Today (Tuesday, 27 October), the National Records of Scotland published its annual report on alcohol-specific deaths.
Key findings include:
- In 2025, there were 1,152 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland, a decrease of 3% compared with 2024.
- This is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in any year from 2020 onwards.
- In 2025, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths in the most deprived areas of Scotland was 4.8 times as high as in the least deprived areas.
Kirsten Horsburgh, Chief Executive Officer at Scottish Drugs Forum, says:
“Just weeks after the National Records of Scotland’s report on drug-related deaths found that 1,133 people lost their lives in 2025, its latest figures show that 1,152 people died from alcohol-specific causes in the same year. While this is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths since 2019, the number remains far too high. Today, our thoughts are with everyone grieving the loss of someone they love.
“As with drug-related deaths, the factors driving alcohol-specific deaths extend far beyond substance use itself. Poverty, trauma, deprivation, housing insecurity and mental health inequality all contribute to the risk of harm. The impact of these inequalities is stark: alcohol-specific deaths were 4.8 times higher in Scotland’s most deprived areas than in its least deprived, while drug-related deaths were 15 times higher.
“Although our name reflects our origins, Scottish Drugs Forum has recognised alcohol as a central part of the substance-use landscape throughout our 40-year history. In our manifesto, we call for the expansion of alcohol-specific harm reduction, including wider access to brief interventions, peer and community-based support, managed alcohol approaches, and services that reduce immediate risk and improve health and stability.
“The Scottish Government’s decision earlier this year to bring alcohol and drugs together in a new strategic plan offers an opportunity to put a renewed focus on alcohol-specific harm reduction and take a more integrated approach to substance use. However, we are concerned that the plan’s expanded remit has not been matched by an expanded budget.
“More than 2,285 people lost their lives to drugs and alcohol in Scotland last year. Tackling a public health emergency of this scale requires long-term, sustainable investment in effective prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.
“But investment in services alone is not enough. These deaths cannot continue to be looked at in isolation; a cross-government approach is needed to tackle the wider inequalities that put people at risk. As we said following last month’s report on drug-related deaths, the Scottish Government must act urgently to improve quality of life across Scotland and follow the evidence to save lives.”