-life decision Intensifying measures, possible hasten.. (number) | With end-of-life decision Intensifying measures, partly intendin.. (number) | With end-of-life decision Withholding medic.treatm.hastening death (number) | With end-of-life decision Explicit intention of hastening death Ending of life without explicit request (number) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Total causes of death | 2021 | 79,268 | 22,195 | 57,073 | 91,608 | 9,931 | 48,580 | 2,657 | 20,640 | 517 |
| Total | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | 63 | 19 | 44 | 92 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 6 |
| Total | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | 190 | 92 | 98 | 250 | 65 | 56 | 0 | 129 | 0 |
| Total | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | 16,379 | 1,127 | 15,252 | 28,608 | 1,592 | 16,746 | 993 | 3,327 | 168 |
| Total | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | 17,164 | 7,827 | 9,337 | 11,184 | 1,940 | 5,789 | 409 | 2,497 | 115 |
| Total | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | 4,706 | 615 | 4,091 | 5,622 | 608 | 2,865 | 161 | 1,557 | 0 |
| Total | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | 7,416 | 1,297 | 6,119 | 9,751 | 1,336 | 4,591 | 151 | 2,593 | 111 |
| Total | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | 1,815 | 1,094 | 720 | 45 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Total | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 31,535 | 10,125 | 21,410 | 36,055 | 4,375 | 18,531 | 942 | 10,426 | 116 |
| 0 year | Total causes of death | 2021 | 254 | 111 | 143 | 341 | 80 | 56 | 0 | 200 | 6 |
| 0 year | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | 63 | 19 | 44 | 92 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 6 |
| 0 year | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | 190 | 92 | 98 | 250 | 65 | 56 | 0 | 129 | 0 |
| 0 year | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 0 year | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | |||||||||
| 0 year | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 0 year | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 0 year | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 0 year | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 1 to 16 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 183 | 130 | 53 | 95 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 57 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 1 to 16 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 1 to 16 years | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 16 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 115 | 87 | 28 | 63 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| 17 to 64 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 11,191 | 5,068 | 6,122 | 11,530 | 730 | 6,153 | 203 | 2,635 | 148 |
| 17 to 64 years | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 17 to 64 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 17 to 64 years | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | 3,052 | 330 | 2,722 | 5,911 | 189 | 4,043 | 203 | 453 | 33 |
| 17 to 64 years | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | 2,475 | 1,572 | 903 | 1,032 | 252 | 101 | 0 | 420 | 115 |
| 17 to 64 years | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | 319 | 91 | 227 | 872 | 10 | 541 | 0 | 240 | 0 |
| 17 to 64 years | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | 414 | 206 | 208 | 780 | 237 | 119 | 0 | 250 | 0 |
| 17 to 64 years | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | 1,235 | 705 | 530 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| 17 to 64 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 3,695 | 2,163 | 1,532 | 2,894 | 43 | 1,349 | 0 | 1,230 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Total causes of death | 2021 | 25,754 | 7,856 | 17,898 | 29,162 | 2,049 | 14,492 | 1,038 | 6,512 | 164 |
| 65 to 79 years | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 65 to 79 years | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 65 to 79 years | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | 7,645 | 475 | 7,170 | 13,546 | 604 | 7,547 | 484 | 1,336 | 135 |
| 65 to 79 years | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | 6,085 | 2,741 | 3,344 | 2,732 | 348 | 1,123 | 97 | 1,083 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | 1,821 | 249 | 1,572 | 1,648 | 206 | 802 | 0 | 474 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | 1,527 | 413 | 1,114 | 2,424 | 117 | 732 | 91 | 939 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | 413 | 281 | 132 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 to 79 years | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 8,263 | 3,697 | 4,566 | 8,808 | 774 | 4,284 | 366 | 2,680 | 29 |
| 80 years or older | Total causes of death | 2021 | 41,886 | 9,030 | 32,856 | 50,480 | 7,069 | 27,846 | 1,416 | 11,237 | 198 |
| 80 years or older | Congenital anomalies (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 80 years or older | Other/unknown causes of death (age zero) | 2021 | |||||||||
| 80 years or older | Malignant neoplasms (>0 years) | 2021 | 5,665 | 319 | 5,346 | 9,137 | 799 | 5,141 | 306 | 1,538 | 0 |
| 80 years or older | Diseases circulatory syst.excl.CVA (>0.. | 2021 | 8,604 | 3,513 | 5,091 | 7,420 | 1,340 | 4,565 | 312 | 994 | 0 |
| 80 years or older | Diseases respiratory system (>0 years) | 2021 | 2,549 | 257 | 2,292 | 3,102 | 393 | 1,522 | 161 | 842 | 0 |
| 80 years or older | Diseases nervous syst.incl.CVA (>0 yrs) | 2021 | 5,460 | 676 | 4,784 | 6,530 | 983 | 3,732 | 60 | 1,393 | 111 |
| 80 years or older | Suicide (>0 years) | 2021 | 147 | 88 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 years or older | Other/unknown causes of death (>0 years) | 2021 | 19,462 | 4,178 | 15,284 | 24,291 | 3,554 | 12,886 | 576 | 6,469 | 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
- Without end-of-life decision
- Total 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
- Total with end-of-life decision
- Withhold.medic.treatm.possible hasteni..
- Withholding or withdrawing medical treatment while taking into account the possible hastening of death
- Intensifying measures, possible hasten..
- Intensifying measures to alleviate pain or other symptoms while taking into account the possible hastening of death
- Intensifying measures, partly intendin..
- Intensifying measures to alleviate pain or other symptoms while partly intending the possible hastening of death
- 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
- Ending of life without explicit request
- Ending of life without explicit patient request