THE number of people in Scotland whose deaths were linked to drugs has increased year-on-year, according to the latest statistics.

New figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS), published on Tuesday, show that 1172 people died due to drug misuse in 2023, an increase of 121 deaths compared with 2022.

The figure is below the record high of 1339 deaths which was recorded in 2020, and is the second-lowest of the last six years.

In 2023, opiates and opioids, including heroin, morphine and methadone, were implicated in 80% of all deaths.

Almost nine out of 10 drug misuse deaths were classified as accidental poisonings, with 7% classed as intentional self-poisonings.

The NRS said that drug misuse deaths are more common than they were in 2000. After adjusting for age, the rate of drug misuse deaths were 4.2 times as high in 2023 than 2000.

The average age of drug misuse deaths has also increased from 32 to 45 since 2000.

People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas. The association of deprivation with drug misuse deaths is much greater than with other causes of death.

The NRS report also found that males are twice as likely to die a drug-related death than females, and that the year-on-year rise was driven by male deaths. 

In 2023, there were 805 male drug misuse deaths, an increase of 16% (113 deaths) from 2022. There were 367 female drug misuse deaths, an increase of 2% (8 deaths)

Phillipa Haxton, NRS head of vital events statistics, said: “Today’s statistics show an increase in drug misuse deaths over the last year. The longer term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common than they were over two decades ago. In the medium term, today’s figures represent the second lowest number of deaths in the last six years.

“The statistics also provide information about the people who are dying from drug misuse. The figures show us that males were twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as females. Most of the increase in the past year was due to male deaths.

“Glasgow City and Dundee City had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.”

You can find the full NRS report on its website.