Norway cocaine use has reached the highest reported level in Europe among young adults, according to the European Union Drugs Agency’s 2026 report, with 5.6% of people aged 16 to 34 saying they had used cocaine in the previous 12 months.
The figure, based on 2024 data submitted to the EUDA, places Norway ahead of the Netherlands, Ireland, Estonia, France and Denmark. It also marks a sharp increase from 4% the previous year and from 1.3% in 2016, according to data reported by Danish broadcaster DR from the agency’s latest assessment.
Norway cocaine use rises to the top of the European table
The EUDA’s latest European Drug Report describes cocaine as the second most commonly used illicit drug in Europe after cannabis, while stressing that prevalence and patterns of use differ significantly between countries.
In the young adult category, Norway now reports the highest recent-use rate among the countries included in the comparison. The top ten list is led by Norway at 5.6%, followed by the Netherlands at 5.3%, Ireland at 5%, Estonia at 4.6%, France at 4.4%, Denmark at 4.2%, Spain and Finland at 3.1%, Sweden at 2.8% and Belgium at 2.2%.
The comparison comes with methodological differences. For Norway, Denmark and Estonia, the age group used is 16 to 34, while several other countries use 15 to 34 or other nearby age ranges. The EUDA notes that the estimates are based on general population surveys submitted by national focal points, meaning that cross-country rankings should be read as a policy signal rather than a perfectly uniform measurement.
A Nordic trend beyond nightlife stereotypes
The Norwegian figure challenges a common image of cocaine use as a mainly recreational habit among wealthy urban partygoers. Anne Line Bretteville-Jensen, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet), told NRK that media coverage often portrays rich young people using cocaine to stay awake and party longer. But she said surveys also point to another group: heavy users who may also have problematic use of other substances.
That distinction matters for public policy. A rise in reported cocaine use among young adults can reflect different social realities at the same time: recreational use in nightlife settings, more regular use among vulnerable groups, and overlapping patterns of substance use that require treatment and harm-reduction responses.
Norway is not alone in the Nordic region. Denmark ranks sixth in the European comparison, while Finland and Sweden are also in the top ten. The figures suggest that cocaine use in the Nordic countries can no longer be treated as a marginal issue limited to specific urban scenes.
Cocaine deaths add pressure on Norway’s public health response
The EUDA report also points to increasing harms connected to cocaine across Europe. According to DR’s summary of the data, Norway recorded 15 deaths in 2024 where cocaine alone was identified as the cause, placing it third in Europe behind France and Slovenia.
At the European level, the agency says cocaine use remains high, with around 4.3 million adults aged 15 to 64 having used it in the last year. It also reports rising treatment demand, cocaine involvement in more than a quarter of drug-induced deaths in available 2024 data, and growing concern over crack cocaine in several European cities.
For Norway, the data arrive during a broader debate on drug policy. The country has maintained prohibition while moving toward a stronger focus on prevention, treatment and harm reduction. A Norwegian-Finnish resolution adopted at the United Nations in March 2026 called for more integrated, evidence-based and public health-oriented responses to drug use.
Trafficking routes are changing as cocaine remains widely available
The EUDA links rising cocaine harms to a resilient supply chain. While the quantity of cocaine seized in the European Union fell from 419 tonnes in 2023 to 330 tonnes in 2024, the number of seizures rose to 97,000. The agency says this may indicate a shift toward smaller and more fragmented shipments, as trafficking networks adapt to stronger law enforcement in major European ports.
The agency also warns that high-purity drugs and new synthetic substances are creating additional risks for users, sometimes without their knowledge. EUDA Executive Director Lorraine Nolan said the increased availability of potent substances raises the risk that people may consume high-strength drugs unintentionally.
For Nordic countries, the issue connects public health, youth policy and organised crime. The rise in young adults’ cocaine use in Norway does not necessarily mean that one social group is driving the increase. It does show that cocaine has become more visible, more available and more relevant to health and security policy across Europe.
