Scotland's drug deaths fall by 13% but remain highest in Europe

Drug deaths in Scotland have fallen to their lowest level in eight years, but remain the highest in Europe.

Deaths from drug misuse in 2024 dropped by 13% – or 155 deaths – to 1,017.

Glasgow City, Dundee City and Inverclyde council areas had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths in the period 2020-2024, the statistics showed.

But despite a drop in drug deaths last year, cases increased by a third in the first three months of 2025.

There were 308 such deaths over the period January to March, with this total up by 33% on the last three months of 2024.

Last year, the most common drugs implicated in fatalities were opiates and opioids (present in 80% of deaths), benzodiazepines (56%) and cocaine (47%).

While deaths involving opiates and opioids, and benzodiazepines decreased in 2024, deaths which implicated cocaine remained at their highest level on record, with 479 deaths for the second consecutive year.

After adjusting for age, there were 19.1 drug misuse deaths per 100,000 people in 2024. This was 3.6 times as high as compared to the year 2000.

“These statistics show a decrease in drug misuse deaths over the last year and represent the lowest number of deaths in the last seven years,” said Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at the National Records of Scotland.

“The longer-term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common than they were two decades ago.

“The statistics also provide information about the people who died of a drug misuse death. The figures show us that males continue to be more than twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as females.”

Drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd said “there is still work to be done” by the Scottish Government to deal with the harm caused by drugs.

“My heartfelt condolences go to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs,” she said.

“It is welcome that we have seen progress with the number of deaths at the lowest level since 2017, but I know there is still work to be done and we will continue to do everything we can to save and improve lives.

“This is particularly true as we face new threats from highly dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazenes, which further raise the risk of overdose and death.

“That is why we are providing record levels of funding for drugs and alcohol programmes and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone. We have also supported and funded the opening of the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility and are working at pace to deliver drug-checking facilities.

“The spread of grassroots support, enhanced by our funding of more than 300 organisations and projects, has also made a difference on the ground. However, we will always want to do more and will continue to work hard to adapt to new patterns of consumption and demand to direct support where it is most needed.”