Drug And Pharmaceutical-Related Fatalities Reach An All-Time High

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Iceland saw a total of 56 pharmaceutical-related deaths in 2023, reports Vísir, citing data from the Directorate of Health. That is the highest number ever recorded.

The statistics, published on the Directorate of Health’s website, show that 15 of the 56 deaths were suicides or intentional self-poisonings.

“Compared to the largest categories of causes of death, pharmaceutical-related deaths are few in Iceland,” the Directorate of Health statement reads. “The population is small, and minor changes in the number of pharmaceutical-related deaths inevitably cause some fluctuations in mortality rates.”

The data shows that the average rate of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants has increased from 9.0 in the years 2014-2018 to 11.3 in 2019-2023.

There were 56 deaths in 2023, up from 35 in 2022. The numbers were 47 in 2021, 37 in 2020, and 30 in 2019.

“When last year’s figures are examined by gender, pharmaceutical-related deaths were higher among men (35) than women (21),” the Directorate said. “Pharmaceutical-related deaths were most frequent in the 18-29 (15) and 30-44 (23) age groups. Of the 56 pharmaceutical-related deaths in 2023, 34 were due to opioid poisonings and 22 were due to poisonings from other addictive drugs and medications.”