Some 9,809 people died from alcohol-specific causes in 2024 – a 6% drop from the record 10,473 the previous year, but still 30% higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic
The areas of the UK suffering the most devastating drinking issues have been exposed by a new map showing a north-south split for alcohol-specific fatalities. A total of 9,809 individuals perished from alcohol-specific causes in 2024, according to the most recent data available.
These are fatalities where medical conditions result directly from drinking, including alcoholic liver disease, alcohol poisoning or mental and behavioural disorders triggered by booze. While this represented a 6% decline from the record 10,473 the year before, and marked the lowest death toll since 2021, it remained 30% above 2019 levels, the year prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The data reveals that alcohol-related fatalities jumped by 19% between 2019 and 2020, following the UK’s entry into lockdown, and have stayed elevated ever since.
The most recent statistics demonstrate that men are twice as prone to perish as a direct result of consuming alcohol compared to women.
In the past year, 6,480 males lost their lives from alcohol-specific causes, equating to a death rate of 20.2 fatalities per 100,000 males, twice the figure for females (3,329 deaths, a rate of 9.7 per 100,000 females).
A drink-related death is most probable in Northern Ireland, after the mortality rate surpassed Scotland for the first time since 2019.
In Northern Ireland, there were a record 21.4 alcohol-specific deaths per 100,000 of the population, marginally above Scotland (20.9). The death rate was lower in Wales (16.8), and England (13.8), meaning individuals are less likely to perish as a direct result of consuming alcohol.
In England, there was a striking North-South divide with the highest death rate in the North East (21.1), followed by the North West (16.8), and the West Midlands (16.5). Death rates were considerably lower in the South, particularly London (10.9), and the South East (11.1).
Individual local authority figures reveal that Glasgow had the highest death rate in Scotland (32.9), followed by Inverclyde (31.9), and North Lanarkshire (30.0).
In Northern Ireland, it was Belfast (31.1), followed by Derry City and Strabane (25.6).
In England, meanwhile, the regions with the highest rates were predominantly in the North East: South Tyneside (28.9), Sunderland (26.8), and Middlesbrough (26.3).
However, Southampton was an exception in the South (26.3), as was Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands (25.8).
Regions with high death rates could potentially benefit from additional resources and focused support to combat alcoholism.
Simon Phillips, CEO of drug and alcohol treatment provider for England and Scotland, WithYou, said: “Thousands of preventable deaths continue to devastate families and communities across our country – and according to government data over 75% of dependent drinkers still aren’t accessing treatment.
“Although the number of deaths has decreased and more people are in treatment than ever before, underfunded services, an overstretched workforce, and more than a decade since the Government’s last alcohol strategy, mean any progress is precarious.
“Reducing alcohol harm in the UK requires a sustained, real-terms increase in investment in treatment services, so that organisations like WithYou can continue to have a positive impact on people’s lives.
“We also need an evidence-based alcohol strategy for the whole country, alongside greater focus on addressing the underlying social and economic factors that contribute to alcohol-related harm, including isolation and poor mental health. Without these changes we will continue to see people dying. Even one death is too many.”
Zaheen Ahmed, Head of Treatment at alcohol addiction treatment provider The UKAT Group, added: “Alcohol-specific deaths may have fallen slightly over the past year, but they remain one-third higher than before the pandemic.
“That reflects what we see every day in our rehabs: Drinking habits intensified during Covid, and many people are now paying the price. Today’s figures show the most devastating consequence of lockdown binge drinking: Loss of life. Behind every number in this report is a person who died directly from alcohol abuse- an unnecessary death- making this a truly heartbreaking read.”
Mortality rates are computed slightly differently in each nation of the UK, so they may not be directly comparable. In Northern Ireland, the rate is based on the number of alcohol-specific deaths during one year, while in Scotland it is based on five-year averages, and in England and Wales, four-year averages.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.