Today, the National Records of Scotland has published its annual report on drug-related deaths. It finds that:
- In 2025, there were 1,133 drug-related deaths registered in Scotland, an increase of 11% compared with 2024.
- Drug-related deaths were 15 times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland than the least deprived areas.
- Opiates/opioids continued to be the most common type of drug implicated in drug-related deaths.
- Cocaine was implicated in over half of drug-related deaths in 2025. This is the highest number since the series began in 2008, and an increase of 23% from 2024.
- Nitazenes, a group of potent synthetic opioids, were implicated in more than one in five drug-related deaths.
Kirsten Horsburgh, Chief Executive Officer at Scottish Drugs Forum, says:
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one. Behind every statistic is a person whose life mattered, and a family, friendship group or community living with their loss.
“Today’s figures reflect a range of factors contributing to drug-related harm, including an increasingly unpredictable drug supply. The fact that nitazenes were implicated in one in five deaths is a stark indication of these changing risks. We must act quickly to expand the support and services that can help people reduce harm – such as safer drug consumption facilities, drug checking services, and the wider provision of harm reduction equipment.
“But it is too simplistic to say that 1,133 people died because of the contaminated drug supply, or indeed because of drug use itself. The truth is that these deaths are shaped by a much wider set of factors, including poverty, trauma, deprivation, housing insecurity and mental health inequality. Drug-related deaths were 15 times higher in the most deprived areas of Scotland than in the least deprived, underlining the profound impact of inequality on people’s risk of dying.
“No single intervention will end Scotland’s drug-related deaths crisis. We need effective prevention, treatment and recovery support, alongside action across government to overcome the deep-rooted social and economic conditions that shape people’s health.
“To truly address this public health emergency, we must stop treating drug-related deaths as inevitable and stop looking at them in isolation. We need to address the circumstances that leave some people at greater risk of harm, improve quality of life across Scotland, and follow the evidence to prevent more people from dying.”
Steven (58) lives in Glasgow. He says:
“It was quite wild where I grew up. I saw a few murders at a very young age. My pal died right in front of me, and my head was wasted by it. One of the older boys gave me a wee bit of heroin. I was 14.
“There were no jobs when I left school. I didn’t know anyone who had a job. It was because of where we lived, because of our address. I felt let down. There was nothing to do but sit around.
“I take methadone now. I decided I wanted to take it and got my prescription on the same day. I thought that was great. Having to wait puts people off. If you go for help, you want help that day.”
A note on language
Last year’s report from the National Records of Scotland referred to “drug misuse deaths”. We believe this is stigmatising and harmful language that fails to recognise the wider factors that can underpin problematic drug use, including poverty, trauma, deprivation and lack of opportunity.
We welcome the fact that today’s report uses the term “drug use deaths”. But, while this is an improvement, it can still suggest that an individual’s drug use is the defining cause of their death. This term still does not fully reflect the social, structural and health factors that can contribute to these preventable deaths.
Read our reflections on the language used in official reporting
In our opinion, “drug-related deaths” is a more accurate term that better reflects the wider context in which these deaths occur and Scotland’s commitment to a public health approach. For these reasons, we will continue to use the term “drug-related deaths” in our work.
To read the full National Records of Scotland Report: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-2025/