UK alcohol deaths fall for first time since Covid pandemic

The number of deaths caused by alcohol in the UK has fallen for the first time since the Covid pandemic, the latest national figures show.

According to data released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes were registered in the UK in 2024.

In what one expert calls a "modest reduction", it marks the lowest number since 2021 and the lowest rate since 2020 at 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

But campaigners say the figures underscore the urgency in tackling alcohol-related harm, labelling the data a "cause for redoubling efforts".

Alcohol-specific deaths – where health conditions are a direct consequence of alcohol – had been rising in the UK since 2018, hitting a record-high of 10,473 in 2023.

Deaths rates fell in England and Wales, to 13.8 and 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively, in 2024 compared to 2023.

Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest rates in the UK - 20.9 and 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively.

Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, told BBC News there was no single factor behind the decrease, but that the figures were still "way too high".

"They are significantly higher than they were before the pandemic and are still the biggest we've seen in decades", he said.

Dr Piper said pandemic stress, cost-of-living pressures and the wide availability of cheaper, store-bought alcohol were among the reasons why people were drinking more.

"More economic hardship causes an increase in drinking due to the stress and anxiety it brings, while over 70% of all alcohol is purchased at home and shop-bought alcohol is as cheap as it's ever been," he said.

He said a recent decrease in young people drinking, generally, would "not necessarily lead to a reduction in deaths" yet.

The ONS data shows the North Easthad the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region, at 21.1 deaths per 100,000, while London had the lowest rate - 10.9 deaths per 100,000.

Dr Piper said that this was due, in part, to regional health inequalities in the UK.

"Areas with higher deprivation have higher levels of alcohol harm," he said.

Dr Piper said deprived communities also had a lower likelihood of being able to access healthcare and a higher density of cheap alcohol outlets, meaning people may be consuming higher volumes of alcohol.

At 20.2 per 100,000 men, the death rate for men in the UK in 2024 was almost double the rate for women.

Age-specific rates fell for those aged between 25 and 79 compared to 2023, the ONS said, while rates for those 80 and over increased.

Dr Piper said a possible reason for the increase among over-80s was the cumulative effects of alcohol over their lifetimes.

Alcohol Change UK is calling on the government to introduce minimum unit pricing in England and implement controls for online marketing.

Dr Piper said the government "missing a huge trick in tackling" alcohol-related harms because it was scared due to the UK's "national love affair with the substance".

"They're talking a good game on health prevention, but it's not delivering," he said.

Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, echoed the call to ramp up efforts to tackle the issue.

"Let's be clear, alcohol deaths remain at a deeply unacceptable level, and we cannot allow that to become normal," she said. "A modest reduction is not cause for complacency – it is cause for redoubling efforts."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Any death from alcohol is a tragedy. While these figures show a slight reduction, alcohol-related deaths remain at unacceptably high levels and we are determined to drive them down.

"Our 10 Year Health Plan commitment to alcohol labelling to provide better health and nutritional information is a crucial step in supporting people to make healthier choices.

"Over the next three years, the government is providing £3.4 bn of ring-fenced funding through the Public Health Grant to support drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery services."