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Where Ireland ranks among Europe’s biggest cocaine users

Published 16:28 16 Jun 2026 BST

Updated 16:28 16 Jun 2026 BST

Harry Warner
Where Ireland ranks among Europe’s biggest cocaine users

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The biggest consumers have been revealed

The 2026 European Drug Report has been released, providing a comprehensive overview of Europe's drug habits.

Included in this ranking was a top 5 of the heaviest cocaine users in Europe, and Ireland does make it into one of the top spots.

Meanwhile, for those wondering where the UK ranked on the list, it's a bit hard to know thanks to the fact the country is no longer in the EU and therefore no longer participates in the European Drug Report.

However, thanks to data from Priory, we can see where the UK compares to its mainland neighbours.

As per data from Priory, the UK would rank outside of the top five, although it must be noted that different methodologies were used in the data collection and this number only reflects powder cocaine usage.

It said said 2.1% of adults in the 12 months before the study had taken cocaine.

Meanwhile, Ireland ranked in fifth place on the list with 2.4% of adults taking cocaine in the last 12 months before the study was published.

Top 5 for prevalence of users last year:

  1. Norway - 2.9%
  2. The Netherlands - 2.9%
  3. France - 2.7%
  4. Spain - 2.5%
  5. Ireland - 2.4%

Bottom Three:

  • Portugal - 0.2%
  • Hungary - 0.1%
  • Turkey - 0.1%

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