This is the lowest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in the UK since 2021, which saw 9,641 deaths registered.
May 2026 |
In 2024, there were 9,809 deaths caused directly from alcohol.
Responding to the latest Office for National Statistics data on alcohol-specific deaths in the UK in 2024, Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said:
“Every death from alcohol is a preventable tragedy. Behind these figures are real families. A drop in alcohol-specific deaths is good news but must not lull any of us, including the Government, into a false sense of security about alcohol harm in the UK.
“While a reduction from the pandemic-era spike in harmful drinking was expected over time, deaths are still much higher than pre-pandemic levels and not falling fast enough. And these figures exclude the tens of thousands more deaths where alcohol plays a role, or the millions of us whose lives are affected by the wider toll alcohol has on our health, wellbeing and quality of life.
“Despite overall alcohol consumption falling, inequalities remain, with some groups including men, older generations and people living in more deprived communities experiencing higher rates of death than women, younger generations and those in more affluent areas.
“While the Government has ambitious national plans to tackle issues like smoking and cancer, it’s falling short on meaningful policies to prevent alcohol harm. This needs to change. It’s time to rid our shelves of high-strength alcohol at pocket-money prices, create a modern licensing system to address round-the-clock availability of alcohol, and better protect all of us - especially our children - from relentless alcohol marketing.”
The data also showed that in 2024:
- 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.
While the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people), also decreased to its lowest recorded number since 2020 (13.9 deaths per 100,000 people), it is still higher than the beginning of the recorded time series in 2001 (10.6 deaths per 100,000 people).
Access the full data release here.
