Scotland recorded 1,152 alcohol-specific deaths in 2025, the lowest annual total since 2020

Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland fell in 2025, but the new official figures show the toll remains far above the level seen when the current series began and is still heavily concentrated among men, older adults, and people living in the country’s poorest communities.

National Records of Scotland said 1,152 alcohol-specific deaths were registered in 2025, down by 33 from 1,185 in 2024. The 3% decline was the second straight annual drop after four yearly increases from 2020 through 2023. It was also the lowest annual total recorded since 2020.

The figures were published Tuesday by the statistics agency, which defines alcohol-specific deaths as those caused by conditions wholly attributable to alcohol. The release provides a new benchmark for public health officials and policymakers as Scotland continues to weigh alcohol regulation and harm-reduction measures.

After adjusting for age, Scotland recorded 20.2 alcohol-specific deaths for every 100,000 people in 2025. That was slightly below the 2024 rate of 20.9 per 100,000, although National Records of Scotland said the year-to-year change was not statistically significant. The agency said the latest rate is, however, lower than the 2022 figure of 22.6 per 100,000, marking a clearer improvement over that longer period.

Even with the recent decline, alcohol-related mortality remains well above historic levels. Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at National Records of Scotland, said the 2025 rate was about 1.7 times as high as in 1994, the first year covered by the current series. She said the latest figure is “well below the peak of 2006,” but still points to a long-running public health problem.

The latest decline was driven entirely by a reduction in male deaths. Male alcohol-specific deaths fell by 43, or 5%, to 758 in 2025. Female deaths rose by 10, or 3%, to 394. The age-standardized mortality rate for men was 27.8 per 100,000, compared with 13.3 per 100,000 for women, meaning the male rate remained more than twice as high.

The age profile of those deaths has also shifted upward over time. National Records of Scotland said the average age at death from alcohol-specific causes has risen from 54 in 1979 to 60 in 2025. For much of the period covered by the statistics, the average age was between 54 and 56, but it has increased steadily in recent years. The highest death rates continue to be among people ages 45 to 64 and 65 to 74. Even so, the average age at death from alcohol-specific causes remains far below the average age at death from all causes in Scotland, which was 77 in 2025.

The data also show a persistent and wide social divide. In the most deprived parts of Scotland, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths in 2025 was 4.8 times as high as in the least deprived areas. National Records of Scotland said that gap has narrowed from earlier years, reaching 8.7 times in 2002, but it remains much wider than the deprivation gap for overall mortality. Across all causes of death, people in the most deprived areas die at about twice the rate of those in the least deprived areas.

Geographic differences were also pronounced. Measured over the five-year period from 2021 through 2025, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths was higher than the Scottish average in Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire, Dundee City, and Renfrewshire. Some of the lowest rates were recorded in Aberdeenshire and East Renfrewshire. National Records of Scotland uses five-year averages for council areas to produce more stable local rates, especially where populations are smaller.

Looking only at the most recent annual change in raw numbers, deaths fell in 16 of Scotland’s 32 council areas, rose in 11, and were unchanged in five. The largest drop was in Fife, where alcohol-specific deaths fell by 21. Falkirk, Angus, and Aberdeen City each recorded declines of nine deaths. The agency noted that these local changes are counts rather than population-based rates and should be read with caution.

The urban-rural split was less clear than the deprivation gap, but the 2025 data still showed higher mortality in more urban settings. Large urban areas had the highest alcohol-specific death rate at 23.9 per 100,000 people, while accessible rural areas had the lowest at 12.7 per 100,000.

Across the United Kingdom, Scotland remained near the top of the table in the latest year for which comparable data are available. In 2024, Northern Ireland had the highest alcohol-specific death rate at 21.4 per 100,000 people, followed by Scotland at 20.9. England’s rate was 13.8, and Wales recorded 16.8. National Records of Scotland said Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest rates in the UK.

The new Scottish figures arrive against a backdrop of continued concern over drinking-related harm, especially in poorer and urban communities. While the latest annual total moved lower, the statistics show that alcohol continues to shorten lives at a relatively young age and that the burden remains unevenly shared across the country.