Characteristics of deaths in Belgium officially reported as euthanasia, relative to all deaths, 2003–2013*
| Characteristic | Year; euthanasia cases as % of all deaths† | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Total no. of deaths | 107 039 | 101 946 | 103 278 | 101 587 | 102 060 | 104 587 | 104 509 | 105 094 | 104 247 | 109 034 | 109 295 |
| Incidence of euthanasia per 100 000 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 13.0 | 16.3 |
| Overall | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Sex | |||||||||||
| Male | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Female | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Age, yr | |||||||||||
| 18–59 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| 60–79 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| ≥ 80 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Diagnosis | |||||||||||
| Cancer | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
| Other than cancer | < 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Place of death | |||||||||||
| Home | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.1 |
| Hospital | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Nursing home | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Other | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
↵* Data on the number of deaths were obtained from Statistics Belgium. Data for 2002 were excluded from analysis because the euthanasia law came into force on Sept. 23, 2002,15 and data for 2002 thus represent less than an entire year. A total of 24 cases were reported from Sept. 23 to Dec. 31, 2002.
↵† Except where indicated otherwise.