International Statistics

There is an overwhelming trend to reject euthanasia and assisted suicide.

During the past three years only seven jurisdictions legalised these practices. However, during the same period 30 jurisdictions saw bills defeated or stalled due to lack of support: the UK (2015), Scotland (2015), New South Wales (2017), Tasmania (2017), and 26 US state legislatures. Courts ruled to uphold assisted suicide laws in New York (2017), the UK (2017),  South Africa (2016) and New Zealand (2015).

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal worldwide except in 6% of jurisdictions. Of the around 196 countries in the world and 50 US states, only 14 have legalised some form of ‘assisted dying’.

Euthanasia has been decriminalised in only the Netherlands (2002), Belgium (2002), Luxembourg (2009), Columbia (2015), Canada (2016), and Victoria, Australia (2017).

Assisted suicide is legal in only Switzerland (1942), Germany (2015) and the US states of Oregon (1997), Washington (2008), Vermont (2013), California (2015), Colorado (2016) and Washington DC (2016, but could be overturned).