The Office for National Statistics found 10,473 people died directly due to alcohol in 2023, marking a 38% rise in deaths since the Covid-19 pandemic
A record number of deaths caused directly by alcohol were recorded in Britain in 2023.
The Office for National Statistics found 10,473 deaths occurred “as a direct consequence of alcohol misuse” The deaths, such as those involving liver disease, are just the tip of the iceberg as there will have been many more deaths where alcohol was a contributing factor. Heavy drinking contributes to deaths such as heart disease and cancer.
Deaths caused by boozing have increased by 38% since the Covid-19 pandemic and are highest in North East England.
Pamela Healy, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: “We are living in the shadow of harmful and hazardous drinking that is only increasing since the pandemic, and these latest figures highlight the terrifying scale of this growing health crisis.”
Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at Turning Point, said: “The continued high level of alcohol deaths is a public health crisis. Alcohol related deaths are preventable, and access to treatment remains the key protective factor.”
Deaths directly attributed to alcohol occur when conditions such as alcohol poisoning or liver disease occur. Post-pandemic increases in drinking to excess at home are thought to be in part to blame.
Professor David Strain, science committee chair at the British Medical Association, said: “The UK’s drinking culture is often portrayed as a light-hearted British tradition. However, today’s ONS data makes it clear that there’s nothing light-hearted about the UK’s levels of alcohol consumption.
“Over 10,000 alcohol-related deaths is not a cultural norm – it is a national crisis. Behind these numbers are countless more people suffering from chronic, debilitating conditions, placing immense pressure on the NHS as it struggles to support patients living with the long-term effects of alcohol misuse.”
The ONS data shows alcohol-specific deaths registered in the UK were up 4.2% from 10,048 in 2022 and 38.4% higher than in 2019 – the last pre Covid-19 pandemic year.
The UK rate of such deaths fell slightly to 15.9 deaths per 100,000 people from 16.6 per 100,000 a year earlier. However this masked increases in the rate in England and Wales. Such alcohol deaths are still more frequent in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Men were twice as likely to be killed from alcohol than women. Rates of deaths were highest in North East England at 25.7 per 100,000 of the population.
Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “We’ve seen record-high deaths from alcohol in the UK every single year since the pandemic. This simply cannot become the new normal, so the Government must make tackling alcohol harm a top priority in 2025.”
Ash Singleton, director at Alcohol Change UK, said: “When we drink alcohol, there are a range of effects on our health, wellbeing and quality of life. From headaches and sleepless nights to high blood pressure, anxiety, and cancer, alcohol harm is affecting millions of us. The number of people drinking at hazardous and harmful levels, that is, over the Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines of 14 units a week, increases year on year. To prevent these figures rising further, policymakers must get serious about alcohol harm by focusing on prevention.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths at 22.6 and 18.5 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. The rate in Scotland remained unchanged and fell in Northern Ireland compared with 2022. Minimum unit pricing (MUP) was introduced in Scotland in 2018 and means beer, wine and vodka can not be sold for less than that 65p per unit. Plans have been announced to introduce MUP in Northern Ireland and campaigners are calling for it to be adopted in England and Wales.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “The drivers of this crisis are well known – cheap, easily accessible alcohol and aggressive marketing that normalises excessive drinking – as are the solutions proven to reduce harm. Measures such as minimum unit pricing, improved advertising regulations, mandatory health warnings on labels, and better investment in alcohol treatment services must be implemented across all UK nations without delay.”
David Fothergill, board chair at the Local Government Association, said: “Councils, which are responsible for public health services, are committed to continue supporting everyone with alcohol problems. Every life lost to alcohol misuse is another tragic reminder that there is still more work to do, including the need to reduce pressure on the NHS and social care.”
A nationwide network of local Alcoholics Anonymous groups are available to support people worried about their drinking. Click HERE to find a local meeting.
