In Germany a total of 106 people under the age of 20 died in drug-related circumstances in 2025. Their number has nearly doubled since 2021. A report by Bayerischer Rundfunk on 11 November 2026 examines the risks facing young people who use drugs in particular.
The nationwide figures had already been presented by the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, Hendrik Streeck, on 7 July 2026. According to the figures, a total of 2,150 drug-related deaths were recorded in 2025. Of those who died, 528 were under 30. In this age group, the figure was 52.6 per cent higher than in 2021.
The statistics record deaths connected with drug use. They alone do not show how many young people use drugs or are dependent on them overall. Nor does the death toll, on its own, indicate how drug use has changed across the age group as a whole.
One particular risk is mixing substances. According to figures published in July, 81.5 per cent of all recorded drug-related deaths were connected with the use of multiple substances. Citing the Bundeskriminalamt, Bayerischer Rundfunk reports that mixing substances was also the most common cause of drug-related death among under-20s. Combining different drugs or taking alcohol as well can have fatal consequences.
Streeck noted that medicines were also often involved in the deaths of young drug users. Those mentioned included benzodiazepines and opioid-based painkillers. This does not mean that any one medicine was solely responsible for an individual death; in many cases, several substances had been taken.
The report follows, among others, a 22-year-old receiving treatment for his dependency. He says that at parties he took several drugs at the same time and mixed them with alcohol. His case illustrates the risks, but is not representative of all young people’s drug use.
The The Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner also warned in July about counterfeit medicines and high-risk mixtures offered online. He called for more Prevention and earlier help, as well as sufficient detoxification and treatment places for young people. His demands and the annual figures date from July; the current occasion is the renewed attention to the subject prompted by the radio report.
Editor: Clara Simonichek (Article created with AI assistance).