More than 230 people died while homeless in Scotland in 2024

Scotland recorded 231 deaths of homeless people in 2024, figures have revealed.

Housing secretary Mairi McAllan described the deaths as a “tragedy”.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) figures showed the death total was down slightly from the 242 estimated deaths in 2023

Around half (49%) were under 45 years old, while drug misuse accounted for 34% of all estimated deaths among the homeless in 2024. The figures revealed a decrease in drug deaths while homeless, down to 79 from 100 in 2023.

Figures also revealed 47% of the homeless deaths were classed as “external causes”, which include most drug misuse deaths, accidents, suicide, and assault.

The majority (78%) of those who died were male, with 22% female.

The figures include people in temporary accommodation such as flats, houses, hotels and B&Bs as well as those who were experiencing street homelessness at the time of their death.

Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at NRS, said: “We estimate 231 people died while they were in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough in 2024.

“This is similar to the estimate of 242 for the year before and not a statistically significant fall. It’s also about 40% higher than 2017, when these figures were first calculated.

“Deaths of people going through homelessness occur at younger ages than those in the population generally. They are also more likely to be from external causes, which includes drug-related deaths, accidents, suicide, and assaults. External causes account for 10% of deaths in all people aged 15 to 74 but half of deaths among those who were homeless when they died.”

The rate of deaths while experiencing homelessness varied across Scotland, with the City of Edinburgh council area recording the highest rate in 2024.

The estimated 231 homeless deaths in 2024 is similar to the level seen in 2023, but remains higher than the 164 deaths recorded when the series began in 2017, highlighting a long-term upward trend.

Housing secretary Mairi McAllan has pledged major investments and new prevention measures to tackle homelessness in the wake of the statistics.

“Every death of someone who is homeless is a tragedy and my heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of those affected”, she said.

“Scotland already has some of the strongest homelessness rights in the world but we want to go even further and will be introducing gold-standard homelessness prevention measures, to ensure people get help before they reach crisis point.

“A safe, warm and affordable home is key to a life of health and dignity. In the 2026/27 Budget we have committed a record investment of £4.9 billion over the next four years, which will deliver 36,000 homes.

“The latest annual NRS figures found drug deaths in Scotland were down 13% and at their lowest since 2017, but we want to do more to save and improve lives and will continue to work hard to improve services.

“We are widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone. We opened the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility and are working with partners to get drug-checking services up and running as soon as possible.”

Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP, called for better preventative measures and highlighting systemic issues in housing and support.

“No one should die without or because they don’t have a safe place to call home”, she said. “One death is one too many. These figures should shame us all.

“Behind every statistic is a person who was failed by systems that should have been there to support them much earlier, and to prevent homelessness in the first place.

“Preventing homelessness deaths requires a public health approach, properly funded, integrated public services including mental health and addiction support, person-centred social care and a trauma-informed justice system.

“It also requires full enforcement of homelessness rights, like Ask and Act duties, which require public bodies to proactively identify people at risk of homelessness and take early, preventative action.

“I was proud to see the Housing First approach now embedded in Scotland’s Housing Act 2025. People – especially those with complex needs – should have access to stable, permanent housing, so they don’t cycle through temporary accommodation.

“Homelessness is not inevitable. We must build homes for people, not profit. We can fund the services that prevent crises, not cause them. And we can reform and fund public bodies so that people get help at the first warning sign, not when it is already too late.”