The “ecstasy” market remains concentrated in Europe (mainly Western and Central Europe)

The use of “ecstasy” is relatively high in Western and Central Europe with nearly 4 million of people estimated to have used the substance in the past year in 2024. In contrast, the estimated number of users was below 800,000 in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

The estimated annual prevalence of "ecstasy" use is also relatively high – at 1.2% (1.1-1.3%) in Western and Central Europe - it is the second highest in the world, while it is much lower, at 0.4% (0.1-0.9%) in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

According to the population surveys results which are available until the year 2024, countries can be largely categorized among those with long-term increases and those with long-term relatively stable situation.

According to the results of wastewater analysis, overall "ecstasy" consumption and/or its purity has been increasing in the two European subregions between 2011-2024, except for the drop during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021). However, the trend has reversed towards 2025, where the overall levels of the drug decreased and more cities detected a decrease than an increase.

The same analysis shows that the consumption of ”ecstasy” is higher during the weekends than weekdays, suggesting that the pattern of "ecstasy" use is more occasional than on a daily basis.