1,330 drug related deaths in Scotland last year
1,330 drug related deaths were recorded in Scotland in 2021, that's a small decrease from 2020, but still the second highest total ever
Last updated 28th Jul 2022
The drug death rate has fallen in Scotland - but by just 1%.
1,330 people died in the nation in 2021 due to the 'misuse of drugs'.
It's the first year since 2013 in which drug misuse deaths have not increased. However, it is still the second highest annual total on record.
The decrease means just nine fewer people died this year in comparison to last.
Of those who died from the misuse of drugs, 65% were aged between 35 and 54 years old and more than two thirds (70%) were men.
Dundee City had the highest age-standardised drug misuse death rate of all local authority areas (45.2 per 100,000 population for the 5-year period 2017-2021), followed by Glasgow City (44.4) and Inverclyde (35.7).
Julie Ramsay, Vital Events Statistician at National Records of Scotland, said:
“Drug misuse deaths have increased substantially over the past few decades – there were more than five times as many deaths in 2021 compared with 1996. 2021 is the first year since 2013 that drug misuse deaths have not increased.
“In 2021, after adjusting for age, people in the most deprived areas were more than 15 times as likely to have a drug misuse death as those in the least deprived areas. This ratio has widened over the past two decades.”
FAVOR (Faces and voices of recovery) Scotland CEO Annemarie Ward said: “These horrendous figures should shame the Scottish Government.
“The response to Scotland’s drug deaths crisis has been abysmal. The government has failed to do what’s necessary and the cost is devastating to our communities. Every year we are left with more lost souls and broken families.
“Years after the government promised to finally step up and tackle drug deaths, it’s clear that not much has changed. Nicola Sturgeon said she would make it her national mission to save lives - but we’re still losing more than 1000 people a year. The national mission is failing."
The group will be holding a protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh later today.
While welcoming an end to seven annual increases in drugs deaths, Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance made clear the situation remains “unacceptable”, and work will continue at pace to address the emergency.
Ms Constance said:
“Scotland suffers a terrible toll from drug deaths, leaving families grieving and in pain and my heart goes out to all those affected by the death of a loved one through drugs.
“These latest statistics provide yet more heart-breaking reading, and the situation remains unacceptable. While there is so much more work to do, every life saved means one less family grieving and I am determined we can use this halt in the upward trend of recent years as a platform for real change.
“My focus now is on taking action and delivering new investment to improve services and get more people into the treatment which works for them. Residential rehabilitation is one of a range of treatment options available and today I am visiting River Garden Auchincruive to speak to residents and staff about the services provided. Later I will be meeting some families affected by a loved one’s drug use and asking what more we can do to help."
Professor Roy Robertson, Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said:
“The Scottish Government Taskforce on drug-related deaths reported last week with a wide range of recommendations, 139 in total. What happens next is unclear but the Scottish Government has been asked to respond before the end of the year with a plan.
“We need a strategy for expanding knowledge and education, both of which are critical in understanding and responding to a medical crisis affecting many areas of medicine. It would be proper to see policy-makers engaged with educational and academic institutions as well as clinicians, and we’d like to see a strategy that could put addictions on the same footing as other major health departments.
“Alcohol, smoking, heroin and cocaine account for an incredible amount of health harms and deaths. The impact of gambling, recreational drugs and internet access to an expanding range of substances requires a formal long-term vision”.