Main Points
- In 2024, there were 1,185 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland, a decrease of 7% (92 deaths) compared with 2023.
- This is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in any year since 2019.
- After adjusting for age, there were 20.9 alcohol-specific deaths per 100,000 people in Scotland in 2024, a decrease compared with 2023 (22.5 per 100,000). This was not a statistically significant decrease in rate.
- Male deaths continued to account for around two thirds of alcohol-specific deaths. Both male and female deaths decreased in the past year.
- The age profile of alcohol-specific deaths has become older over time, with the average age increasing in the last decade.
- After adjusting for age, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee City had higher alcohol-specific mortality rates than the Scottish average in the period 2020-2024.
- Alcohol-specific mortality rates were 4.5 times as high in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas in 2024. In contrast, for all causes of death, people in the most deprived areas are around twice as likely to die as those in the least deprived areas.
- In 2023, Scotland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of the UK constituent countries, though the difference has narrowed over time. Data for 2023 is the latest year that data is available across the UK.
Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland
There were 1,185 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2024. This is a decrease of 7% (92 deaths) compared with 2023 (Figure 1).
This is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in a year since 2019.
Figure 1: Alcohol-specific deaths decreased in 2024
Number of alcohol-specific deaths, 1994-2024
After adjusting for age, there were 20.9 alcohol-specific deaths for every 100,000 people in Scotland in 2024 (Figure 2).
The alcohol-specific mortality rate fell between 2006 and 2012. It gradually increased over the following decade, with the exception of a larger fall in 2019. The rate decreased over the latest year from 22.5 deaths per 100,000 population in 2023. However, due to the uncertainty around the annual estimates as represented by the 95% confidence intervals, this decrease in rate from 2023 is not statistically significant. The latest rate is now at a similar level to 2018.
Age-standardised mortality rates are a better measure of mortality than numbers of deaths as they account for changes in population size and age structure. They provide more reliable comparisons between different areas, sexes and over time.
In this report, age-standardised mortality rates are presented per 100,000 people and are standardised to the 2013 European Standard Population.
More information on the calculation of age-standardised mortality rates is available on our website.
Figure 2: The latest rate of alcohol-specific deaths is at a similar level to 2018
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths, 1994-2024
Alcohol-specific deaths by sex
In 2024, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males remained more than double the rate of females at 29.6 and 13.1 deaths per 100,000 people respectively (Figure 3). This is consistent with recent years.
There were 801 male deaths and 384 female deaths from alcohol-specific causes in the latest year. Males account for over two thirds of these deaths in Scotland. Over the last year, there were decreases of 60 male and 32 female alcohol-specific deaths since 2023.
Figure 3: Rate of male alcohol-specific deaths is double the female rate
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths by sex, 1994-2024
Alcohol-specific deaths by age
The age profile of alcohol-specific deaths has become older in recent years. For most of the series, the average age of alcohol-specific deaths fluctuated between 54 to 56 years. Between 2013 and 2023, the average age increased rapidly from 56 to 60 years. It fell slightly to 59 years in 2024.
The rate of alcohol-specific deaths is highest in age groups 45-64 and 65-74. These have been the highest since the data was first available (Figure 4). The rate in those aged 75 and over has increased in the last decade, but it remains about half the rate of both of the two highest age groups. For age 25-44, the rate of mortality has generally fallen since the highest point in 2006.
Figure 4: Rate of alcohol-specific deaths highest in ages 45-64 and 65-74
Rate of alcohol-specific deaths by broad age group, 1994-2024
Alcohol-specific deaths across Scotland
After adjusting for age, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths was higher than the Scottish average in Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee City over the period 2020-2024 (Figure 5). There is a statistically significant difference between the rates for these areas and Scotland (the confidence intervals do not overlap).
Some of the lowest rates were in Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire and Shetland Islands.
There may be large confidence intervals around these rates for areas with smaller populations or number of deaths. When comparing mortality rates in areas across Scotland, we group five years of data together as relatively few people die from alcohol-specific causes.
Figure 5: The rate of alcohol-specific deaths varies across Scotland
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths by council areas, 2020-2024 average
The latest decrease in the number of alcohol-specific deaths was not seen across all areas of Scotland (Figure 6). The number of alcohol-specific deaths decreased in 21 council areas, increased in nine areas and was unchanged in two areas.
The largest decreases in alcohol-specific deaths between 2023 and 2024 were in Glasgow City (-29 deaths) and South Lanarkshire (-20 deaths). These areas also have some of the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths, as well as larger populations.
Figure 6: Alcohol-specific deaths fell in 21 council areas, and increased in nine
Alcohol-specific deaths by council areas, 2023 and 2024
Alcohol-specific deaths by deprivation
People in the most deprived areas of Scotland were 4.5 times more likely to die of an alcohol-specific death than people in the least deprived areas in 2024, after adjusting for age. For all causes, people in the most deprived areas are around twice as likely to die as those in the least deprived areas.
The ratio of alcohol-specific deaths in the most and least deprived areas has fallen over the last two decades (Figure 7). The highest ratio was 8.7 in 2002. Alcohol-specific deaths have consistently been more common in more deprived areas.
Figure 7: Rate of alcohol-specific deaths 4.5 times as high in the most deprived than least deprived areas
Age-standardised mortality rates of alcohol-specific deaths by SIMD quintile, 2001-2024
Note: Deprivation quintiles are based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Alcohol-specific deaths by urban rural
In urban and rural areas, the pattern has been less clear over time and there is less of a relationship between levels of rurality and the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (Figure 8). The rates in large urban areas, other urban areas, and remote small towns have been consistently higher than other areas.
In 2024, the highest alcohol-specific mortality rate was in large urban areas at 24.5 deaths per 100,000 population. The lowest rate was in accessible rural areas at 11.0 per 100,000 people.
Figure 8: Rate of alcohol-specific deaths highest in large and other urban areas, as well as remote small towns
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths by urban-rural classification, 2011-2024
Comparisons within the UK
In 2023, Scotland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of the UK constituent countries (Figure 9). This has been the case for almost all years since the series began in 2001. Data for 2023 is the most recent year that data is available across the UK.
The difference between Scotland and the other UK constituent countries has narrowed over the last two decades. In 2001, the alcohol-specific mortality rate in Scotland was between 2.1 and 2.9 times as high as other UK countries. In 2023, it was between 1.2 and 1.5 times as high.
Figure 9: The difference between rates of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland other parts of the UK has narrowed
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths, UK constituent countries, 2001 to 2023
Source: National Records of Scotland, Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
After adjusting for age, there were 22.6 alcohol-specific deaths per 100,000 people in Scotland in 2023. The only UK region with a higher rate was the North East of England with a rate of 25.7 per 100,000 people (Figure 10).
Figure 10: Scotland had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of UK constituent countries
Age-standardised mortality rate of alcohol-specific deaths, UK countries and regions, 2023
Source: National Records of Scotland, Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
More information and analysis on trends across the UK is available in the ONS publication of Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK.
Links to related statistics
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