By Bill Heaney
Scottish Conservatives have today slammed the SNP for failing to get a grip on Scotland’s alcohol crisis, after the latest “tragic and shamefully high” death toll was revealed.
Figures released by National Records of Scotland show that there were 1,185 alcohol-related deaths in Scotland in 2024 – the twelfth year in a row the fatality toll has been over 1,000.
The stats also show that those living in the most deprived areas were 4.5 times more likely to die as a result of alcohol than those in the least deprived areas.
West Dunbartonshire saw a 21.7% increase.
With Scotland’s alcohol death rate being consistently the highest in the UK, shadow alcohol and drugs minister Annie Wells said it was essential that SNP ministers backed the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Recovery Bill to address this national crisis.
Annie Wells MSP, pictured right, said: “With alcohol deaths remaining shamefully and devastatingly high, it’s clear the SNP’s approach is not working.“Ministers must stop seeing their flagship minimum unit pricing policy as a silver bullet when so many Scots families are tragically losing loved ones to the scourge of alcohol addiction.
“As with drugs, Scotland’s alcohol death rate is among the worst in Europe on the SNP’s watch. And, as usual, it’s the most deprived communities in the country that are hit the hardest by the nationalists’ incompetence.
“Rather than doubling down on MUP, which is a blunt instrument for a complex problem, SNP ministers should finally support our Right to Recovery Bill.
“This game-changing bill, drawn up by experts with lived experience, would enshrine in law a right to treatment, including residential rehab and abstinence programmes, for all those struggling with addiction.”
Dumbarton constituency Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, left, said: “said: “It is welcome that there was a decrease in the number of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland last year.
“However, there can be absolutely no room for complacency, with deaths still 14% higher than they were a decade ago, with people in the most deprived parts of Scotland around twice as likely to die as those in the least deprived areas.
“Each death is a tragedy, and the latest figures represent 1,185 lives lost, with families and communities right across the country feeling the impact of those losses.
“Tackling alcohol-specific deaths is not just about spending more money but spending it effectively – including by ensuring rehab facilities are available for those who need it.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, right, said: “The equivalent of 22 people a week are dying due to alcohol misuse in Scotland. This will be a hard day for all those who have lost a loved one.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats were the first party to call for an increase in minimum unit pricing. The original impact of minimum pricing has decreased over time as inflation has eaten away at the effectiveness of the policy.
“The SNP has consistently handed down real-terms cuts to drug and alcohol services. At a time when alcohol continues to claim far too many lives, we need joined-up thinking and proper investment to stop this tragedy from wrecking families and communities across Scotland.”
There were 1,185 alcohol deaths in Scotland in 2024. While this is a decrease from 2023, it is still a 16% increase from the 1,020 deaths in 2019. (National Records of Scotland, 23 September 2025, link)
There was an increase in alcohol deaths in Stirling, Edinburgh, the Highlands, Aberdeen, Falkirk, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, and Midlothian. Stirling saw a 11.8% increase, Edinburgh saw a 3.4% increase, the Highlands saw a 17% increase, Aberdeen saw a 17.8% increase, Falkirk saw a 16.1% increase, North Ayrshire saw a 6.7% increase, East Ayrshire saw an 11.1% increase, West Dunbartonshire saw a 21.7% increase, and Midlothian saw a 33.3% increase. (National Records of Scotland, 23 September 2025,
link)
People in the most deprived areas of Scotland were 4.5 times more likely to die of an alcohol-specific death than people in the least deprived areas in 2024. Alcohol-specific deaths have consistently been more common in more deprived areas for decades.
(National Records of Scotland, 23 September 2025,
link)
In 2023, Scotland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of the UK constituent countries. This has been the case for almost all years since the series began in 2001. Data for 2023 is the most recent year that data is available across the UK. (National Records of Scotland, 23 September 2025,
link)
Like this:
Like Loading...
