Cocaine is the second most used drug in Europe, after cannabis. However, per capita consumption of the substance tends to be lower than in the Americas.

• Annual use of cocaine is relatively high in Western and Central Europe (the subregion with the third highest average prevalence in the world) and also in some countries in South-Eastern Europe.
• In some countries in Western and Central Europe, "crack" cocaine use, which is often associated with greater harm than other forms of cocaine use, is relatively high among school students aged 15–16, when measured as the proportion who used the drug at least once in the last year.
• While men tend to account for a majority of cocaine users, the gap in cocaine use between men and women varies relatively widely across Europe and is generally narrower in younger age groups, with "crack" cocaine use being associated with a larger gap than powder cocaine in these groups. On the other hand, considering people suffering from drug use disorders, there is a higher representation of women among people using "crack" cocaine (23 per cent) than among those using powder cocaine (14 per cent), according to treatment data.