Introduction
This publication summarises the key findings from the 8th round of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), which was conducted among 113 882 students aged 15- to 16-year-old, across 37 European countries in 2024. This edition marks 30 years of monitoring adolescent risky behaviours across Europe and introduces a new focus on mental well-being and prevention activities, recognising the growing importance of these factors in shaping adolescent health outcomes.
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Table of contents
- Preface
- List of authors
- Summary
- Introduction
- Background
- The 2024 ESPAD Report
- ESPAD Data Portal
- ESPAD’s commitment to open data
- Methodology
- ESPAD 2024
- Analysis
- Trend analysis
- Reporting
- The situation in 2024
- Perceived availability of substances
- Early onset of substance use
- Cigarette use
- Electronic cigarette use
- Alcohol use
- Illicit drug use
- Other substance use
- Patterns of current use
- Gambling for money
- Gaming and social media use
- Mental well-being and prevention
- Trends 1995–2024
- Trends across 32 countries
- Country-specific trends
- Limitations
- Discussion and conclusions
- A decline in cannabis use: a European trend with notable exceptions
- Nicotine use: transition and technological appeal
- Non-medical pharmaceuticals use: the possible interplay between recreational use and self-management of psychosocial distress
- Digitalisation of risk: gaming, social media and gambling
- Alcohol: new consumption patterns and regional gaps
- Mental well-being: a neglected determinant
- Prevention: mapping adolescent engagement across Europe
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- Collaborating persons
- Funding agencies and supporting organisations
- References
- Scientific literature based on ESPAD data
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