Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2024

In 2024:

• 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK, the lowest number since 2021 (9,641 deaths), and the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people) decreased to its lowest recorded number since 2020 (13.9 deaths per 100,000 people).

• Age-specific rates decreased compared with 2023 for people aged between 25 and 79 years, while rates for those aged 80 years and over increased; rates for those aged 20 to 24 years remained similar to 2023.

• The rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males remained around double the rate for females (20.2 and 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively); this is consistent with previous years.

• England and Wales had a decrease in the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (13.8 and 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively) compared with 2023.

• Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths (20.9 and 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively), with a decrease in the rate in Scotland and an increase in Northern Ireland when compared with 2023.

• The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region (21.1 deaths per 100,000); London had the lowest rate (10.9 deaths per 100,000).

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There were 9,809 deaths related to alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK in 2024, equivalent to 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people. There were 664 fewer deaths (a 6.3% decrease) in 2024 when compared with 2023, when there were 10,473 deaths, a record high and equivalent to 15.9 deaths per 100,000 people.

The figures in this bulletin are based on the date a death was registered, which is usually later than the date it occurred. Of the 9,809 alcohol-specific deaths registered in the UK in 2024, 85.5% occurred in 2024, 12.9% occurred in 2023, and 1.5% occurred in 2022 or earlier.

In 2024, alcohol-specific deaths decreased year-on-year for the first time since 2018. Between 2019 and 2023, registered alcohol-specific deaths increased from 7,565 to 10,473, a rise of 38.4%. Over that same period, the alcohol-specific death rate rose from 11.8 to 15.9 per 100,000 people.

Between 2019 and 2022, alcohol-specific death rates in the UK rose year-on-year to a record high of 16.6 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2022. However, in 2023, this rate decreased when compared with 2022, and in 2024 the rate of 14.8 was the lowest since 2020, when it was of 13.9 deaths per 100,00 people.

Rates of male alcohol-specific death are twice those of females

The alcohol-specific death rate for males in the UK in 2024 (20.2 deaths per 100,000 males; 6,480 deaths) was around double the rate for females (9.7 deaths per 100,000 females; 3,329 deaths). This is consistent with previous years.

Rates of alcohol-specific death fell in England, Wales and Scotland, compared with 2023

Scotland and Northern Ireland were the UK constituent countries with the highest alcohol-specific death rates in 2024, with 20.9 and 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. However, the rate in Scotland in 2024 was the lowest since 2019, when it was of 18.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

The rate of 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people in Northern Ireland in 2024 was a record high, with it being the only UK constituent country to see an increase in the rate in 2024 when compared with 2023.

England and Wales continue to have lower rates of alcohol-specific deaths when compared with Scotland and Northern Ireland, with 13.8 deaths per 100,000 people in England and 16.8 in Wales in 2024.

Alcohol-specific death

This bulletin uses the National Statistics definition of alcohol-specific deaths; it includes those health conditions in which each death is a direct consequence of alcohol misuse (that is, wholly attributable deaths). This is explored in greater detail in Section 8 of our Concepts and definitions of our Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK quality and methodology information (QMI).

Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year, rather than the date on which the death occurs. On a national level, trends are broadly similar, whether the data are analysed by year of occurrence or year of registration. Registration delays can have greater influence on smaller geographical areas.

Alcohol-attributable death

Alcohol-attributable deaths, also known as alcohol-related deaths, include deaths from any cause that can be attributed to alcohol. This includes alcohol-specific causes (those that can only be caused by alcohol), such as alcoholic liver disease. Also included are those that are made more likely by alcohol, but also occur in people who do not drink, such as heart disease or various types of cancer.

Age-specific mortality rates

Age-specific mortality rates are used to allow comparisons between specified age groups.

Age-standardised mortality rates

Age-standardised mortality rates allow for differences in the age structure of populations. Therefore, they allow valid comparisons to be made between geographical areas, different sexes, and over time. In this bulletin, age-standardised mortality rates are presented per 100,000 people and standardised to the 2013 European Standard Population.

Quality and methodology

Statistics on mortality are derived from the information provided when deaths are certified and registered. These statistics are assessed to be fully compliant with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice for Statistics, and are therefore designated as accredited official statistics. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) holds mortality data for England and Wales. Figures for the UK include data provided by National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Multiple changes were made to death certification and registration under the Coronavirus Act 2020. We have previously explored the impact on the quality of death registration data in England and Wales. More information about the methods and quality of these statistics can be found in our Mortality statistics in England and Wales quality and methodology information (QMI) and our User guide to mortality statistics methodology.

Other quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK QMI.

Registration delay

Figures used in this bulletin are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year.

The amount of time it takes to complete an inquest creates what is known as a "registration delay", which is a lag between the date of death and the date of death registration. For alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2024, the average (median) time between death occurrence and registration was ten days in England and eleven days in Wales.

Populations

Mortality rates are calculated using the number of deaths and mid-year population estimates provided by our Population Estimates Unit. Population estimates are based on the decennial UK census estimates and use information on births, deaths, and migration to estimate the mid-year population in non-census years.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

• Consistent methodology across the UK allows for robust and comparable estimates of trends in alcohol mortality to be made.
• The precision of the alcohol-specific definition reduces the uncertainty that arises when estimating the total number of alcohol-attributable deaths.
• Using the alcohol-specific definition, figures can be produced regularly and reliably from routinely collected data.

Limitations

• The alcohol-specific definition underestimates the true extent of alcohol-attributable mortality; for further information, please see Section 5: Glossary.
• The largely chronic nature of the conditions defined as wholly attributable to alcohol mean that there may be a delay between changes in alcohol consumption and behaviour and the resulting change in the number of alcohol-specific deaths.