Table 9: Drug-related deaths by sex and age-group: average for 2009 to 2013, and relative to the estimated number of problem drug users
2009-2013 average number of
drug-related deaths
per year
Problem drug users (aged 15-64) in 2009/101Annual average drug-deaths: 2009-2013 per 1,000 problem drug users in 2009/104
95% Confidence Interval2Likely range of values
EstimateLower endUpper end+/-3Estimatefrom5to5
Footnotes:
  1. Estimates of problem drug users aged 15 to 64, as published by the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. ISD's estimates by sex and by age-group exclude problem drug users in Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles / Eilean Siar, because ISD was unable to estimate the numbers of problem drug users of each sex in those areas.
  2. The 95% Confidence Intervals are the range within which it is expected that the true value will lie. On the basis of statistical theory, there is only a 5% chance that a 95% Confidence Interval will not include the (unknown) true value of the quantity which is being estimated - so, on average, one would expect that 19 out of 20 of all 95% Confidence Intervals will include the (unknown) true values. ISD did not publish confidence intervals for the numbers for each sex or for each age-group.
  3. The average of the percentage differences between (a) the estimate and the lower end of the 95% Confidence Interval and (b) the estimate and the upper end of the 95% Confidence Interval. It is calculated using the rounded values of the estimate and the two ends.
  4. These death rates are broad indications only, as (e.g.) the estimated numbers of problem drug users may be subject to wide confidence intervals.
  5. The 'from' value in the range for the rate is calculated using the upper end of the 95% Confidence Interval for the estimated number of problem drug users, and the 'to' value in the range for the rate is calculated using the lower end of the 95% Confidence Interval for the estimated number of problem drug users.
  6. The 'female' figure for each age-group has been estimated by subtracting the corresponding 'male' figure from the total for the age-group. ISD did not publish estimates of the number of female problem drug users broken down by age-group because of their potential unreliability.
All54459,60058,30061,0002%9.18.99.3
Males40342,000......9.6....
Females14117,300......8.2....
15 to 245411,100......4.9....
25 to 3416623,100......7.2....
35 to 6431425,200......12.5....
Males
15 to 24427,900......5.3....
25 to 3412916,000......8.1....
35 to 6422618,200......12.4....
Females6
15 to 24123,200......3.9....
25 to 34377,100......5.2....
35 to 64887,000......12.5....