Drug deaths in Scotland are increasing significantly, poorest areas continue to be hardest hit

According to statistics published by National Records of Scotland, the number of people dying from drug abuse in Scotland has increased again.

A total of 1,172 people are estimated to have died from drug abuse in 2023, an increase of 121 deaths from the previous year.

However, despite the significant increase of 12%, this is the second lowest number of deaths since 2017, following a decline in the number of deaths in 2022 with 1,051 deaths recorded.

Glasgow and Edinburgh had the most drug-related deaths, with 246 and 111 respectively.

New statistics released today show that people in the poorest areas of Scotland are more than 15 times more likely to die from drug misuse than those in the least poor areas.

The association between deprivation and deaths from drug abuse is far greater than that between other causes of death.

Phillipa Haxton, Head of Vital Events Statistics, said: “Today's statistics show an increase in drug misuse deaths over the last year. The longer-term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common than they were over two decades ago. In the medium term, today's figures represent the second lowest number of deaths in the last six years.

“The statistics also provide information on the people who die from drug abuse. The figures show us that men are twice as likely to die from drug abuse as women. The biggest increase last year was in male deaths.

“Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of deaths from drug misuse, while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.”

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Deaths from drug abuse are more common than in 2000. After adjusting for age, the rate of deaths from drug abuse in 2023 was 4.2 times higher than in 2000.

The average age of those dying from drug abuse has also increased from 32 to 45 years since 2000.

Opiates and opioids, including heroin, morphine and methadone, were responsible for 80 percent of all deaths.

Almost nine out of ten deaths from drug abuse were due to accidental poisoning, while 7% were deliberate self-poisoning.

Health Minister Neil Gray, who took over as Scottish Drugs Minister alongside Jenni Minto after Christina McKelvie announced a second cancer diagnosis yesterday, said the number of deaths from drug misuse remained “extremely worrying”.

He will speak to the press and media in more detail about this issue when he visits The Skylark IX Recovery Trust boat-building project, which helps people with drug problems, today.

He said: “My deepest condolences go out to everyone who has lost a loved one to drugs. This number of deaths remains extremely worrying and underlines why we will continue to do everything in our power to reduce drug-related harm and death.

“As part of our £250 million National Drugs Mission, we are taking a number of actions including opening a pilot safer drug use facility, working to open drug testing facilities and expanding access to life-saving naloxone. We will also continue to improve access to inpatient rehab, where we are on track to meet our target for additional placements, and drive forward the introduction of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards to make treatment and support available more quickly.

“Despite this unwelcome increase, I am convinced that the National Mission's actions have achieved a lot in a short space of time. Projects on an unprecedented scale have made a real difference for people. We will intensify our efforts and are also working hard to respond to the growing threat of highly dangerous, super-potent synthetic opioids such as Nitazene in an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply.

“We have seen a 67% increase in funding from 2014-15 to 2024-25, providing a record volume of over £112 million to Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs). Additional funding and support from the National Mission have created momentum in local areas to deliver services to save lives. We have now supported more than 300 grassroots projects, including the Skylark IX project in Dumbarton.”