Nation Euthanized Over 1,000 For Insane Reasons

Doctor consulting a patient at a desk — Photo: Branislav Nenin / Shutterstock

Belgium reported 1,117 euthanasia deaths in 2025 for people not expected to die soon, and that single fact now defines the country’s debate.

Story Snapshot

Officials logged 4,486 euthanasia cases in 2025, about 4% of all deaths.
Cases where death was not expected in the short term rose to 1,117, up from 932.
Psychiatric illness as the main diagnosis accounted for 1.6% of cases.
Polypathology led all diagnoses at 29.6%, often linked to non-short-term cases.

The Numbers That Moved The Debate

Belgium’s review commission reported 4,486 euthanasia cases in 2025, a 12.4% jump from 2024, and now about four in every hundred deaths in the country. The sharpest flashpoint is a subset: 1,117 people whose deaths were not expected soon. That group grew by almost 20% year over year. Supporters see steady reporting and clear rules. Critics see a shift from “last resort at life’s end” toward a broader answer to long-term suffering.

The same report shows how the cases break down. Polypathology, which means a cluster of chronic conditions, is the largest group at 29.6%. Officials state the non-short-term cases happened mainly among people with multiple chronic problems. Psychiatric illness as the principal diagnosis is 1.6% of cases, which is small but present and shows a live pathway in law and practice.

Psychiatric Case Rules And What They Promise

Belgium’s law allows euthanasia for constant, unbearable suffering from a serious and incurable condition, including psychiatric illness, when a competent adult makes a voluntary, repeated, well-considered request. The published framework requires two independent physicians, one a psychiatrist, plus at least a one-month wait in psychiatric cases. Advocates frame this as a balance between choice and protection. On paper, that structure aims to stop rash or pressured decisions.

Two other facts shape public reaction. First, officials say 86% of patients reported both physical and psychological suffering, while 1.9% reported only psychological suffering. Second, officials warn that “psychological suffering only” is not the same as a psychiatric disorder, which matters for how people read the numbers. These details undercut claims that the 1,117 non-short-term cases were mainly psychiatric. The data point to chronic, compound illness as the core driver.

What The 1,117 Figure Really Means

The headline “not expected to die soon” pulls many reactions at once. For some, it means medicine is ending lives far from the deathbed. For others, it means long-haul disease and disability can bring suffering as grave as late-stage cancer. The evidence here is aggregate, not case files. The commission’s role is to collect, review, and publish. The totals prove volume and trend. They do not prove failures of consent or assessment in any specific case.

Precision matters. It is wrong to equate all 1,117 non-short-term cases with psychiatric euthanasia. The record shows psychiatric illness at 1.6% of all cases and highlights polypathology as the leading category tied to longer timelines. A message built on that mix holds up to scrutiny. A message that blurs those lines gets picked apart fast, and then the larger concern about normalizing death loses force.

Common-Sense Questions Policymakers Should Press

Lawmakers and medical leaders should ask for anonymized case-level data on the 1,117. Diagnoses, ages, disability status, treatment history, and consultation timing would clarify whether growth reflects broader eligibility use, better reporting, or shifts in patient mix. An audit of psychiatric cases could confirm whether the extra safeguards—psychiatrist involvement, joint opinions, and proof that reasonable treatments failed—were followed every time. That is the only way to move from debate to verification.

Belgian euthanasia deaths
📈2003: 259
📈2023: 3,423
📈2025: 4,487 (↑31% in just two years)
📉Only 2020 (Covid) saw a year-on-year fall

2025
🇧🇪2 U18s
🇧🇪15 by “advance request” (no longer competent)
🇧🇪129 with mental illnesses (only 9 of those euthanised by psychiatrists)
🇧🇪63.5%…

— Care Not Killing (@CNKAlliance) October 13, 2026

American conservative readers will see two core tests. First, does the system protect the vulnerable, especially those with disability, dementia, or poor access to care? Second, does the state’s message nudge people toward death instead of treatment and community support? Belgium’s totals do not answer those tests on their own. They are a signal, not a verdict. Transparency, independent checks, and real palliative options are the hard guardrails worthy of bipartisan support.