Glasgow saw record number of drug deaths last year, new figures show

More than 300 people died as a result of drug misuse in 2021, with the city also having the largest increase in drug deaths of anywhere in the country.

Glasgow has now seen the highest increase in drug misuse deaths over the past five years according to figures released by the National Records for Scotland (NRS).

The latest figures showed 311 people in the city died as a result of drug misuse in 2021, a rise of 20 from the 291 deaths in 2020.

Since 2017, Greater Glasgow and Clyde has had the largest death rate of all health board areas with 33.7 deaths per 100,000 population between 2017-2021.

This was up from 8.9 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2004 – with people in the most deprived areas 15 times more likely to suffer than those with more affluent living conditions.

More than 1300 people lost their lives to drug misuse in Scotland in 2021. The small decrease in deaths, which were 1% lower than 2020, made this the the first year since 2013 in which the number has not increased.

Despite the small drop, the death toll is still the second highest figure on record.

The latest figures also showed that in 93% of all drug misuse deaths, more than one drug was found to be present in the body. In total, 84% involved opiates or opioids such as heroin, morphine and methadone, while 69% involved benzodiazepines such as diazepam and etizolam.

The average age of drug misuse deaths has increased from 32 to 44 over the last 21 years across the country. In 2021, 65% of all deaths were of people aged between 35 and 54 meaning there were more than five times as many deaths in 2021 compared with 1996.

Meanwhile Ayrshire and Arran saw 28.1 deaths and Tayside 27.1 deaths per 100,000 making these the second and third highest drug related death health board areas in Scotland.

Julie Ramsay, Vital Events Statistician at NRS, said: “Drug misuse deaths have increased substantially over the past few decades – there were more than five times as many deaths in 2021 compared with 1996. 2021 is the first year since 2013 that drug misuse deaths have not increased.

“In 2021, there were 1,330 drug misuse deaths registered in Scotland. This was a decrease of 1% (9 deaths) compared with 2020. It is the second highest drug misuse deaths figure on record.”

A full copy of the report can be viewed on the NRS website.