Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland rose to their highest level in more than a decade in 2020, amid warnings that COVID-19 has undermined progress made with the country’s world-leading minimum unit pricing policy, writes Libby Brooks for The Guardian
There were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland in 2020, an increase of 17% from 2019 and the highest number registered since 2008 when 1,316 people died, according to figures published by National Records of Scotland (NRS).
The tally of alcohol-specific, rather than alcohol-related, deaths excludes those only partially attributed to alcohol.
After annual increases between 2012 and 2018, the number of alcohol-specific deaths fell by 10% in 2019, which experts took as early evidence of the success of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol, which was introduced in May 2018 in order to tackle Scotland’s chronically unhealthy relationship with alcohol. The MUP is currently fixed at 50 pence a unit.
The Guardian story published on 17 August 2021 continues: More than two-thirds of last year’s deaths were of men, and almost one in three were of people in their 50s and 60s. The NRS calculated that the death rate in the most deprived areas was 4.3 times the rate in the least deprived areas in 2020.
Responding to the figures, Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said that the reversal of last year’s reduction was “devastating to see”.
“Scotland has made good progress in addressing the problems we have with alcohol by introducing policies like minimum unit-pricing which is showing promising results. Yet the impact of the pandemic threatens to undermine this progress.
“Many people, particularly heavier drinkers, have reported that they have increased their drinking during the last 18 months. The effects are felt most by those living in our poorest communities, who are eight times more likely to die due to alcohol.
“If we are to prevent more people losing their lives to alcohol and to reduce health inequalities we need to redouble our efforts by reducing the availability of alcohol, restricting its marketing and by uprating minimum unit price. Importantly, we also need to make sure that support is available to those who need it now.”
Link to the full article in The Guardian below.
Report details
National Records of Scotland report – Alcohol-specific deaths 2020
These are the key findings of the report. The full report may be accessed via the link below.
Key Findings In 2020
- Analysis of alcohol-specific deaths in 2020 shows there were 1,190 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland, 170 greater than in 2019 representing a 17% increase.
- The age-standardised alcohol-specific death rate was 21.5 deaths per 100,000 population in Scotland.
- The rates of male alcohol-specific deaths (31.3 deaths per 100,000) were more than double the rates for females (12.7 deaths per 100,000).
- Males accounted for over two-thirds (69%) of alcohol-specific deaths.
- Most alcohol-specific deaths were of people in their 50s and 60s (711,
- 60% of the total in 2020).
- After adjusting for age, alcohol-specific death rates in the most deprived areas were 4.1 times more than those in the least deprived areas.
How this compares to previous years
- 2020 represents the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths registered since 2008 (1,316).
- Since the series began in 1979, there have usually been at least twice as many male deaths as female deaths. This remains the case in 2020 with male deaths (826) more than double the number of female deaths (364).
- Over the latest five years, 55-59 was the age-group with the largest number of alcohol-specific deaths, with an average of 185 per year. The average age of such deaths has increased over the last decade: it was around 55 for many years but has risen to around 59 in the last few years.
The Guardian story – Deaths caused by alcohol at highest level since 2008 in Scotland (Open access)
National Records of Scotland report – Alcohol-specific deaths 2020 (Open access)
See also in the MedicalBrief archives
Minimum unit alcohol price in Scotland and Wales reaps benefits
Ramaphosa seeks tougher alcohol abuse laws
MRC wants further controls to tackle SA’s alcohol abuse problem