The WFRTDS Factbook
The facts on assisted dying, country by country: who can ask and what the law requires, with a short history of each law.
Find a country.
Filter by where the law stands or by region, or search for a country. Each profile sets out who is eligible and what the law requires, with a short history.
20 profiles
-
Pacific
AustraliaEvery state and territory has passed a voluntary assisted dying law. The Northern Territory's, passed in August 2026, is expected to take effect in 2028.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Terminal (6–12 months; none in ACT)
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
Europe
AustriaAssisted suicide legalized following a court ruling.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Terminal/Serious
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
Europe
BelgiumEuthanasia has been legal for adults since 2002 and, under stricter conditions, for minors since 2014.
- Who can ask
- Adults; minors with safeguards
- Condition
- Physical or Mental
- Residency
- None in law; Belgian doctor needed
-
North America
CanadaFederal law (MAiD) allows assisted dying for eligible adults.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Grievous & Irremediable
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
South America
ColombiaFirst Latin American country to decriminalize via court ruling.
- Who can ask
- Adults/Adolescents
- Condition
- Unbearable Suffering
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
North America
CubaLaw passed in 2023 and published in 2026. The regulations to apply it are still being developed.
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Terminal disease
- Residency
- Citizens Only
-
South America
EcuadorConstitutional Court decriminalized euthanasia in 2024.
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Serious incurable illness or irreversible injury
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
Europe
FranceAid in dying law in force since August 2026. First requests expected in early 2027, once implementing decrees are published.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Advanced or Terminal
- Residency
- Residents Only
-
Europe
GermanyThe Constitutional Court struck down the ban on assisted suicide services in 2020. No law regulates the practice yet.
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Free Decision (No Illness Required)
- Residency
- No Legal Requirement
-
Europe
IrelandAssisted dying is illegal. A 2024 Oireachtas committee recommended a law, but the bill lapsed in November 2024 and none has been introduced since.
-
Europe
ItalyCourt rulings since 2019 allow assisted suicide under strict conditions. Four regions have laws on the procedure, but there is no national law.
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Life-Sustaining Treatment
-
Europe
NetherlandsThe first country to legalize euthanasia under strict conditions.
- Who can ask
- Adults; minors from 12
- Condition
- Unbearable Suffering
- Residency
- None in law; rare in practice
-
Pacific
New ZealandParliament passed the End of Life Choice Act in 2019, and 65.1% of voters approved it in a binding referendum. It came into force in 2021.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Terminal (6 Months)
- Residency
- Citizens & Permanent Residents
-
Europe
NorwayEuthanasia and assisted suicide are strictly prohibited.
-
Europe
PortugalParliament legalised medically assisted death in 2023, but the law has never come into force, and the Constitutional Court struck down parts of it in 2025.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Serious Incurable Illness or Injury
- Residency
- Citizens & Legal Residents
-
Europe
SpainThe euthanasia law has been in force since 2021, and the Constitutional Court upheld it in 2023. 565 people received aid in dying in 2025.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Serious Incurable or Chronic Condition
- Residency
- Citizens & Legal Residents
-
Europe
SwitzerlandAssisted suicide allowed via non-profit organizations.
- Who can ask
- Decisional Capacity
- Condition
- Unbearable Suffering
- Residency
- Open to Foreigners
-
Europe
United KingdomAssisted dying is illegal across the UK. Bills for England and Wales and for Scotland were both defeated in 2026.
-
North America
United StatesLegal in 13 states and Washington D.C., and in Montana by court ruling.
- Who can ask
- Adults (18+)
- Condition
- Terminal (6 Months)
- Residency
- Varies by state
-
South America
UruguayLegal
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Terminal/Irreversible
- Residency
- Residents Only
When each law came into force.
The year assisted dying became lawful in each country we profile, from the first to the most recent.
-
1942
- Switzerland Decriminalized
-
1997
- Colombia Decriminalized
-
2002
- Belgium Legal
- Netherlands Legal
-
2016
- Canada Legal (Federal)
-
2017
- Australia Legal
-
2019
- Italy Decriminalised (Court Ruling)
-
2020
- Germany Legal (Ruling)
-
2021
- New Zealand Legal
- Spain Legal
-
2022
- Austria Legal
-
2023
- Cuba Decriminalised (regulations pending)
-
2024
- Ecuador Decriminalized
-
2025
- Uruguay Legal
-
2026
- France Legal
Other countries
We profile the countries where the law has changed or is changing. The world map covers every country and territory, with where the law stands in each.