Alcohol-specific Deaths In The UK - Scotland Tops The Numbers

23rd April 2024

In 2022, there were 10,048 deaths (16.6 per 100,000 people) from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record.

The number recorded in 2022 was 4.2% higher than in 2021 (9,641 deaths; 14.9 per 100,000) and 32.8% higher than in 2019 (7,565 deaths; 11.8 per 100,000), the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year.

Between 2012 and 2019, rates of alcohol-specific deaths in the UK had remained stable, with no statistically significant changes in the age-standardised rate.

Consistent with previous years, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males in 2022 remained around double the rate for females (22.3 and 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively).

Scotland and Northern Ireland had the highest rates of alcohol-specific deaths in 2022 (22.6 and 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively).

Comparing with 2019, there have been statistically significant increases in the alcohol-specific death rate in England, Wales, and Scotland.

The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region in 2022 (21.8 deaths per 100,000); the East of England had the lowest rate (11.0 deaths per 100,000).

Read the full ONS report HERE