Rise in homeless deaths in Glasgow in 2020

Data from the National Records of Scotland shows 40 deaths were identified through death registration data, with a further eight estimated by using a statistical model.

That is up on the 39 estimated deaths the year prior - although far lower than the peak of 63 estimated deaths in 2018.

What does the Scottish data show?

The number of estimated homeless deaths in Scotland has risen over the last three years, reaching 256 in 2020. 215 of those were identified.

While the latest figures for England and Wales have yet to be released, using the 2019 data, Scotland had the highest rate of homeless deaths in Britain. There were 52 deaths per million people, compared to 18 in England and 14 in Wales.

West Dunbartonshire had the highest number of estimated deaths per million people aged 15-74, at 195.5. Glasgow’s figure was 94.4 per million.

Six local authorities had no homeless deaths in 2020 - Angus, Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire, Orkey Islands, Scottish Borders and the Shetlands Islands.

What do we know about the victims?

77 per cent of the homeless deaths were male, with 23 per cent female.

More than half of the deaths of people experiencing homelessness were drug related. 59 per cent of the 256 deaths were as a result of this.