Alcohol deaths in Scotland at five-year low but remain ‘appallingly high’

Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland have reached a five-year low.

According to statistics released by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) on Tuesday, the figure fell by 7% to 1,185 in 2024.

This is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2019, and a decrease of 92 from 2023.

Despite the progress made, the number of deaths recorded in the most deprived areas of the country was 4.5 times higher than in the least deprived, and men accounted for two-thirds of the deaths overall.

Glasgow City Council had the highest rate in Scotland at 32.9 fatalities per 100,000.

It was one of a number of local authority areas with a higher than average death rate, along with Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, and Dundee.

Scotland also continues to have the highest rate of any country in the UK, but the NRS said “this has been the case for almost all years since the series began in 2001”.

Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, a partnership of the Medical Royal Colleges and the Faculty of Public Health in Scotland, said the fall in deaths was encouraging.

Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, the organisation’s chair, said it demonstrated the impact of policies such as minimum unit pricing, which means the cost of the cheapest alcohol in shops in Scotland is significantly higher than south of the border.

“We cannot afford to lose momentum, however,” he said.

“Deaths and harm from alcohol are still far too high and there is much more that can be done to tackle this.”

Scotland’s drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd welcomed the progress, but warned that leaders “cannot become complacent”.

“Behind every number is a person and my heartfelt condolences go out to those affected by the loss of a loved one through alcohol,” Todd said.

“This is a public health priority and we are continuing to channel our energy towards reducing alcohol harm further. There is still a lot of work to be done to save and improve lives.”

She said the Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with local Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships and other organisations to provide support. This year, it is providing around £160m of funding for targeted, person-centred support programmes.

Todd also said the SNP’s “world-leading” Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy has “saved hundreds of lives and is likely to have averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions”.

Lesley Ross, CEO of Glasgow Council on Alcohol, said: “We have a comprehensive series of services to reduce alcohol harm through direct counselling for individuals and families, community education, employability support for people in recovery and tailored services for women, the LGBTQ+ community and young people.

“We see the real impact of alcohol on health and wellbeing and remain committed to providing dedicated services specific to alcohol use.”