Diverse national substance use trends among school students
Monitoring substance use among students provides an important insight into current youth risk behaviours and potential future trends. In 2015, the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted the sixth round of data collection since its inception in 1995. The latest survey collected comparable data on substance use among 15- to 16-year-old students from 35 European countries, including 23 EU Member States and Norway. Among students in these 24 countries, on average, 18 % reported having used cannabis at least once (lifetime prevalence), with the highest levels reported by the Czech Republic (37 %) and France (31 %). Use of the drug in the last 30 days ranged from 2 % in Sweden, Finland and Norway to 17 % in France, with an average of 8 % across the 24 countries. Gender differences varied across Europe, with the ratio of boys to girls among lifetime cannabis users ranging from parity in the Czech Republic and Malta to 2.5 boys to each girl in Norway.
Substance use among 15- to 16-year-old European school students (2015 ESPAD)
Last month cannabis use by gender
6 %
9 %
Frequency of cannabis use in the last month
Use of substances (percentages)
Based on data for the 23 EU Member States and Norway that participated in the 2015 round of ESPAD.
The use of illicit drugs other than cannabis was far lower, with an overall lifetime prevalence of 5 %. The most frequently used illicit drugs after cannabis were MDMA/ecstasy, amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine and LSD or other hallucinogens, each reported by 2 % of students. In addition, lifetime use of new psychoactive substances was reported by 4 % of students, with the highest rates in Estonia and Poland (10 % each).
Among the 22 countries with sufficient data for analysis (21 EU Member States and Norway), overall trends in last month cannabis prevalence peaked in 2003 and slightly decreased in subsequent surveys. Between the most recent surveys, 2011 and 2015, prevalence of both lifetime and last month cannabis use was stable for most of these countries. Since 1995, the lifetime prevalence of use of illicit drugs other than cannabis has remained largely unchanged, with a slight decrease between 2011 and 2015.
Lifetime use of new psychoactive substances was reported by 4 % of students
Trends in last month prevalence of heavy episodic drinking, cigarette use and cannabis use among 15- to 16-year-old European school students
Based on the 21 EU Member States and Norway that have participated in at least four rounds of ESPAD.