The number of deaths caused by alcohol in Scotland has risen to the highest level in 14 years, according to official statistics.

In 2022 there were 1276 alcohol -specific deaths up from 1245 the year before.

Over time there has been a noticeable rise.

In 2017, the year before Minimum Pricing of Alcohol was introduced, there were 1120 deaths.

READ NEXT: Holyrood committee backs abortion buffer zone Bill

Five years earlier in 2012, it was 968 deaths.

The Scottish government is proposing increasing the minimum price of alcohol from 50p per unit to 65p later this year as it continues with the policy despite reports showing it has not helped the most harmful drinkers.

The Scottish Government maintains deaths would be higher without minimum pricing.

Christina McKelvie, Drugs and alcohol policy minister, said experts estimated minimum pricing had "saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to reducing health inequalities".

She said: "Despite this progress, deaths caused specifically by alcohol rose last year - and my sympathy goes out to all those who have lost a loved one."

READ NEXT: Know your rights when it comes to social care charges

Ms McKelvie added: "The Scottish Government is determined to do all it can to reduce alcohol-related harm.

"Alongside MUP, we will continue to invest in treatment and a wide range of other measures, including funding for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships which rose to a record £112 million in 2023-24."

She also said: "Following the consultation that concluded last year, the Scottish Government is considering targeted restrictions on alcohol marketing."

Campaign groups warned more action was needed.

Alison Douglas, Alcohol Focus Scotland's chief executive officer, said: "Despite the Scottish Government's acknowledgement that this is a public health emergency, we are still not seeing an adequate emergency response."

“We must improve treatment and recovery support. But we also have to prevent the health and social harms caused by alcohol in the first place.

"We know what works - making alcohol less affordable, restricting how it is marketed and reducing how widely available it is.

"We also know that Big Alcohol is the number one roadblock to implementing these cost-effective measures, because they rely on heavy drinking for much of their profits."

 

According to the Office of National Statistics, across the UK in 2022, there were 10,048 deaths from alcohol-specific causes, the highest number on record.

The number recorded was 4.2% higher than in 2021 where 9,641 deaths were recorded.

It was 32.8% higher than in 2019  with 7,565 deaths the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year.

Between 2012 and 2019, rates of alcohol-specific deaths in the UK had remained stable, with no statistically significant changes in the age-standardised rate.